Hips shake and bodies sway as the honey-soaked voice of Lura steams through the walls of Toronto's Lula Lounge.

The Cape-Verdean singer has invited two members of the audience onstage to dance the batuku, an African dance for women that encompasses congas, hips, bouncing guitar lines and, as ever, Lura's beautiful, sonorous voice rising above it all, singing out the tales of her beloved homeland to the utterly beguiled crowd.

Welcome to the Small World Music Festival, 2005.

Originally founded in 1997 by Alan Davis, the festival has grown to encompass a vast range of artists from various cultural backgrounds.

 . . .  The audience at the Lula Lounge couldn't have asked for anything more.  As Lura leaves the stage, she gives a huge smile to the adoring crowd, lighting up the darkened room.