When worlds collide… virtually

The Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (March 7–11) will be giving the public a chance to experience Tidal Traces, a four-minute, 360-video VR dance piece co-created by film director Nancy Lee and choreographer Emmalena Fredriksson. This virtual reality work places viewers in the centre of the performance. In it, three characters, played by Zahra Shahab…

DocuAsia Forum looks at the African diaspora

Taking a leap into another perspective, the organizers of DocuAsia Forum offer viewers a special chance to see documentary film Les Sauteurs (Those Who Jump) on March 10, 2018 at SFU Harbour Centre. The Cinevolution Media Arts Society is responsible for programming the twice-annual DocuAsia Forum. Their 2018 spring edition will follow a theme of displacement by…

Connecting through music

“I’ve witnessed first-hand the ability of music to bring people out of where they’re trapped and to bring people together,” says Gavia Lertzman-Lepofsky. Lertzman-Lepofsky and Jessica Heaven are the creative directors behind HEARTBEAT, a musical event that aims to bring people from diverse communities together to spark conversation. “Simply put, the event is a concert of…

A visual story of renewal, life and nature

The PuSh Festival is underway, and with it comes the opportunity to see a vast array of original multi-disciplinary performances. One of the main stage shows at this year’s festival is The Eternal Tides, a mixture of dance and music that brings culture and customs from Taiwan across the ocean to Vancouver. The Eternal Tides marks the…

Youth find their voice at the PuSh Festival

The Youth Assembly, a one-day performing arts conference run by and made for youth, is returning to this year’s PuSh Festival. The Assembly will also be one of the final meetings for this year’s PuSh Youth Academy, a smaller group that for the last two months has regularly met up to see shows, listen to…

Chinese Mid-Autumn Mooncake festival

The Mid Autumn Mooncake Festival and Chinese Dance Demonstration will be taking place on Oct. 4 at Mackin House in Coquitlam. Jessica Yue, Chinese food stylist, dancer and traditional Chinese dance choreographer will perform as well as teach the audience traditional dances. The two dances that will be performed at the Mid-Autumn festival are Luminous Peach…

Polish festival celebrates fifth year

Organizers hope people will learn more about Polish culture, history and modern day Poland at the Fifth Annual Polish Festival, taking place at Lynn Valley Village on Sept. 3. According to the 2011 Statistics Canada Census profile there are 17,460 people of Polish descent in British Columbia. “The [Polish] community has so much to offer.…

A gathering for good causes at Taiwan Fest

As the month of September approaches, Vancouver being the diversified city that it is, is offering wondrous cultural activities for Canadians to connect with their roots. For Taiwan Fest (Sept. 2–4) it is a special occasion to reconnect with the essence of Asian heritage. Eddy Kuo, executive assistant of Taiwan Fest, says the festival had,…

Thai Festival: Celebrating culture and diplomacy

The 4th Thai Festival will be held on July 22–23 at the North Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The festival is presented by the Royal Thai General-Consulate in Vancouver and features Thai live performances, culinary demonstrations and crafts workshops. Food and refreshments from local Thai restaurants will also be available. Admission to the festival…

A home abroad: Latin American presence in B.C.

Roots and Ties: 150 Years of Canadian and Latin History will be held on June 30. The event takes place at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island in conjunction with Carnaval del Sol’s Latin American Week which runs from June 30–July 9. Admission to Roots and Ties is free. “We are a very young group…

Japanese-Canadian shines spotlight on picture-bride

Situated on the edge of the Japanese-Canadian community, Kiyoko Tanaka-Goto was not only a picture-bride. She was a survivor, among other things, to Emiko Morita, co-curator of Kiyo, the Spatial Poetics presented July 8 – a prelude to the Powell Street Festival. “I value her spirit and determination to survive,” says Morita. She heard when…

Opportunities for artistic expression at SFU Summer Festival

SFU’s Anime Club presents its 4th annual SFU Summer Festival, meant to mimic Japanese summer festivals commonly seen in anime series. It will be held at Convocation Mall at the SFU Burnaby Campus again this year on July 15. The free one-day event, used as a way for the club to raise funds, includes an…