Giant Magnet: festival attracts a world of talent

The spring performing-arts jamboree formerly known as the Seattle International Children's Festival is revving up again under a new moniker: Giant Magnet.

This year's offbeat name change was in part motivated by the organizers' desire to draw more of a cross-generational audience for their global mélange of acts.

According to Global Magnet executive director Andrea Wagner, the name change "allows us to adhere more strongly to the organization's mission of servicing a primarily young audience, without scaring anyone else away" — meaning, teenagers and adults.

The fest will still bring in bus loads of youngsters from around the state to weekday events in Seattle (Tuesday-Friday) and Tacoma (next Monday). And it continues to offer an array of cultural experiences to the general public, acts hand-picked from various continents, in weekend and evening shows.

The total attendance for the 2008 fest was about 37,000, says Wagner. But given the state of the economy, she adds that Giant Magnet may expect a dip this year, and has tightened its budget.

But it is still international — presenting acts this time from Belgium, Zimbabwe, India, Canada, Germany, Croatia, the U.S., Japan and Mexico.

Some highlights:

The Gentlemen of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Friends (U.S.): This beguiling African-American band plays authentic roots music of the black, rural South on such vintage instruments as banjo, fiddle and jug.

Les Argonautes (Belgium): A return visit by an inventive Belgian troupe with "Pas Perdus," which melds acrobatics, juggling, comedy and music in a show aimed at all ages.

Sidi Goma — The Black Sufis of Gujarat (India): A company of dancers and drummers who are from India but of East African descent, and costumed in peacock feather skirts and headdresses for their ecstatic folkloric performances.

Also on the schedule: the ebullient Afro-pop musician Thomas Mapfumo from Zimbabwe; the black-light puppetry of the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia (with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites"); Japan's Kuniko Yamamoto, who conveys mythic stories with masks, music and movement; Hacki and Co., a world-premiere show featuring German clown Hacki Ginda and Seattle's "bubble man" Tom Noddy; and another Belgian troupe, Ontroerend Goed, which treats patrons (age 16 and up) to an interactive event whereby you are blindfolded and gently guided through a unique sensory experience.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com