Vancouver C! Chi A whirlwind of song and dance, tricks and the- atre, fun and hopefully sun await visitors to the 23rd annual Vancouver International Children’s Festival at Vanier Park starting this weekend. Recognized as one: of the. world’s foremost performing arts events for young people, the Festival. < this year continues _ ~. its tradition of ‘pre: senting the finest’. § children’s. entertain- i+ ers. from ~~ across ~" Canada and around , the world.. “= The. — festival -begins-on May 29 and. continues until “June 4,° ; Jugglers, clowns, ° °*- : acrobats and ‘trapeze artists will blur, the » boundaries > between feality.and fantasy in the: ‘headlining | acts of Québec’s C ie Eos. . Raffi returns to dazzle his ‘followers; : and’ the “Festival welcomes back three other favourites: Fred’ Penner and : the Cat's: Meow ‘Band, to. deligkt “Fredheads” of all " ages; internationally acclaimed recording . artist’ Charlotte Diamond and the Hug Bug Band, and musician and comedian Norman Foote. Among _— the troupes, ensembles and individual per- formers taking part in this year’s Festival will be: FROG Opera, from Australia’s Barking Gecko, features an evil Undertoad and lots of audience participation. fi lidren’ S Fesii @ Australia’s Barking Gecko Theatre Company with their delightful and whim- sical Frog Opera; a Switzerland’s Horta Van Hoye with her amazing bigger-than-life paper sculpted char- acters Stories of Faces; @ Denmark’s Egnsteatret_ Gruppe 38 presenting their haunting retelling of the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel; @ and from South Africa, the dynamic celebration of move- ment, music and rit- ual traditions of Moving Intec Dance Mophatong. This "year’s Children’s Festival takes on controver- sial and challenging subjects relevant to young = audiences with a number of powerful — produc- tions. Australia’s Zeal Theatre presents The Stones, .a very topical story of two toys fac- ing manslaughter charges after kicking rocks off a free- - way overpass. From Denmark, ‘Theatergruppen Marichénen brings ‘its production of Wimp, a tale of schoolyard “copy, ok the! progreinne rivalries and bullying. And Vancouver’s own Carmen Aguirre brings to the Festival’ her one-woman show Chile Con Carne, the story of a young Chilean girl as she con- fronts culture shock and overt racism. New this year is the Children’s Festival Literary Series, presenting noted chil- dren’s authors Susan Musgrave (Dreams Are More Real Than Bathtubs), Andrea Spalding (Me and Mr. Mak) and = Sheryl |= McFarlane (Waiting For The Whales) reading from.a selection of their more recent works. The youngest visitors to the festival will also enjoy Bring them to The Edge 1 WEEK CAMPS Great for building confidence. Camps consist of 4 haif-§ days at The Edge, plus one full day hiking i in the North Shore Mountains. 1 WEEK ADVANCED ages: For kids with previous experience, 1 day inside plus : outdoors to Squamish on each of the foltor ving 4 days. Bring in this ad and birthday . child climbs for FREE {with party of 3 or more) Exp. Aug. 31/00 Sunday, May 28, 2000 — activities just for them. In the toddle tent, Maggie Blondeau, an early childhood educator, is on hand with educational and imaginative toys that will inspire fun and learning in every toddler. A giant sandbox brimming with a ton of sand welcomes all earth moving, tunnelling and dam-building enthusiasts. Quality educational toys are parked for play, white benches await spectators. Two-step down to the Dance Around the World tent, where Maxine Messer will explore movement and dance with children aged 10 months to three years. Whether encouraging chil- ages 7-12 Nerth Shere News - 29 vai set to charm } dren’s most creative flights of fancy or helping them deai with their deepest concerns, the Vancouver International Children’s Festiva! continues to be the highlight of the year for Vancouver-area children, parents and educators. Tickets ($6.75 to $13) are available ‘at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at. 280- 4444 or online at . Individual ticket prices include grounds admis- sion, which is $5° without a show ticket. For a copy of. the ‘fedival oe programme the public is invit- - ed to call 708-5655’ or ‘visit the ‘festival Web™. sit . $185 Pe $250: 984 aera : #2-1485 Welch St, North Van. : Coach: Glen Chu, past Capiiano Cotlege coaching staff, co-ordinator of Sweet D Basketball . experience Boys 4 Girls: Ages | 6-9 July 10-14, Giris: ‘Ages 10-15 July 1 17-21 Coach: Doug Abercrombie, august 14-28 Capilano Coltege Blues | women's head coach Coachi, Rome! Miru Boys & Gidis: Grades 5-91, July 24-28 Fencing Club VOLENE: . coach | Boys & Girls: Grades 7-12, August 21-25" . ‘Coach: Wayne Desjardins, capilano Coltege Blues head coach Coach: Tom Boettger,