Seattle International Children's Festival lives up to global name

Performing artists ranging from rappers to jugglers, and from as far away as Chad and Brazil, will appear at the 2007 Seattle International Children's Festival. The annual festival of global acts geared for young people will take place May 14-19 at Seattle Center and May 21 in Tacoma at the Broadway Center.

Among the artists expected are The Perfect Unknowns, a musical circus act from Quebec; Circo Teatro Udi Grudi from Brazil; and the Afro-pop group H'sao from the Central African nation of Chad. Other appearances include puppet theaters, a Mexican band and the Seattle/Japan drumming troupe, Seattle Kokon Taiko.

Two new works, commissioned by the festival from Seattle artists, will be unveiled: a multimedia, musical-animation piece by Spectratone International, and a new show from the "lyrical juggler" Thomas Arthur.

The fest is also set to stage its first show aimed at toddlers, "Glouglou," by Le Théâtre de Quartier from Montreal. For young hip-hop fans, the Somali rapper K'naan will be performing with a full band.

Last year the festival served 32,000 students and teachers from 266 schools and youth organizations. But ticket sales have declined the past three years, according to SICF communications director Jená Cane. She says next year the organization is adopting a new ticket-pricing structure that makes tickets cheaper when purchased for multiple shows. But Cane notes that part of the challenge for schools, who come from as far away as Portland, is paying for increasingly expensive transportation.

On Dec. 5, SICF will host a free preview party for next year's event, 6-8 p.m. at Center House Theatre in the Seattle Center. For general information about SICF, go to www.seattleinternational.org or call 206-684-7338.