(September 16, 2005) — If your tastes include everything from exotic belly dancing and poetry slams to popular music and the visual arts, then the fifth annual ARTWalk Alive! Festival is the place for you.

This vividly colorful annual event, which runs from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday along the 700 block of University Avenue, is nothing less than a cultural arts smorgasbord. All activities take place along the ARTWalk trail, which runs between the Memorial Art Gallery and the George Eastman House.

Artistic events at the 2005 festival fall under four categories:

Dances on the Avenues, featuring such performers as the Sahara Shimmer belly dance troupe and the Bush Mango Drum & Dance, a West African music and dance group.

Word on the Street, which will include poetry and dramatic readings by Reenah Golden (whose motto is "Do the Write Thing"), the Golden Teen Slam Team and other artists.

Music on the Block, presenting The Hayseeds, Charm & Kaution and The Celtic Music Society.

Artists at Work, which will showcase bead makers, painters and sidewalk artists doing their respective things.

There's always a grand finale at ARTWalk, and this year it will be the Dancing Street Sweepers, featuring the choreography of Thomas Warfield.

Bring a friend to this event, and also bring an appetite because there will be food from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Abbott's Frozen Custard and Snapple, with all proceeds going to ARTWalk.

For more details on this free event, call (585) 234-6670 or visit www.rochesterartwalk.org.

— John Pitcher