The Puppet State Theatre of Scotland is coming to St Paul this summer. So is the Oyu Oro Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble (pictured above) and Project Bandaloop (pictured below), a West Coast-based aerial troupe founded by dancer-athlete Amelia Rudolph and known for performing while suspended from skyscrapers, mountains and sheer cliffs. Project Bandaloop will perform suspended from the top of the 13-story Lawson Commons Building in St Paul.
These acts, plus others, are all part of the 11th annual Flints Hills International Children's Festival, held in and around the Ordway Center.
The Scottish company will perform "The Man Who Planted Trees," an environment-themed adaptation of Jean Giono's story about a shepherd and his dog.
Canadian singer-songwriters Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, who form the Canadian duo Dala, perform songs influenced by The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.
The line-up includes regional acts such as Cyril Paul and the Calypso Monarchs, Circus Juventas, Katha Dance Theatre, Los Alegres Bailadores and El Arco Iris.
There will also be breakdancing by the Motion Crew and Latin dance by Rene Thompson and Dancers.
Returning attractions include arts and craft activities; the Butterfly Garden, where butterflies emerge from their chrysalises; and Mark Granlund's Discovery Garden, an urban landscape created with Angela Koebler from Saint Paul's Parks and Recreation Department.
The festival takes place May 31-June 5, 2011, in an around the Ordway Center, Rice Park, Landmark Center and Hamm Plaza. Many activities are free. Admission to indoor concerts is $5. Call 651-224-4222 or go to www.ordway.org/festival/projects.
