Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/817563
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 30 APRIL 2017 40 This Week Terns are a group of aquatic birds closely related to gulls but they are easily told from their cousins by their slimmer, more elegant build. Their flight too is lighter and more buoyant, and the streamlined look is further emphasised by the tail that is always forked to some degree; this latter feature has given these birds the alternative (if less used) name of sea swallows. None of the nine species of tern that occur in Malta is common, and the whiskered tern (M: ċirlewwa tal-mustaċċi) is one of the rarer ones. All terns live around water but while most are seafarers, diving expertly into the waves after small fish, some prefer the tamer environs of lakes and marshes. The whiskered tern is of the marshy kind, which is why one (pictured) paid a short visit to Għadira nature reserve some days ago. Like all gulls, terns are protected under Maltese law. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti Bittersweet Chocolate What you can do as a citizen 555. WHISKERED TERN GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 458 STAIN PROTECTION: When using stain-prone products such as paint or shoe polish, place newspaper down before you start, to prevent soiling your carpet or furniture. Bittersweet Chocolate What you can do as a citizen Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Green idea of the week 458: Stain protection: When using stain-prone products such as paint or shoe polish, place newspaper down before you start, to prevent soiling your carpet or furniture. ZfinMalta turns spotlight on human fragility THE fragility of human rela- tionships and rising xenophobic sentiments will be dissected on stage by the ZfinMalta Dance Ensemble, which is for the first time taking its latest produc- tion Tnejn (2) out of traditional theatres and into a village par- ish hall. The island's first national dance company was set up with the intention of also being the peoples' company, which is why ZfinMalta's challenging pro- duction will be staged at the Gharghur parish hall between May 12 to 14 at 20:00. "Our mission is to intelligent- ly engage with those who don't think they are interested in the art of dance. So we're excited about the sense of ownership adopted by the community of Gharghur who are stripping bare the parish hall to trans- form it into a stage," artistic di- rector Mavin Khoo said. Tnejn (2) is split into two choreographies consisting of re-staging Iván Pérez's 50-min- ute dance Exhausting Space; and Lucia Piquero's 17-minute piece Petrichor [Spanish for scent of rain]. "These pieces, choreographed by two Spanish dancers work- ing in a diaspora ties in with ZfinMalta's search for its Euro- Mediterranean identity," Khoo said. The work of Iván Pérez is val- ued all over the world for its magnetic, poetic style of dance, and this is what inspired Khoo to stage it in Malta after seeing Exhausting Space for the first time at the Hague two years ago. The play is about relation- ships and their different aspects — from closeness to aggres- sion and humiliation, intimacy and social environment. It ad- dresses the problem of crossing the boundaries between people in both a positive and negative sense. The three dancers in Exhaust- ing Space tiptoe among dozens of fresh eggs painted black, hyp- notising the audience into won- dering whether the shells will crack, and in turn highlighting the fragility of the situation. Throughout the piece, the dancers peel away the layers of how thin the personal bounda- ries of shame, intimacy and fear are, but also highlights the many different ways of making contact with another person. The second piece, Petrichor, is a passionate, intense dance that was initially staged for ZfinMal- ta's apprentices and focuses on bringing out the strength and fluidity of the five dancers. Khoo strongly believes in us- ing this production to challenge the deep-seated misconcep- tions of those who think dance is irrelevant to their lives or feel it is something they do not un- derstand. "In light of the current state of the world, where we witness increasing nationalism further fuelling racist sentiments, these two works break through the stranglehold of stereotypes that clutter our everyday notions of human relations," he said. Apart from the three nights when the show will be open to the public, the dancers will also be staging performances for school students between May 11-12. "We hope to see many new faces in the audience… And I wonder how many of the old faces we normally see at the tra- ditional theatres will follow us to Gharghur," Khoo said. Bookings: https://www.ticketline.com.mt/ PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIELS PLOTARD