Coming Attraction: Big!World!Fun! at Ford Amphitheatre

It looks like another fun summer lineup, as Big!World!Fun! kicks off another season at Ford Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 7.

This family-friendly -- and wallet-friendly -- outing is such a great way to get kids moving to the sound of international beats. The Saturday-morning programs feature live music, dance and theater performances representing cultures from all over the world. The hour-long shows are geared toward kids ages 4-10.

This will be the third year we've taken CC to see a show, and I can't wait. The atmosphere is so happy and laid-back, and the music and dancing has always been reliably fantastic.

What's more is that in addition to the show itself, there are pre-show activities before each performance. (Last year, CC touched petrified dino poo, courtesy of Kidspace Children's Museum!) Kids will have the opportunity to craft Celtic trees of life for this weekend's Irish music and dance performance.

Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy

Here's a rundown of the season, which is scheduled for Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. through Sept. 1.

 July 7 -- A Gaelic Gathering: Irish Music and Dance -- "Fiddles and flutes accompany hard shoe jigs and hornpipes, soft shoe reels and slipjigs."

July 14 -- Contra-Tiempo -- "Contra-Tiempo fuses salsa, Afro-Cuban and contemporary dance to create an invigorating urban dance theater experience."

July 28 -- Shakti Dance Company -- "Shakti Dance Company presents classical Indian dance by masterful performers."

Aug. 4 -- Kilohana Performing Arts Company -- This company "presents 'Hopoe, the Dancing Stone,' a Hawaiian musical play."

Aug. 11 -- La Santa Cecilia -- La Santa Cecilia combines up-tempo South American rhythms, with bolero, tango and more.

Aug. 18 -- Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy, Hikari Taiko and Yen Yen Dance Group -- "Dancing and drumming from Korea, Japan and China offer families a dynamic exploration of traditional Asian music and culture."

Aug. 25 -- The Dustbowl Revival -- This Venice-based roots and jazz collective "merges old-school bluegrass, gospel, jug-band and swamp blues with the hot swing of the 1930s."

Sept. 1 -- Viver Brasil -- "Viver Brasil's music and dance brings to life lively stories of West African Yoruba spiritual deities."

John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd., East
Hollywood, CA 90068
323-461-3673

Big!World!Fun! (Saturdays at 10 a.m.; pre-show starts at 9 a.m.)
Tickets: Adults ($5) Children (Free)
Parking: $1