Reema Major Headlines 2011 urbanNOISE festival

Expect Theatre and Arts Etobicoke present the sixth annual urbanNOISE festival against violence in the Rexdale and Jamestown communities, headlined by rising hip-hop star Reema Major and featuring Toronto steel pan masters Souls of Steel Orchestra as well as special guest, Grammy-winning beatboxer Scratch from The Roots.

This free all-ages event features live music by some of Canada's up-and-coming music artists, a fabulous hair show, African drumming, and urban arts workshops. A large graffiti mural commemorating the lives lost to violence in Toronto will also be unveiled.

urbanNOISE takes place Saturday, September 10 from 3pm - 8pm on the grounds of the Albion Library in the heart of Rexdale/Jamestown in North Etobicoke and is hosted by Jwyze (ex-Flow 93.5 FM host) and Brittney "Twix" Dixon.

This two-day event kicks off the day before (Friday, September 9) with a series of free urban arts workshops for youth in the area, inside the Albion Library from 5pm - 8pm.

The roster of talented performers joining the headliners features a multicultural line-up of artists, dancers, poets, hairstylists, activists, graffiti artists and a wide array of music forms from hip hop, dancehall and bhangra to steel pans and African djembe drumming.

Watch for rap artists LP Da Original, Flip Watson, The Freedom Writers (Big Sproxx, Theology 3, Tona, Adam Bomb, Progress, Frankie Payne, Mathematik); urban dance troupes Broken Silence and J La Soul; local dancehall reggae talents Chizzy Bashment featuring A.B.S. and Holiday Bros; Punjab folk musicians and dancers Toronto Bhangra All-Stars and Cuban poet Telmary.

This year, the artistic element of urbanNOISE is being organized by a group of youth from the area mentored by community arts educator Dalton Higgins.

A joint production of Expect Theatre (who recently created the highly acclaimed AWAKE for the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival honouring those lost to gun violence) and Arts Etobicoke, urbanNOISE provides free arts-based workshops as well as part-time employment and mentorship through its Ambassador Program to youth in North Etobicoke while fighting the popular perception of Rexdale as a gang war zone.

Sixth Annual urbanNOISE Festival - Make Noise Against Violence!
Featuring headliner Reema Major and special guests Souls of Steel Orchestra and Scratch
Kick-off Workshop Day: Friday, September 9, 2011 5pm-8pm; Main Event: Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 3pm-8pm
FREE - ALL AGES EVENT
Albion Library Parking Lot, 1515 Albion Road (across the street from the mall).
Check out www.urbannoise.ca for updates and info