From the department of This Just In:
To celebrate the final (as in last ever--it's closing this year) day of the Seattle festival, rush tickets to all Giant Magnet shows on Saturday, May 14 are a cool two bucks. Come early to get tix before they -- as they surely will -- sell out, and leave time to do crafts in the Center House. Buy tickets at the ticket booth across from the International Fountain up to 30 minutes before a show, and at the venue 30 minutes or less before the show.
At the opening night performance on Tuesday, Chinese performance troupes impressed the audience with their consummate artistry and colorful costumes. The Sichuan Opera Company drew gasps with a tiger and monkey dance, in which two brilliantly costumed dancers -- using the company's "face-changing" technique -- flipped through a series of stylized masks without touching them. It was mystifying, fascinating, and gorgeous. Couldn't figure out how they did that, but it's a neat sleight-of-hand (or head, in this case). They're on the Saturday schedule at 3:30 p.m.
Scottish-Punjabi crew Tigerstyle got audience members dancing to the pulsating sound of Indian Bhangra blended with hip-hop beats. Costumed folk dancers performed traditional dance steps, while a DJ paced behind them. Tigerstyle's on the schedule on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
See you at Seattle Center this weekend -- don't miss this chance to say goodbye to a 25-year tradition for kids, whose demise is a severe blow to arts education in our region.
