We arrived at Berkeley’s Zellerbach hall about 20 minutes before the performance, and saw the line we needed to wait in: the will-call line snaked around the square. Our first thought was: “oh no, we’ll never make it!” But staff was efficient, and everyone got their tickets and was seated on time. My kids, ages 4 and 6, sat silently in anticipation.

Then, for two hours, they were fixated on the stage, as act after act came out with energy, with talent, and with amazing costumes.


WORLD CLASS TALENT AND WONDERFUL COSTUMES

First, the Japanese Taiko drummers danced around with energy hitting their drums as they bounded around and were – incredibly – accompanied by traditional Indian dancers (both companies based in San Jose). I’d never have guessed that the combination of the two troupes would work, but it did. My kids were busy whispering about the motionless person-shaped shadows behind a large screen, then they clapped with glee when the shadows started dancing.

The highlight of the show for my daughter came next: a belly dancer with a spine as flexible as a snake. She wiggled and jiggled, with bells on her fingers, a pretty purple skirt and long ponytail. The belly dancers were impressive, especially their last act, where they stood on the bottoms of upside-down wine glasses and, keeping their feet perfectly still, danced moving only their hips and shoulders and heads.


SEEMLESS TRANSITIONS BETWEEN PERFORMERS KEEPS KIDS ENTHRALLED

One of the most impressive parts of the performance came next: the transition between acts was always an interaction between the two groups of dancers. So the belly dancer, exiting the stage, flirted with the dancers from the African Heritage Ensemble who were coming in. She was coy, petite, and scantily dressed. They were big muscular men wearing pants made of straw and colorful tutu-like waist decorations. She flipped her ponytail and danced for them as they tripped over themselves to get her attention, in a unique communication that the audience loved.


CULTURAL DANCE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Next came an act from the Philippines, slower and quieter than the Africans with their loud drum beats. These dances were based on rituals: first, a dance to ward off evil spirits; next, a dance of bountiful harvest; then, a dance of healing the sick under the moonlight. The Balinese women came out next, in colorful orange and white, moving gracefully while balancing small bowls on their heads while also somehow managing long trails of cloth between their feet.

One of my favorite parts was the transition between the Balinese dancers and the Flamenco dancers: the fan, used in both dances, was handed over from one dancer to another, used by each in a completely different way.

The Flamenco was performed by two female dancers who used their black long and ruffled skirts for maximum effect and whom my 6 year old daughter said she liked because “they did everything at the same time”. I particularly enjoyed the live guitarist and talented keyboard player who accompanied the dancers.

Then the sets disappeared and the stage sprung to life with the vibrant energy of the Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza- women dressed in white “ball gowns” according to my daughter, with men matching in white suits and hats. There were lots of catcalls onstage as the dancers performed La Bamba. The energy culminated with the huge dance troupe from Tahiti, the Hui Tama Nui, who filled the entire stage, wearing 2-foot high white feathered headdresses and hula skirts. If you’ve ever attended a luau in Hawaii, these dances will look familiar. This troupe had the most amazing costumes: after the blast of white, they pulled on head dresses made of grass ropes, which came down over their eyes, making my kids whisper “but how can they see?” There was a tribal vibe, with the loud beat of drums, warrior dancing, and techno music – an interesting touch.

To finish, the “rainbow girls” came out, one in every color of fluorescent tights and feathered head dresses. And then – surprise! – rising from the orchestra, warriors appeared, dressed in white grass skirts and more 2-foot high head dresses. More warriors appeared in the aisles and everyone started to dance, soon joined onstage by all the dancers in a high energy ending.

After we thought the show was over (and were so impressed with our kids after a 2 hour performance!) and were making our way to the car, we saw the dancers in the square in front of the theater. Outside, we spent another 30 minutes dancing with the performers and taking the photos that hadn’t been allowed during the show.


Disclosure: My family received complimentary tickets as guests of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. The Ethnic Dance Festival did not ask me to express any particular opinions of anything I experienced and this review reflects my honest opinion.

We drove from Chicago to see this and we weren't disappointed! Grossology is inside one big room in the Rockford Discovery Museum, and took us about an hour to visit. It's only on until January 2nd, 2011, so hurry on over!

Exhibits included scientific but kid-friendly descriptions and very creative demonstrations about how and why we burp, fart, vomit, sniffle, sneeze, etc. My kids are ages 3 and 5, and got a lot out of it. There were probably 4 exhibits that were too old for them, so I'd say the exhibit is ideal for ages 6-12 or so but younger kids and adults will still really enjoy it.

HIGHLIGHTS
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My 3 year old really enjoyed climbing on the mouth/esophagus/stomach/intestine playground (see photo) and trying to play the (free) pinball game.

My 5 year old loved the "shooting" game: she loaded ping pong balls into a shooter, aimed for the big nostrils, and fired. Every few minutes, the game "sneezes" and all the ping pong balls come out.

I thought the quiz was fun: up to 5 people can answer questions, projected on a screen, about the body, then results are compared in a bar graph.

My 5 year old was scared of the huge faucet (see photo) with big eyes, which pivoted automatically, and even had a "snot" balloon that descended every few minutes. She clung to me, scared that it was "following us" - but she was okay after she realized it was automated. She also refused to enter the giant nostrils!

EW, GROSS!
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The kids had this reaction from one of the exhibits, which consisted of sampling different smells. After putting your nose above the "sample", you guess the smell by pressing one of 4 answer buttons. Possible answers are: armpit, mouth, anus, foot (see photo). After reading the answer buttons, my kids decided to skip that one!

Overall, this visit was well worth the almost-two-hour drive from Chicago. We went on a cold Sunday afternoon, and also visited the Discovery center museum (in the same building), staying until the 5pm closing time. We then hit kid-friendly Beefaroo for dinner on our way out of Rockford, and arrived home just in time for bedtime.



*This review is based on a complimentary ticket. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view. These opinions are entirely my own.

It took us almost 2 hours to get to this museum from Chicago but it was well worth it. My kids, ages 3 and 5, loved this museum, and we stayed until the lights went off and we were almost being shooed out. Their favorite things:
- the grain mover, where they used pulleys, conveyor belts and levers to move grain.
- the simulated tornado that they could push around with their hands and see how the movement was affected.
- the magnetic gears that could be moved around and repositioned with the goal of moving the "windmill" at the top.
- the staircase, which has an alternate option for kids: many levels, with holes, so the kids can climb up and down. Don't worry they can't fall.

Being used to Chicago museums, as a parent I loved that parking was FREE and ticket prices were reasonable.

They also have a lunch room, so we brought our own lunch and took lunch and snack breaks without having to leave the museum.

It was chilly the day we went so the kids didn't get to play in the science park outdoors, but it looked fantastic! We'll have to go back in the spring.

Gepetto's is in a great location, with a huge inventory of wooden (and other) toys for all ages. But ask the staff for recommendations - especially owners Eric or Brandi - and you'll see why it was worth stopping in. I often poke my head in when I'm in Oak Park just to see what new things they've got in stock.

I go to this store a couple times a year to stock up on art supplies - who can beat $1/bottle paint and reasonably priced coloring books. Also perfect for goodie bag and party supplies and wrapping paper. They have a big selection of Melissa & Doug wooden toys, and great prices on larger items like toy kitchens. Beware, you'll spend a lot more than you planned on.....