The Blue Man Group plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre March 25–30. | Photo courtesy of MTV
Spring break is here and what better way to enjoy than with these events? Enjoy a talk by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, or experience something new with a thrilling performance by Blue Man Group. If you want to travel through a new place without leaving Vancouver, explore an exhibition of photographs taken by Evelyn Nodwell in Guizhou.
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Dovbush Dancers
March 27
The Dance Centre
677 Davie St., Vancouver
604-606-6400
www.thedancecentre.ca
The popular Discover Dance! noon series resumes in March with a program of exuberant and colourful Ukrainian dances by the Dovbush Dancers. The enthusiastic ensemble will perform a diverse repertoire from different regions of the Ukraine (including the famous high-energy Hopak dance), while exploring the cultural and geographic influences that have shaped the evolution of Ukrainian dance.
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Sara Bynoe hosts Say Wha?! | Photo courtesy of Sara Bynoe
Say Wha?! Readings of Deliciously Rotten Writing
March 19
Cottage Bistro
4468 Main St., Vancouver
www.sarabynoe.com
Have you ever read a poorly written novel and thought to yourself, “who publishes this stuff?” Or come across a hilariously out of date self-help book in a thrift store? At this hilarious monthly comedy show, funny people read from bad books.
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Blue Man Group
March 25–30
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
630 Hamilton St., Vancouver
1-866-542-7469
Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts, which combine comedy, experimental music and technology to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The New York Times heralds the show as “one of the most delightful performance pieces ever staged.” Come experience the phenomenon for yourself.
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Unique Lives: Jane Goodall
March 25
The Orpheum Theatre
601 Smithe St., Vancouver
1-866-449-8118
Ground breaking primatologist and world-renowned conservationist Jane Goodall talks about her remarkable experiences in her upcoming speech in Vancouver. Follow her on a secret journey into the world of the Gombe Jungle and the chimpanzee – this is an event you won’t want to miss!
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Guizhou China: In the Season of New Rice
Now until March 30
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall St., Vancouver
www.vancouverchinesegarden.com
Come explore an exhibition by anthropologist and award-winning photographer Evelyn Nodwell as she explores village and small town life in Guizhou Province during China’s growing urbanization. After the fall harvest, villages stage festivals, a traditional time for courtship. Festival activities include water buffalo fights, bareback horse races, dancing, lusheng pipe playing, and stalls of food, balloons and crafts. These scenes are featured in her photographs, remarkable in both their spontaneity and everyday beauty.
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VSO: Great Russian Classics
March 20
The Orpheum Theatre
601 Smithe St., Vancouver
604-876-3434
Passionate, full-blooded and extraordinary in every way, the great Russian classics form an important part of the core of the classical repertoire. You will thrill to the music of Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Le Coq d’or Wedding March, Mussorgsky/Ravel’s Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition, and much more.
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Caberet Brise-Jour
April 2–6
York Theatre
639 Commercial Dr., Vancouver
604-251-1363
After their 2012 sold-out run of L’orchestre d’hommes-orchestres Performs Tom Waits, the Quebec music-theatre collective returns to Vancouver for Caberet Brise-Jour (Shattered Cabaret), this time dipping into the repertoire of Kurt Weill. From Berlin cabaret and Parisian nostalgia to New York’s Broadway, this 8-piece orchestra retraces the path of the musician in exile with rare instruments and music-objects, conjuring Weill’s dramatic and musical world and the best and worst of the human condition. Come immerse yourself in their bizarre, but delicious, take on music.
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AFRICALYPSO!
March 28
2205 Commercial Dr., Vancouver
778-552-8238
www.facebook.com/KaraKataAfrobeatGroupCanada
Join the Kara-Kata Afrobeat group for AFRICALYPSO!, an unforgettable evening of music, which fuses the genres of Afrobeat and Calypso. This event features an electrifying special performance by singer/songwriter Tatiana Speed, a local Vancouver-based recording artist.
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Wondrous Tales of Old Japan
April 4–20
The Waterfront Theatre
1412 Cartwright St., Vancouver
www.carouseltheatre.ca
Wondrous Tales of Old Japan is a collection of amazing Japanese folk tales including worlds where ogres clash with heroes who are born from giant peaches; fishermen fall in love with dragon princesses; and magical dogs reincarnate. The tales include “Momotaro: The Peach Boy,” “Urashimataro: The Enchanted Fisherman,” “Yuki Onna: The Snow Woman,” and “Hanasaka Jiji: The Old Man That Made the Trees Bloom.”
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Spoken Word Marquee Series
April 5–12
Various locations in Vancouver
www.versesfestival.ca
Celebrate the transformative power of words at The Spoken Word Marquee Series, which is presented as part of the 2014 Verses Festival of Words. The series showcases the leaders and revolutionaries of spoken word – the fastest-growing art form in Canada, and an art that fuses poetry, comedy, storytelling and music. Their shows highlight a new wave of 21st century word artists who are less book-centric and more interested in the re-emerging oral tradition.
