DanceHouse, in partnership with Digidance, announces the Canadian digital broadcast of More Than Dance, We Are A Movement. The film marks the 20th anniversary of Toronto-based interdisciplinary innovators Red Sky Performance – showcasing excerpts of their award-winning work and the remarkable story of their rise to one of the world’s most prolific and celebrated Indigenous performance creators.
Red Sky Performance -Trace – Photo by Rob DiVito
More Than Dance, We Are A Movement
When: April 14 – 20, 2021 (Link available for 7 Days) Streaming in Canada only Tickets: From $15 + applicable taxes, available online now
Filmed in celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary, More Than Dance, We Are A Movement captures the creative drive of Founder and Executive and Artistic Director Sandra Laronde and the exceptional artistic vision that propelled Red Sky Performance to prominence and critical acclaim.
The 58 minute film also contains extended excerpts from two of the company’s award-winning creations, choreographed by Jera Wolfe: Trace, the recipient of two Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2019, and Miigis, which received the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation in 2018.
Trace is a highly kinetic contemporary dance work inspired by Indigenous (Anishinaabe) sky and star stories, offering a glimpse into Indigenous ancestral origins as well as the future evolution. Trace made its world premiere in Toronto at Canadian Stage in November 2018, before its international premiere at the iconic Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the US in 2019.
Miigis represents the “the perfect breath” of life, a symbol that informs our origin story of travel from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Lakes. Fusing contemporary Indigenous dance with athleticism in an extraordinary form, Miigis explores the catalysts for movement, ancestral forces and living memory, and the cycle of life. Having premiered as a site-specific work at Fort York in Toronto in 2017 and toured to the Venice Biennale in 2018, the featured excerpt gives audiences an intimate view on the nuance and elaborate creation.
The broadcast of More Than Dance, We Are A Movement is due to the coordinated effort of Digidance, a national initiative formed in response to COVID-19 between four of Canada’s leading dance presenters: DanceHouse (Vancouver), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and Danse Danse (Montreal), and co-presented with Springboard Performance (Calgary).
In the fall of 2021, Red Sky Performance will embark on their first international tour since the global COVID-19 pandemic, bringing Trace to cities across the US and Canada.
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I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 12:00pm. UPDATE! The winner is Selina!
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by FestivalSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
We’re three weeks in with three more to go! The #BuyBasin Festival is happening now, featuring a hundred entertainers, businesses, artisans, makers, tour guides, artists and more all in the Columbia Basin area of BC.
Where:Facebook When: March 23 to April 27, 2021 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Admission:RSVP and tune in for free! Entertainment: Shred Kelly, Heather Gemmell, Shayna Jones, Maggie May Davis, Ricky Diamonds, Tenise Marie, and Red Girl.
Last week I saw some of the superfood ingredients that go into Viva Cacao small-batch chocolate (in Slocan), I learned some N̓syilxčn̓ words from Sʔímlaʔxʷ at the Syilx Language House, and I watched how Boba Slush is made at Bombshack Apparel (in Rossland). I also caught performances from Shred Kelly, Moontricks, and Nelson Civic Theatre’s artist in residence Shayna Jones. And there’s so much more coming up!
The #BuyBasin Festival lineup is growing every day so RSVP to get updates. Here are just a few more broadcasts I’ll be tuning into: Kootenay Gateway going live on Wednesday, April 7th to talk about mountain biking programs and even mountain bike art they feature in store; Reel Adventures which will be live from a boat on Kootenay Lake on Tuesday, April 6th; another language lesson from Syilx Language House on April 13th and even more entertainment.
It’s live on Facebook every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday until the end of April. Get to know more about your province and the incredible small businesses – and business owners – that are such an integral part of BC. RSVP to tune in live, shop online, and show your support!
About the Columbia Basin Trust Region
The Columbia Basin Trust serves the region consisting of all the watersheds that flow into the Columbia River in Canada and operates in the unceded traditional territories of the Ktunaxa, Lheidli T’enneh, Secwepemc, Sinixt and Syilx Nations.
It’s Easter Long Weekend in Vancouver and while many events still can’t take place, and restaurants are now closed for indoor dining, there are still some options for holiday fun and great eats! From drive-thru food trucks and farm attractions, to virtual egg hunts and online arts programming. You can also check with your local community centre as many are offering take-home activity kits. #SupportLocal, order some take-out, and stay safe.
The Fraser River Discovery Centre‘s Faces of the Fraser series is an informal opportunity for the community to engage with people on the river, and learn more about the role played by the mighty Fraser in our daily lives.
Speakers offer a presentation on their topic, followed by a casual Q&A session with the audience. Previous speakers have included local historian Archie Miller, Fraser River Pilot Mike Armstrong and representatives from the Floating Home Association of BC.
Faces of the Fraser
Where: Online until further notice (Zoom) When: Next event is Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 7:00pm Tickets:Registration is by donation
Fernando Lessa combines his skills as a photographer with a passion for outdoor activities and the natural world to document the important relationships between humankind and nature. On April 7th, he will present a webinar on his documentary film “Urban Salmon“, a collaborative project created with the support of Take a Stand for Conservation and The Watershed Watch Salmon Society. The result of four years of photography and research, “Urban Salmon” highlights the existence and revival of wild pacific salmon in the Metro Vancouver Watershed. Fernando’s work encourages all of us to reconsider our place in the Fraser Watershed’s ecosystems, which may be far closer and more fragile than we realize.
