Le Mozart Noir.| Photo courtesy of Early Music Vancouver
Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Usher in the Year of the Rooster by celebrating with friends and family at the many Lunar Fest events happening around the city. And of course, there are plenty of other festivals, theatre shows, musical performances, roundtable discussions, social justice events, art exhibits and more to check out this month.
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Coming Home: Traditions of Chinese New Year
Jan. 17–Feb. 24 (Temple Fair: Jan. 29, 4 p.m.)
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
www.vancouverchinesegarden.com
The Vancouver Classical Chinese Garden is hosting one of the city’s many Lunar New Year events with Coming Home, a multisensory exhibition dedicated to observing one of the oldest Chinese cultural observances, the Spring Festival. Immerse yourself in cultural traditions from antiquity, such as a traditional family feast, papercut imagery, a symbolic food altar table and more. On Jan. 29, be sure to attend the garden’s Temple Fair, featuring tai chi, traditional music, arts and crafts, lion dances and lucky red pouches!
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Japan Unlayered
Jan. 27–Feb. 28
Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver
www.japanunlayered.
The Fairmont Pacific Rim will unveil Japan Unlayered, an exhibition curated by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The exhibit pays tribute to the Japanese philosophy of layering, where overlapping elements of architecture, design, culture and technology define an overall aesthetic experience. A teahouse with an organic roof, fashion displays, traditional music, and pop-up stores of iconic Japanese companies will be featured. For further information about the exhibit, the architect and his philosophy of design, check out the website.
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Human Trafficking in the Gulf States
Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
SFU Woodwards, Vancouver
www.sfu.ca/sfuwoodwards/events
Join a lecture on the problem of human trafficking in the Gulf States by policy analyst Laya Behbahani on Jan. 31 at Woodwards. Behbahani will provide media accounts of migrant worker experiences from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, depicting workers enduring grave physical, sexual and psychological abuse, and those serving as indentured slaves for indefinite periods of time. A post-lecture dialogue and discussion will follow. For more information, please visit the website.
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You Will Remember Me
Feb. 2–11
Gateway Theatre, Richmond
Gateway Theatre will present Quebec writer François Archambault’s newest play, You Will Remember Me, in early February. The play tells the story of an aging intellectual beset with dementia, whose family splinters in their efforts to support him. As he is shuffled between frustrated caregivers, the resilient patriarch begins to reflect on how each of them will remember him after he passes away. For tickets, show times and further information, check out their website.
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The Little Mermaid
Feb. 3–18
Michael J. Fox Theatre, Burnaby
Bring the family to enjoy Align Entertainment’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Inspired by the classic tale by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, this under the sea musical adventure tells the story of a mermaid who dreams about life and love above the sea. Starring Colton Fyfe as Prince Eric and Elyse Maloway as Ariel the Little Mermaid, this production will feature detailed sets, costumes and a full orchestra presenting the music from the beloved Disney version. For tickets and further information, check out their website.
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What’s At Stake? Intertextual Indigenous Knowledges
Feb. 4, 12–5 p.m.
SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Vancouver
www.sfu.ca/galleries/
Spend an afternoon at the SFU Goldcorp Centre to examine knowledge, power, authority and sovereignty in the construction of artistic practices. Featuring panels, roundtables and spoken word performances, this event takes an intertextual approach to critiquing text, “recognizing the process of selection and concomitant erasure that occurs in any process of representation.” For more information, please visit their website.
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Le Mozart Noir
Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Vancouver Playhouse
Partake in some classical music experiences courtesy of Early Music Vancouver at the Vancouver Playhouse on Feb. 4. Le Mozart Noir features music from well-known composers Mozart and Haydn, as well as a symphony by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier Saint-Georges, who was a nearly-forgotten influence on the former two. Chevalier Saint-Georges overcame adversities of class, race and prejudice to become a major musical star all over Europe. The EMV will perform several of his violin concertos for your listening pleasure. For tickets and show times, check out their website.
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Manual Cinema’s Ada/Ava
Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, University of British Columbia
The Chan Centre will host and present Manual Cinema’s Ada/Ava, a gothic masterpiece of multimedia, projections, puppetry and more on Feb. 7. The play tells a cryptic tale of twins – the elderly Ada in mourning over her deceased sister, Ava. While the void without her “other half” weighs heavy, Ada is soon swept up by a travelling carnival into a journey across the thresholds of life and death. Exploring the themes of mourning and melancholy, self and other, this puppet play will be sure to awe and amaze. For further information, check out the website.
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Talking about Racism in Canada
Feb. 8, 6–7:30 p.m.
HiVE Vancouver
In a world where racial politics are becoming renormalized, how can Canadians struggle to cope with this changing reality? PeaceTalks will be hosting a roundtable discussion and panel to examine how we can productively discuss racism in Canada to affect positive change. Participate in this free discussion with public intellectuals Seemi Ghazi, Kory Wilson and Hope Sealy as they navigate their personal experiences in confronting racism for solutions. For registration and further information, check out the website.
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Fewer Left Behind
Feb. 8, 6–8:30 p.m.
Asian Centre, University of British Columbia
The UBC Asian Centre will be hosting a documentary screening, photo exhibit and panel discussion on Feb. 8 to discuss the social problem of rural children in China growing up without parents. Over 61 million Chinese children have parents who are forced to leave for urban centres to find employment and escape poverty, leaving their children with extreme psychological trauma. Photo exhibits and documentaries provide a unique perspectives of the social impact of this phenomenon. To reserve a seat and for further information, check out their website.
