Chinese shadow puppet from the Yutian Wenhua collection. Photo by Annie Katsura Rollins.
Hosted on Zoom by Annie Katsura Rollins—whose own “shadow puppet hunt” took the artist deep into tiny villages where the tradition survived both the Cultural Revolution and the realities of modern China—Gateway’s Chinese Shadow Puppetry Workshops offer a hands-on adventure into a 2000-year-old art form.
Gateway Theatre Chinese Shadow Puppetry Workshops
When: Monday, February 15, 2021 1:00pm to 3:00pm Where: Online via Zoom Registration:Register now for $5. Offered in English with a focus on children and families.
When: Sunday, February 21, 2021 1:00pm to 3:00pm Venue: Online via Zoom Registration: Register now for $5. Offered in English with translation in Mandarin.
Chinese Shadow Puppetry Forum at the University of Connecticut, photo provided by Annie Katsura Rollins.
With its origins in the Han Dynasty, shadow puppetry remains one of the most enchanting if precarious forms of Chinese folk art— and Gateway Theatre is proud to be part of the movement to preserve this unique art form through their Chinese Shadow Puppetry Workshops.
In this workshop, families will enjoy the rare opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of Chinese shadow puppetry and how these puppets are made through interactive photos and videos. Annie will then take participants step-by-step in creating their own shadow puppets to bring their shadows to life.
This two-part series kicks off with a Family Session geared towards kids aged 8-12 (February 15) while a Community Session includes a Mandarin interpreter for anyone eager to revisit a unique corner of their own cultural history (February 21).
For more information follow Gateway Theatre on Facebook.
DanceHouse, in partnership with Digidance, presents the exclusive Canadian film premiere of Body and Soul, from internationally-lauded choreographer Crystal Pite and performed by Paris Opera Ballet – streaming online this month.
Paris Opera Ballet by Julien Benhamou
Digidance: Body and Soul
When: February 17–23, 2021 (Link Available for 7 Days) Where: Streaming in Canada Only Tickets: From $15 online
Filmed live during the November 2019 world premiere performance at Palais Garnier, Paris, the work marks Pite’s second full-length creation for the eminent French company – following 2016’s acclaimed The Seasons’ Canon.
Canadians will be the first international audience since its premiere to experience the work, due to the coordinated effort of Digidance, a new 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).
Body and Soul is a work in three distinct parts for 36 dancers that immediately captivates with its force and virtuosity. The work articulates Pite’s ongoing fascination with conflict, connectedness, and the embodiment of the human spirit.
The Paris Opera Ballet’s mastery as an ensemble is evident in Pite’s complex choreographic swarms; individual dancers are virtuosic in breathtaking solos and duets. The dancers evoke scenes of epic protest, profound personal struggle, and collective survival. Body and Soul is a portrait of the human condition that is timeless, vast and heartbreakingly intimate.
The full-length film (85 minutes) was produced by the Paris Opera Ballet, directed by Tommy Pascal, and is presented with English and French subtitles. Before the streamed performance, there will be a 15-minute pre-recorded interview with Pite and the Kidd Pivot creative team, all of whom contributed artistically to the creation of Body and Soul: Owen Belton (Composer), Eric Beauchesne (Assistant to the Choreographer), Nancy Bryant (Costume Designer), Jay Gower Taylor (Set Designer), Jermaine Spivey (Assistant to the Choreographer), and Tom Visser (Lighting Designer). The interview was produced in Vancouver by Collide Entertainment and Kidd Pivot.
In addition to the online screening of Body and Soul, on February 26th the online edition will continue the format established this past fall, featuring interviews with four past DanceHouse artists giving video presentations on inspiration and plans for the future; answering questions around creative practice; and engaging with online audiences directly via live chat.
The #CHVCatchUp is a monthly series featuring the latest updates and news from Covenant House Vancouver. Miss604 is proud to be the Official Blog Partner of CHV. The following post has been contributed by Nicola, Outreach Worker at Covenant House Vancouver:
Community Support Services at Covenant House
Covenant House Vancouver’s Community Support Services Team includes their Drop-In Centre and Street Outreach which provide an array of “as-needed” services to youth who are experiencing homelessness, are at-risk of becoming homeless or are precariously housed.
Street Outreach
Covenant House Vancouver’s Street Outreach Team helps young people aged 16 to 24 who are living, or at risk of living, on Vancouver’s streets.
