Many parents anticipate the approaching Sukkot holiday with dread, knowing that they will soon be overdosing on \u201cchildren\u2019s entertainment.\u201d Don\u2019t despair \u2013 the \u201cSounds of Childhood\u201d festival offers an alternative experience everyone can enjoy. For the past nine years, the festival has established a reputation for artistic excellence, featuring premieres for children in all areas of the performing arts. Composer and conductor Gil Shohat, the festival\u2019s artistic director, says, \u201cCulture begins at an early age. I am confident that the variety of performances at the festival will be a formative experience for the children, nurturing their tastes and enriching their cultural environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening the festival will be \u201cCrazy Rhythm\u201d with Gil Shohat on piano, the percussion talents of \u201cPercado\u201d and Din Din Aviv with vocals and drums for a concert in which East meets West and Contemporary connects with Classical. Featuring: Rachmaninoff, Bach, Bartok, Ravel and selections from Din Din Aviv\u2019s album \u201cOh, My Lord,\u201d all proceeds from this concert are dedicated to the children\u2019s ward of Wolfson Hospital.<\/p>\n
Combining the best of both worlds, Michal Yanai will venture forth from television land to host a special concert \u2013 Vivaldi\u2019s \u201cFour Seasons\u201d arranged for percussion, conducted by Shohat, performed by the Ra\u2019anana Symphoniette, featuring \u201cPercado\u201d and a promise of surprises to come.<\/p>\n
Body drumming is the theme of Rami Kleinstein\u2019s first foray into composing for children. \u201cBeketsev HaTiguf\u201d (In the Rhythm of Body Drumming) a play created especially for the festival, in collaboration with playwright\/director Ronen Goldfarb Peled, tells the story of Gil, a boy from Brazil who may not yet know Hebrew, but knows his moves.<\/p>\n
A revival production of the Israeli Opera\u2019s \u201cCinderella\u201d will premiere at the festival, conducted by David Zeva and directed by Niv Hoffman.<\/p>\n
The Fresco Dance Company in conjunction with the Holon Meditech will present \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s New Clothes,\u201d choreographed by Yoram Carmi and directed by Gilad Kimhi. This lively rendition based on the familiar fairy tale promises to be a fashionably funny fun-filled romp.<\/p>\n
Dana Ruttenberg\u2019s \u201cNABA,\u201d an interactive dance performance in which each audience member selects his or her own soundtrack (through the use of headphones) promises a unique experience for each individual.
\nThe songs of the late Uzi Hitman form the core of a musical created by Tzipi Mor and Motzi Aviv: \u201cI Remember Songs from Preschool.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work of Israeli poets such as Leah Goldberg, Ehud Manor, Miriam Yellin Shteklis, and Jonathan Geffen comes to life in a dance-theatre work \u201cThe Magical Hat\u201d by Goshen Theatre. Written and directed by Yaron Kafkafi, with choreography by Limor Rose.<\/p>\n
More from Goshen Theatre: the play \u201cBackstage\u201d directed by Zvia Hoberman with choreography by Eldar Grossman and music by Tal Blechrovitz, tells the story of a boy who slips backstage at the theatre and discovers an imaginative world of invention.<\/p>\n
The festival will also host \u201cClowns Searching for Meaning\u201d which premiered in March at the Haifa International Festival of Children\u2019s Theatre. The play tells the story of two clowns who have been left without a circus to perform in, and their search for a new direction in life.<\/p>\n
Leora Shlesinger and Luli the Chick will perform \u201cTime for a Hug\u201d for the youngest audiences, with songs from the Hop-Luli Channel show.<\/p>\n
The festival continues on the Theatre piazza with free activities and performances sponsored by the Hop! Channel, featuring movies and familiar characters from Hop! series and a variety of musical workshops.
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