Every city should have at least one festival to its name. Munich has Oktoberfest, Eilat celebrates jazz as Bat Yam does street theater and Rishon Lezion lionizes spring. The 10th International Spring Festival does not have a specific guideline but, like a field of flowers filled with a great variety of colors, so to the festival is a mixture of pounding international performances with a rich choice of shows, enough to cater for all tastes. Among the more interesting performances are: Taiwan's U Theater who perform Sound of the Ocean, a synthesis of music, theater, percussion and martial arts-influenced choreography; Israel's La Mariposa, choreographed by Galia Fradkin, a women's play, about women, performed by women in a theatrical language without words; Zimbabwe's Echoes of Eternity, an acapella performance of spirituals and church music from African culture; Swing De Gitanes by the Israeli Gypsy Jazz Ensemble, featuring the remarkably unique sounds of Stephan Grappeli and Django Reinhardt (swing jazz giants from the '20s and '40s) with two guitars, double bass, violin and bayan (Russian accordion), featuring a tap dancer and four swing dancers; and, from Kazakhstan, a gala concert featuring four opera singers and 80 members of the royal symphonic orchestra of Alma Ata. This is the first time the orchestra comes to Israel, bringing with the unique sound of their country. Is nice. The Israel Opera studio singers perform Passion Orpheus, a piece based on Bach's music. And, in case none of the thus far mentioned strikes your fancy, other shows include tango performances from Argentina, a Celtic dance show, an Indian dance performance, a musical based on the poetry of Yehuda Amichai, a vocal classic show from Estonia and yes, much more. The 10th International Spring Festival takes place from March 27 to April 4. The majority of performances take place at the Rishon Lezion Performing Arts Center (16 Jabotinsky St., (03) 948-8688) though some will be held in Ashdod, Herzliya, Kiryat Haim, Modi'in, and Petach Tikva. Ticket prices vary. Visit springfestival.co.il for more information.

Rishon is blooming

The 10th International Spring Festival begins in Rishon Lezion with myriad performances for a variety of tastes.