MAYON, THE junior group of Noyam, a contemporary African Dance Institute, would in April 2007,participate in an international children's cultural festival in The Netherlands. Dubbed Via del Mondo, the festival, to be heldin several cities and towns in The Netherlands, wouldembrace children's groups from Asia and Latin America. Our motive is to establish links between culture and development. Indeed, during the period of the festival, the strength, creativity, talent and art of children would take centre stage," explained Jan Drissen, executive director of Mundial Productions, organisers of the festival. "We also offer children the opportunity to developsocially and culturally as individuals, and as a group,while promoting interaction between various cultures through co-operation, exchange and performances," continued Drissen, who was in Accra to witness the training sessions of some groups invited by Mundial Productions, to participate in its cultural programmes. "Underniably, Via del Mondo is a good place for street artistes to demonstrate their artistic creations. Local jugglers, musicians, dancers, acrobats and circus artistes perform together and alongside children from several parts of the world." Mayon, made up of children aged between six and twelve, performed a number of Ghanaian traditional as well as contemporary pieces for the delegation. These include Kpatsa, Gota, Biman, Kpanlogo and a contemporary piece titled, Threshold, which were accompanied by wild African drumming, bells and hand clapping. Originally choreographed by dance maestro, F Nii Yartey, the children performed a shorter interpretation of Threshold by Cynthia Onoma, which is characterised by subtle arm movements, facial gestures and swift turns. Mundial Productions is indeed, an impressive organisation which works with immense passion and creativity within a global perspective. With a vision, "Culture Contributes to Development”, the organisation has, over the years, been involved in activities which showcase the power of culture. The group organisers’ programmes are FestivalMundial, Mundial Concerts and Strictly Mundial. Its mission is to support international co-operation in the field of culture and provide concrete support for artistes from developing countries. Mundial Productions makes a vital contribution to art and cultural policy, and entertains a wide audience with varied and colourful non-western culture. It focuses on world culture, which includes a diversity of disciplines. Based in the city of Tilburg in The Netherlands, Mundial Productions operates with great expertise, and is a specialist in advising and organising cultural events and projects. The Noyam African Contemporary Dance Institute was established several years ago by F. Nii Yartey, former director of the National Dance Company of Ghana. It has, over the years, trained a number of dancers and fostered relations with other dance educational institutions. Its resident group, Noyam, has performed and held workshops in several parts of Europe and other African countries. Daily Guide