Folklore dances from the Mediterranean

The 14th Mediterranean Folklore Dance Festival is considered to be the largest and most successful festival of its kind and enjoys great acclaim from all over the world, both for its excellent organisation and for the impeccable hospitality of foreign ensembles.

Starting on Saturday September 14 and lasting for three days, the festival this year hosts groups from Latvia, Egypt, Ukraine, Israel, Greece, Armenia and Georgia plus seven groups from Cyprus. “Through dance and song,” say organisers, “and through the habits and customs of each country, we will discover the joys that come with the roots of every culture, its honour and its valiance.”

The streets of Larnaca will be filled, as every year, with colourful costumes and varied traditional orchestras. “That’s where everyone becomes one, forgets their problems and dances in the streets.” Of great importance is the Saturday morning presentation of the groups in the streets and squares of Saint Lazaros and Ermou.

As a parallel activity, there will be a free Egyptian dance seminar with Professor Dr Hassan Khalil, one of the biggest dance legends in the Middle East. The seminar will take place at the Larnaca Municipal Theatre on Sunday, September 15, from 10am to 2pm and on Wednesday, September 18, from 4pm to 7pm.

 

14th Mediterranean Folklore Dance Festival

Three-day festival with traditional folklore dances. September 13. Ledras and Onasagorou Streets, Nicosia. 6pm onwards. September 14-16. Seafront Stage Finoikoudes, Larnaca. Various times. Free. Tel:7000-1947

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.