Last night, at the Roundhouse Performance Centre, as part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival, Vancouver-based acclaimed choreographer and dancer Barbara Bourget (of Kokoro Dance) performed a very personal, transcendent expression of not just her fifty year creative life in dance, but also of life itself, called A Simple Way.
Photo credit: Peter Eastwood
Accompanied by poetry by friend Elizabeth Dancoes and original music composition by her son, Joseph Hirabayashi (who is also a member of local bands the SSRIs and Aunts and Uncles), who played the grand piano, the performance had a deep, intense familial tenderness. At moments it felt as though the music drove Barbara’s movement and in others it was as though her physicality inspired the notes on the keyboard. I kept trying to figure what drove what, but quickly realized they they each fed and worked with each other and I stopped trying to track it or make sense of it, and just let it all simply flow, which is what the performance’s theme seemed to be centred around.
Barbara went from barely moving to shaking her cheeks back and forth (white powder on her skin making little clouds around her) to what seemed like frolicking through a field, to experiencing the deep sorrows in life. And I realize that as I write what actually happened during the performance through words in this review, I am not giving justice to the piece as words cannot express what happened last night.
Kokoro Dance Theatre Society has been in existence for almost twenty years, with Barbara and her husband Jay Hirabayashi being its founders and at the forefront of the dance scene in Vancouver, Canada, and the world. Influenced by the Japanese modern dance form known as butoh, Kokoro Dance has consistently pushed the boundaries of expressionistic physical movement, redefining what happens when East meets West, and incorporating the concepts of yugen (profound, mysterious sense of beauty in the universe and the sad beauty of human suffering), as well as wabi-sabi (transient and stark beauty of natural patina and aging).
Last night’s performance was one of–if not THE–most profound live performances I’ve ever witnessed in my life, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so, because Barbara and Joseph received a full standing ovation at the end. It was as though, in that one hour, you not only saw every movement possible a human body can do in one lifetime, but Barbara also emitted every emotion available to human existence, while paying homage to her fifty year life as a dancer. It was exquisite.
There are two performances left–tonight and tomorrow night at the Roundhouse Performance Centre at 8:00pm. I highly recommend watching this local legend’s dance of life. Tickets are available online through the Vancouver International Dance Festival or by calling (604) 662-4966.
This morning I was on the ne BC1 talk show AM/BC with Global’s Jill Krop along with another guest, Joel Schat. Joel’s been making waves lately with his Heart of Vancity timelapse video of Vancouver:
Heart of Vancity from Joel Schat on Vimeo.
In the green room Joel told me that it took him about 4 months to put this video together. Given the ever-climbing amount of views that this video is getting on Vimeo, I’d say it was definitely time well-spent.
Related Posts: Vancouver Timelapse Videos, Old Vancouver Video Collection, Vancouver Video Collection, Vancouver Timelapse Videos Part Two, GigaPixel Timelapse of Vancouver, Another Vancouver Video Collection, Port Mann Bridge Timelapse Video, Video Love Notes to Vancouver.
The Vancouver Canadians are back-to-back Northwest League Champions and they’re ready to vie for another title starting in June. To get revved up for baseball season, they’re hosting a party for the Toronto Blue Jays’ opening day this year — the Blue Jays being the Major League affiliate of the team.
Last year the Canadians hosted a tweetup (a get-together promoted through Twitter) at Mahony & Sons at Burrard Landing and they’ll be back again on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 from 4:00pm onward for a viewing party as the Blue Jays take on the Cleveland Indians at the Rogers Centre.
You don’t need to RSVP but it is helpful so that they can estimate numbers. It’s free to attend and Mahony & Sons will set aside a special viewing area for all those participating. Some great baseball prizes will be raffled off including tickets to Canadians games, memorabilia from the 2013 season, and much more.
Follow the Vancouver Canadians on Twitter and Facebook for more events, activities, and updates leading up to their baseball season.
Fragrant pink blossoms are appearing on branches around the city which can only mean one thing: The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is almost here. From poetry and bike rides to painting and dance, the festival has ways for everyone to celebrate the blossoms and the new season.
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Rehearsals are underway for the World Umbrella Dance that will take place in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on April 13th. RSVP online to participate and book your umbrella for the dance.
Cherry Jam Downtown
Burrard SkyTrain Station (and what will become Art Phillips Park) will set the backdrop for the Cherry Jam Downtown on Thursday, April 4, 2013. Watch Chef Tojo do culinary demonstrations and be sure to pre-order your SakuraB Bento Boxes, which you can enjoy during the afternoon concert series.
Plein Air Blossom Painting
Capture the beauty of the season with Plein Air Blossom Painting at VanDusen Botanical Garden every Saturday from 11:00am to 2:00pm between April 6th and April 27th.
Tree Talks and Walks
Tie up those laces (or slip on those flip-flops) and join one of these Tree Talks and Walks:
Cherry & heritage walk in Mandarin in Coal Harbour
Tursday, April 4th, 2013 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Tree Talks and Walks VanDusen Botanical Garden
Saturday, April 6th, 2013 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
and Sunday, April 7th, 2013 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Tree Talks and Walks Oppenheimer Park
Sunday, April 7th, 2013 from 10:00am to 11:30am
Tree Talk (not a walk) Blossom Biology Workshop
Thursday, April 11th, 2013 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Tree Talks and Walks UBC
Saturday, April 13th, 2013 from 10:00am to 11:30am
Tree Talks and Walks Stanley Park
Saturday, April 13th, 2013 from 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Tree Talks and Walks Queen Elizabeth Park
Sunday, April 14th, 2013 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Tree Talks and Walks in the West End and Downtown
Saturday, April 27th, 2013 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Bike the Blossoms
In partnership with Velopalooza, you can Bike the Blossoms. This free, guided bike ride will take place Saturday, April 27th, 2013 from 11:00am to 4:00pm.
Sakura Days Japan Fair
The Sakura Days Japan Fair will take place Saturday, April 6, 2013 and Sunday, April 7, 2013 from 10:00am to 5:00pm at VanDusen Botanical Garden. This fun two-day Japense festival will celebrate cultural arts and traditions with activities like an authentic Japanese tea ceremony, festival food, ikebana (flower arranging), premium sake tastings, martial arts demos, a kids’ tent, guided tree talks and walks with Anne Eng, and Haiku Invitational readings.
Haiku Invitational
Allow the blossoms to inspire your poetic side and submit your entries for the Haiku Invitational by Monday, June 3rd, 2013.
If you would like to enjoy the blossoms at your own pace you can find out what’s blooming now and use this map of the blossoms around Vancouver to create your own tours.
I have always loved going through my grandparents’ old photo albums showing their houses, streets, and activities that took place when Vancouver was still being shaped into what it has become today. One of my most cherished photos of my Opa (grandfather) is one that was taken by legendary street photographer Foncie Pulice on Granville in 1956.
From 1934 to 1979, Foncie Pulice set up his camera on Vancouver city sidewalks and snapped candid shots of people strolling by. For almost half a century, he took thousands of photos, unwittingly capturing moments in time, the history of a city, and the lives of British Columbians.
When you knew you were looking good, strutting your stuff down Granville Street, you made sure to get that Foncie Foto. The photos were taken head-to-toe and they were great, mostly candid shots when you were just being yourself, walking along the street. And if Foncie caught your eye, he captured you smiling back at his friendly face. [About Foncie]
I came across the photo a few years ago and it inspired me to write a blog post about Foncie. I also contributed it to the Foncie Pulice group on Flickr where others have uploaded and shared their own photographs.
Vancouver memories that Foncie’s Fotos brings back to British Columbians are heart-warming. They are of loved ones long gone, the beginning of relationships now celebrating decades of marriage, family shopping excursions, Sunday walks in Stanley Park, Hi-Y initiations, long hot summer days, and wonderful teenage years of movies, dances, and cruising with friends on Granville Street. That was a time when downtown really was the centre of just about everything in Vancouver and people dressed to the nines when they went out. And they got their picture taken.
Just last week I received an email through my contact form about a new project from a local filmmaking team. They are collecting, cataloging, and sharing stories about Foncie’s photos through a “Digital Street Corner” hosted by Knowledge Network. This project is leading to a documentary by Melanie Wood that will air in August of this year.
Photo negatives of Foncie’s images do not exist. He destroyed most of them when he retired. Until now there was no central archive or collection. The images and memories you share will become part of this extensive collection, tracing a timeline through the heart of Vancouver. Your shared images could even become part of a documentary about Foncie and his work. This is a story about Vancouver, about British Columbia, and about it’s people… so we need your help.
If you have any photos by Foncie Pulice that you would like to contribute to this archive you can upload them to the Foncie’s Corner section of the Knowledge Network site. Stories are encouraged if you want to share those as well.