The Outreach Team builds trusting relationships by meeting young people where they are and by being a consistent, supportive presence in their lives. Travelling on foot, the team offers food, support, hygiene supplies and minor medical attention. Outreach Workers let youth know they are welcome to come to Covenant House’s Drop-In Centre for a hot meal or shower.
Street life is brutally dangerous for vulnerable youth, and when the team finds young people in crisis, they are trained to connect them with psychiatrists, medical professionals, and social workers, or to bring them to Covenant House’s Crisis Program if they are in need of supportive housing.
Drop-In Centre
At Covenant House Vancouver’s Drop-In Centre, youth receive:
Food, clothing, and hygiene supplies
Access to shower and laundry facilities
Connections to Youth Workers for support, goal setting, and personal planning
Appointments with Registered Clinical Counsellors
Access to Social Workers who help create an individual plan with the youth
Help from a Housing Support Worker and independent living start-up kits
Referrals to other social services
Help with finding employment and referrals to job centres and training programs
Financial assistance to get back home, if that’s a safe option
Recreational opportunities including yoga, soccer, hockey, basketball, and baseball
Use of the message board, long-distance phone plan, and mailing address
Outreach and Drop-In in Action
Rodrigo is a young man who would come into the Drop-In Centre to get his various needs met, like receiving food and clothing. At first, he did not interact much with Covenant House staff or other youth. Rodrigo was staying at different shelters and couch surfing. Eventually, he got into a low-barrier supportive housing unit which was closer to Covenant House, so he started coming in more often for meals.
As time passed, he opened up to staff and participated in different activities and outings. Rodrigo struggled with substance misuse and found that joining Covenant House for activities helped him with wanting to use.
The Outreach Team continued to build a strong relationship with Rodrigo. They encouraged him to come to the Drop-In or to come to the park to play basketball.
Rodrigo started sharing more and talked about his love of music. One day, he ended up asking for a guitar from Covenant House’s Gifts-in-Kind department. He was so excited to start playing again after not having a guitar nor being able to afford one on his own.
He started bringing his guitar with him to the Drop-In Centre and would play songs that he had written for the other youth and staff.
Recently, Rodrigo reconnected with his family and applied for music school. We are so glad Rodrigo came out of his shell. Seeing him build social connections and gain confidence has been a joy to witness.
Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has been providing love and hope to youth experiencing homelessness. They are the premiere service provider of residential and outreach services for homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 in Vancouver.
Pi Theatre’s Provocateurs Presentation Series features Macbeth Muet, and the Canadian premiere of Frequencies, streamed online February 18 to 21, 2021.
Frequencies AaronCollier photos by Richie Wilcox and Samson Photography. Macbeth photo created by Anne-Marie Baribeau
February 18-19, 2021 at 7:00pm and 10:00pm Macbeth Muet is an innovative interpretation of Shakespeare’s play performed by two actors using elaborate sound design, physical theatre, and the manipulation of inanimate objects to represent the play’s characters.
Macbeth Muet completely deconstructs this Shakespeare Tragedy into a fast-paced, visceral theatre experience, using the body, objects as imagery, and a ton of fake blood. Produced by La Fille du Laitier, entire scenes are reduced to a single look as Shakespeare’s complex and beautiful poetry is rendered mute, and searing. And through it all, a couple is transformed irrevocably. Created by Jon Lachlan Stewart and Marie Hélène Bélanger Dumas, and directed by Jon Lachlan Stewart, Macbeth Muet presents a world so devoid of morality that human lives become as disposable as styrofoam cups. And the excess – the blood, the scraps, the waste – will all be left behind for future kings. Macbeth Muet is presented via livestream (multi-view or single camera view) with performances broadcasting from the Maison international des arts de la marionette (MIAM) in Montréal, QC.
February 20-21, 2021 at 4:00pm and 8:00pm Debuting live in real-time from Halifax, in partnership with Pi Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange and Theatre Outré, Frequencies is an innovative, solo, and mixed reality performance viewed through the eyes of a second actor wearing a VR headset with a special camera attached. While exploring his connection to his family in what could best be described as one part live techno concert and one part autobiographical confessional, the audience sees Collier and his keyboards augmented by digital scenography. Frequencies premieres nationally via livestream with performances broadcasting from The Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax, NS.
Each production, a display of sheer theatrical invention, includes cutting-edge technology and will be presented virtually, live in real-time from Montreal and Halifax. Follow Pi Theatre on Facebook for more info.
While we have Valentine’s Day, Family Day and more fun coming up later in the month, this weekend is still packed full of events, entertainment and activities online. There’s some great Black History Month programming, and many more things to do in Vancouver this weekend listed below:
