THE SAN FRANCISCO Ethnic Dance Festival has been around for more than 25 years. So is anything new going on this year? Actually a lot, and all of it for the better. There's live music for one thing. Just to see the instruments and hear what used to be considered "exotic" music is an upper. During the festival's second weekend, global troubadour Mark Bell works with the fest musicians to highlight cultural differences and similarities between musical expressions. In another new twist, the third weekend is shaped by Larry Reed's visuals. Reed is an extraordinary Indonesian puppet master who has forever changed the idea of dimensionality of shadow imagery. What's more, 14 companies – out of a lineup of 24 – make their festival debuts this year. Not to mention the cultural distinctions: no longer do companies think of themselves as simply Indian, African, Mexican, and so on. For example, Ghungroo Dance Company performs Punjabi dances; Grupo Folklorico Paulé two Bomba styles from Puerto Rico; Yore Folk Dance Ensemble a Normandy Turkman tradition from the Silifke region of Turkey; and Hala Dance two Egyptian dances, a rural one from southern Egypt and another set to Egyptian pop. Opening night will be bittersweet, as Chitresh Das is honored with the first Malonga Casquelourd Award, named for the late dancer and musician. Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m. (also Sat., 8 p.m.), Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon, S.F. $22-$36. (415) 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com or www.worldartswest.org. (Rita Felciano)