A Little Bit Rocking

The International Children’s Festival in Philadelphia features theater, mime, art and music.

By: Sally Friedman

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Maria Del Rey (above) and Fred Garbo and the Inflatable Theater Company (below left) are among the performers at the International Children’s Festival in Philadelphia. The week-long event takes place at the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania.


   It’s an annual explosion of joy — a smorgasbord of music, dance, art and happy mayhem.
   The International Children’s Festival at the Annenberg Center on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia celebrates its 21st year May 1-7. The goal for 2005 is to make a good thing even better with more diverse entertainment than ever, not just for small fries, but for their parents as well.
   "When we expanded the Festival from five days to seven several years ago, we also committed to making this event the premier children’s festival in the country," says Roy Wilbur, Associate Managing Director for Public Engagements at the Annenberg Center and the Center’s Penn Presents arm.
   Launched by University of Pennsylvania communications/theater expert Dr. Katherine Marshall to ensure a high-quality exposure to the arts for children, the Festival burst on the scene with a handful of performers, then grew exponentially, expanding its scope each year. More than 400,000 youngsters have been exposed to the event over the years.

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   School groups and families comprise the audiences as University City is transformed into a kind of Disney World for kids as young as 1, through high-school age.
   "It’s obviously such fun to watch the kids experiencing the music and mime and art, but it’s also delightful to see the intergenerational aspect," says Mr. Wilbur. "Grandparents are coming in larger and larger numbers, and watching them watch their grandkids is especially wonderful."
   This year, all events will be centered in and around the Annenberg Center on Walnut Street, making the festival a bit more user-friendly than in years past, when some program were at other venues.
   And what a lineup of entertainers in 2005.
   If you think little kids aren’t sophisticated in their musical tastes, consider that the much-ballyhooed Break: The Urban Funk Spectacular, fresh from appearances at the Super Bowl and Radio City Music Hall, will be on hand to show kids what hip-hop is all about. Because the emphasis of the Festival this year is on things American, Break will demonstrate the unique art form we know as hip-hop.
   Dan Zanes, the former lead singer of the rock ‘n’ roll band the Del Fuegos, has reached down demographically to young audiences and has become a superstar in that world. "Hip, folksy and a little bit rocking" is the anthem for Mr. Zanes, whose legions of fans definitely include those taller than a fire hydrant.
   Then there’s the much-loved Maria Del Rey, a Latin Grammy nominee whose mission is to teach North American children about the wonderful world of Latin America through song and story. Reached during an engagement with Native American children in Arizona, she conveyed her enthusiasm for children’s entertainment.
   "They are so earnest, so eager, so willing to learn about the world," says Ms. Del Rey, who will present a multi-media, interactive show during the Festival week at Annenberg.
   "What you see when you teach children about their world is an awakening, a sense that ‘yes, there are people out there who have a different culture but who feel the same things I feel,’" she says.
   Other highlights of the International Children’s festival, 2005 include:

  • Fred Garbo and the Inflatable Theater Company, a show with slithering 10-foot cylinders, blow-up forms in a rainbow of colors and other fanciful, kid-friendly delights.
  • Guthrie for Kids, with Sara Lee Guthrie, granddaughter of the folk singer Woody Guthrie (and daughter of Arlo Guthrie), who will be singing the songs her grandfather handed down.
  • Robbi K and Friends, "The Growing Rock," a storytelling/musical experience by this well-known storyteller that introduces children to traditional Native America folklore and storytelling. Robbi K herself has performed with Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross and others.
  • Gale LaJoye, a graduate of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and a veteran of that circus, will performs his legendary show Snowflake, featuring a loveable homeless character.

   Throughout the week, there will also be interactive demonstrations in the visual arts.
   "The University Museum will have an arts table and so will many other individual artists who know how to involve kids in the creative process," says Mr. Wilbur.
   "Experience it Live!" describes a campaign launched by Penn Presents to give audiences of all ages a live theater experience, and the Children’s Festival is also guided by that anthem.
   "So many children have never been exposed to anything but TV, so that a live performance becomes a learning experience in itself," says Mr. Wilbur. "The kids bring so much to the Festival because their excitement and energy are contagious."
   In all, 19 performing artists/groups will be performing in 74 separate shows throughout the week.
   An International Food Court will be set up at the Plaza around the Annenberg Center May 1 and May 7 from noon to 4 p.m., with offerings from area restaurants that range from Caribbean to Italian. Area eateries will also have child-friendly offerings during the week.
The International Children’s Festival takes place at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., Philadelphia. Adult tickets cost $12, $9 each additional show; children’s tickets cost $10 (under age 19), $7 each additional show. For information, call (215) 898-3900. On the Web: www.pennpresents.org