Fraser River Discovery Centre
The Fraser River Discovery Centre (“FRDC”), at 788 Quayside Drive in New Westminster, is currently open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10:00am to 4:00pm. Current exhibits include:
Journey Through the Working River – telling the economic story of the living, working Fraser River through the FRDC’s sustainability lens. It is a world-class educational exhibit that personalizes the Fraser for everyone.
My River My Home – The exhibit is a global exchange of children’s artwork, developed as part of a collaborative, scientific research project between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of the Fraser Valley.
Experience The Fraser – A fun interactive mini riverine trail system that promotes the opportunities and experiences the Lower Fraser River corridor has to offer.
*click* Photos of the Fraser – From the Rocky Mountains to the Salish Sea, the 1375km stretch of the Fraser River is home to almost 3 million people, each with an unique view of the river. *click* photos of the fraser brings together a collection of these points of view in an annual display of photographs submitted by our visitors. This year’s theme is Life on the Fraser.
I Spy – This permanent interactive exhibit on the working river highlights economic activity along the Fraser River. A series of panels are combined with a lookout to observe the diverse range of vessels and industries that ply their trade up and down the Fraser.
Our Bones are Made of Salmon – This exhibit is designed around the memories and experiences of Musqueam Elder Larry Grant and Stó:lō Cultural Advisor Dr. Sonny McHalsie. Through their stories and replicas of Indigenous salmon fishing tools, visitors will learn about the different fishing and preservation techniques and why salmon fishing is vital to Aboriginal communities today.
Follow the FRDC on Facebook for more info about Faces of the Fraser and more programming.
The Brand Battle for Good is a two-day virtual conference and competition, pitting twenty of Vancouver’s leading brands against one another to develop innovative and implementable solutions to the city’s waste problems. The competition is the first of its kind in Canada.
Brand Battle for Good
When: April 28 and May 5, 2021 Register:Online by April 14th.
On Day One teams will have an educational and inspiring day of workshops aimed at arming teams with everything they need to know about why we should go zero waste. Featured speakers include:
Dr. Love-Ese Chile, PhD, principle consultant at Grey to Green Sustainable Solutions, has eight years of experience researching the creation and degradation of biodegradable plastics.
Adam Corneil, Unbuilders founder, is a builder and entrepreneur whose salvaging company practices deconstruction and remanufacturing instead of demolition and disposal.
Tesicca Truong, CityHive co-founder, is an activist at the vanguard of BC sustainability who is passionate about youth empowerment in civic processes.
They’ll regroup on Day Two to devise new solutions in hopes of winning the collateral support to launch their campaign. The diverse gathering of businesses participating in the event include Arc’teryx, LUSH, SOLE Footwear, ReCORK, Keela, Earth’s Own, Happy Planet Foods, Hootsuite, Deloitte and architectural firm HCMA.
“Local brands have stepped up to fight for the city where they live and work, and help Vancouver reach its goal of being a zero waste community by 2040,” said Karla Peckett, Creative Director at SOLE/ReCORK and founder of Brands for Better Foundation.
“Brands have power, they have influence, and audiences who are connected to them, not to mention, internal teams with existing synergy that can make great things happen.” She expects hosting this inaugural meeting of creative powerhouses will inspire fresh approaches to sustainability and inspirational campaigns to make them publicly viable.”
Each brand team will pitch their idea to a panel of judges and the top three ideas will move forward to the Brand Battle Award Night at the end of Day Two. The best proposal will then be crowd-voted by all participants and awarded an upcycled chopstick trophy, a digital marketing package and campaign support from local ad agency PS DDB to bring their winning concept to life.
Brands for Better Foundation is a volunteer-driven not-for-profit organization, based in Vancouver, that channels the power of brands to do good on a local level. The founding companies, eco-brands SOLE and ReCORK, digital marketing firms Digital Hot Sauce and Unbounce and franchiser O2E Brands, have also committed teams to the competition and volunteering in the event production.
More than a hundred people from local companies are working behind the scenes, and more than forty subject matter experts are speaking or presenting workshops, to power this event with 100% volunteer energy.
How to Get Involved
This Hack-a-thon is for anyone with an innovative mind: CEOs, business leaders, marketers, entrepreneurs and creative problem solvers. Each brand, company, agency or network has sent a team of 8-10 people.
Participate as a team, or apply as an individual $1,500 per full team (seats 10) $850 per 1/2 team (seats 5) $200 per Individual Seat
Each table will also be injected with the recruitable talent of local masters (MBA and MDes) and Undergrad students, giving up and coming students the exposure to team-build alongside Vancouver’s best brands, and give the brands exposure to some of Vancouver’s top recruitable talent.
Support students to battle it out with top brand teams $750 Support Package + $100/Student $1,500 Support Package/10 Students Individual Student Seats – $200/head
Although the winning idea will be expected to be both creative and original, and provide a compelling story for the launch and marketing takeover, it will primarily be chosen based on feasibility, impact and degree of behavioural change. Organizers assure that this is not an advertising contest. They are looking to spark real and measurable change in support of the City of Vancouver’s Zero Waste initiatives.
