Dances of the Sun in Newport

Jawahir Middle Eastern Dance Club presents Raqset Al-shems - Dances of the Sun - at the Dolman Theatre, Kingsway, Newport on Wednesday 1 November.

Previously performed at the Monmouth Women's Festival, this is an evening of dance, music and spectacular images in a journey around the music and cultures of Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans.

The show includes music from Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, the Punjab, Lebanon, Iraq, Armenia, America, Canada and Spain, and moving images from Algeria and Libya.

Tickets cost £10 each or 10 for the price of nine, with accompanied under 16s admitted for £5 - available from the Newport Tourist Information Centre on 01633 842962.

Laila Ajbar founded Jawahir in 2002 to spread understanding of Middle Eastern cultures and in particular those of North Africa, from where her father originates.

For more about this show and Jawahir's weekly classes in Newport, see www.arabdance.co.uk