Belly Dance, Chinese Music for Families at the Penn Museum's Summer Wonder Series, July 2-30

Penn Museum Presents Summer Wonder Series, Family-Friendly Programs Featuring Music, Dance, Storytelling and More Five Wednesday Mornings, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, July 2 through 30

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Penn Museum's Summer Wonder series returns this season with a diverse lineup of performances and demonstrations perfect for children 5 to 13, and the whole family. This weekly morning program offers an opportunity to enjoy international music and dance, hear stories from around the world, and more!

Summer Wonder 2014 programs run Wednesday mornings, July 2 through 30, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The programs are free with Museum admission donation—guests may explore the museum before or after the program. For more information or to pre-register groups of 10 or more (no pre-registration necessary for individuals and families), call (215) 746-6774 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Summer Wonder lineup for 2014:

July 2
Meesha Belly Dance
Participants have fun learning basic, age-appropriate belly dance—a traditional dance common to Egypt and the Middle East—demonstrated by accomplished dancer Michele Tayoun. Children gain a taste of Egyptian music and dance while learning, exercising, and having fun together.

July 9
Chinese Music with Kurt Jung and Qin Qian
Local musicians Kurt Jung and Qin Qian perform using various Chinese instruments, and discuss the history and development of Chinese music. They also make comparisons between Western and Eastern instruments and how they are both incorporated into Chinese music today.

July 16
Aesop's Fables: Puppet Theatre Inside Out
Master puppeteer Steve Abrams involves his audiences in everything he does, from the simplest form of puppetry to expert (and very funny) presentations of Aesop's fables—in which a brave mouse, a lazy fox, and a very determined turtle are the featured players. Audience members can shake hands with a strange, blue animal that lives in Steve's suitcase, practice their own turtle voices, and enjoy a warm encounter with the world of imagination.

July 23
Earth Makers, Earth Shakers: Creation Stories from around the World
All over the world and throughout history, people have told stories about how the places around them came into being. They express people's understanding of the world and their place in it. Come hear and enjoy some of these tales today, as told by storyteller Michele Belluomini.

July 30
Spice Route Ensemble
This group of internationally acclaimed musicians honors diverse Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean traditions, and works toward the common goal of multicultural cooperation, demonstrated through music. The featured musicians include Michele Tayoun (Lebanese), Bill Koutsouros (Greek), Adeeb Rafela (Egyptian), and Bruce Kaminsky (Jewish).

Following each Summer Wonder presentation, children and their families may explore the Penn Museum's three floors of galleries featuring artifacts from Egypt, Asia, the Mediterranean, the Near East, North and Central America, and Africa. Throughout the summer, guests can experience In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies, a part exhibition, part working laboratory that brings visitors right into a conservator's world.

The Museum Shop is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (until 8:00 pm on Wednesdays if the Museum is open) for Summer Wonder families to browse games, toys, books, crafts, and jewelry geared to young visitors and the entire family.

About the Penn Museum

The Penn Museum (the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) is dedicated to the study and understanding of human history and diversity. Founded in 1887, the Museum has sent more than 300 archaeological and anthropological expeditions to all the inhabited continents of the world. With an active exhibition schedule and educational programming for children and adults, the Museum offers the public an opportunity to share in the ongoing discovery of humankind's collective heritage.

The Penn Museum is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on Penn's campus, across from Franklin Field). Public transportation to the Museum is available via SEPTA's Regional Rail Line at University City Station; the Market-Frankford Subway Line at 34th Street Station; trolley routes 11, 13, 34, and 36; and bus routes 21, 30, 40, and 42. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and first Wednesdays of each month until 8:00 pm. Open select holiday Mondays. Museum admission donation is $15 for adults; $13 for senior citizens (65 and above); free for U.S. Military; $10 for children and full-time students with ID; free to Penn Museum Members, PennCard holders, and children 5 and younger.

Hot and cold meals and light refreshments can be purchased with or without Museum admission in The Pepper Mill Café; the Museum Shop and Pyramid Shop for Children offer a wide selection of gifts, books, games, clothing and jewelry. The Penn Museum can be found on the web at www.penn.museum. For general information call 215.898.4000. For group tour information call 215.746.8183

Photos (top to bottom): The Penn Museum hosts local musicians Kurt Jung and Qin Qian to demonstrate various Chinese instruments on Wednesday, July 9, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm as part of the Summer Wonder series for families with children ages 5 to 13. The program is free with museum admission (Photo: Penn Museum). Dancer Michele Tayoun opens the Penn Museum's 2014 Summer Wonder series for children 5 to 13 with an age-appropriate belly dance demonstration and introduction to Egyptian music on Wednesday, July 2, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. The family program is free with museum admission (Photo courtesy of Michele Tayoun). Families with children ages 5 to 13 can enjoy Aesop's fables told by master puppeteer Steve Abrams during the Penn Museum's Summer Wonder program on Wednesday, July 16, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The Summer Wonder series continues on Wednesday mornings through July 30 and is free with museum admission (Photo courtesy of Steve Abrams). The Spice Route Ensemble introduces Eastern Mediterranean traditions through music to children 5 to 13 and their families during the Penn Museum's Summer Wonder program on Wednesday, July 30, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The family program is free with museum admission (Photo courtesy of the Spice Route Ensemble).