Ballet BC Program 1: Win Tickets

Comments 23 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Ballet BC Program 1 launches the company’s season with works by two acclaimed dance makers, October 31 to November 2, 2019.

Aszure Barton opens the evening with the Ballet BC premiere of BUSK, showcasing her versatile and poignant choreography. Probing and liberating, Johan Inger’s B.R.I.S.A. returns to delight Vancouver audiences.

Ballet BC Program 1, 2019
Ballet BC Dancer Scott Fowler. Photo by Michael Slobodian.

Ballet BC Program 1

When: October 31, November 1-2, 2019 at 8:00pm
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre (630 Hamilton, Vancouver)
Tickets: Available online now

BUSK
Choreography, Aszure Barton
Edmonton-born, internationally renowned choreographer Aszure Barton transports audiences into the world of busking to elevate the beauty and grace that exist in the struggles of everyday life. Set to an atmospheric score, Barton’s dynamic choreographic language moves the dancers through a poetic, grounded sensibility transporting audiences to an intimate space.

B.R.I.S.A
Choreography, Johan Inger
Ballet BC is pleased to welcome back B.R.I.S.A. by Johan Inger to entice our intellect and captivate our senses by exploring themes of awakening and change. One of today’s most distinguished dance makers, Inger’s choreographies have won numerous prestigious awards and are featured in major international companies.

Follow Ballet BC on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram for more information.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night on October 31st, here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to opening night of @BalletBC Program 1 on Oct 31st #balletbcprogram1 http://ow.ly/9Ujm30pKWtH” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Friday, October 25, 2019. UPDATE The winner is Tiana!

Warm Up at Hot Springs Cove, a Truly West Coast Experience

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

A steaming current makes its way through the forest, bubbling up under mulch and rocks, finally cascading from the roots of a western red cedar and splashing down into a series of tidal pools. There between the craggy hillside of Maquinna Marine Provincial Park, Hot Springs Cove spills out into the Pacific Ocean, and visitors sit in every puddle of warmth they can find as splashing waves refresh their blushing faces.

Hot Springs Cove - Miss604

Warm Up at Hot Springs Cove, a Truly West Coast Experience

Tofino is known for its surfing and storm watching, and Tofino Resort & Marina is known for its adventures and day trips. During my recent visit (where I also went Stand Up Paddleboarding) I got to head out on a half day trip to Hot Springs Cove, a place I had only heard of by word of mouth, and recently in celebrity Instagram stories.

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Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival 2019

Add a Comment by Alexis

After a sold-out inaugural year, the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (“VHS”) is returning for the sequel. All programs will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A and the final block of shorts (Shorts Program 3) will be followed by the #VHS2019 Award Ceremony.

Vancouver Horror Show 2019

Horror Show Film Festival

When: Friday, October 25 to Saturday, October 26, 2019
Where: York Theatre, 639 Commercial Dr
Tickets: Available Online

Submissions for The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival in 2019 have more than doubled from that of the festivals launch in 2018!

The VHS is proud to announce the Official Selections for the sequel to the annual Film Festival. The program features films from all over the world and boasts 50% Canadian content.

32 short films from 9 different countries have been selected. These films explore the breadth, depth, and diversity of style that the horror genre has to offer. Technology focused films like Michael Dupret’s #NO_FILTER shows us how scary a night in, alone on Instagram can be, while Sophie B JacquesHearth might make you think twice about listing your condo on Airbnb. All three short film programs highlight strong, self-possessed female leads in films like Catherine Fordham’s KayaPhil DavisLet’s Go Down and Ilja Rautsi’s Helsinki Mansplaining Massacre.

Vancouver producer, Victoria Burkhart, brings the hilarious and dark O.I. (directed by South African born N’Cee van Heerdon – who currently resides in Vancouver) about a man who posses the most dangerous thing in the world: an original thought. Local actors Ben Cotton and Jennifer Nicole Stang (VHS alum from last years hit The Whistler) shine in this hilarious and thought-provoking masterpiece.

As a Canadian and BC-based festival, the VHS is showcasing some truly amazing home grown talent; Vancouver-based Jake Pascoe tells a haunting tale of post-apocalyptic survival in Feast and Montreal’s Gio Olmos presents a gritty allegory for poverty and class division in Dulce Hogar, where the residents of a poor Latin American town must pay their rent with something more valuable than money. Also from Vancouver is Dance with a Demon from Mitch Bax and Fiona Vroom; a cinematic and visceral story of a mother’s struggle with depression, and the battle that rages on when the demons return.

The full lineup is available online including short program details for both days. For more information follow the Vancouver Horror Show on Instagram and Facebook.

Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival: Win Tickets

Comments 3 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The 16th annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival features over 100 events at over 40 locations over 12 days. From October 30th to November 10th, enjoy music, stories, theatre, poetry, cultural celebrations, films, dance, readings, forums, workshops, discussions, gallery exhibits, mixed media, art talks, history talks and history walks.

utszan_YvonneWallace_PhotoDavidKirk
ūtszan, Yvonne Wallace. Photo by David Kirk, Cap U

Heart of the City Festival

When: Wednesday, October 30 to Sunday, November 10, 2019
Where: 40 locations across the Downtown Eastside

This year’s theme Holding the Light has emerged from the compelling need of DTES-involved artists and residents to illuminate the vitality and relevance of the Downtown Eastside community and its diverse and rich traditions, knowledge systems, ancestral languages, cultural roots and stories.

Festival Highlights

  • The workshop production of Opening Doors – Vancouver’s East End 2019, a Firehall Arts Centre and Vancouver Moving Theatre production. Directed by Donna SpencerOpening Doors features the dramatization of lived experiences of indigenous and settler women who lived, worked and raised families in the historic Vancouver East End, including selected personal histories from Daphne Marlatt and Carole Itter’s extraordinary local legend-of-a-book Opening Doors first published in 1979.
  • Urban Ink Productions’ workshop presentation of SRO by Middle of the Sky (aka Brenda Prince). The play uses a fascinating style to tell the story of an Indigenous woman trapped in a DTES SRO (Single-room-occupancy) and her efforts to escape from her circumstances. Presented in parallel with the SRO Indigenous Women’s Project, a week-long residency that features visual art, ceremony, discussion and live performance, led by Renae Morriseau with Sophie Merasty.
  • Khari Wendell McClelland (The Sojourners/Freedom Singer) as the 2019 Festival Artist-in-Residence. Khari is curating a number of events, including a special music series that profiles an exciting and diverse line-up of local professional and emerging musicians.

The mandate of the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival is to promote, present and facilitate the development of artists, art forms, cultural traditions, history, activism, people and great stories about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the opening night of ūtszan on October 31st at the Firehall Arts Centre. This passionate story about language and how it informs identity, follows the journey of a woman and her quest to reclaim her language. In the process, she uncovers Indigenous knowledge, humour, strength and resilience. ūtszan (to make things better) is written and performed by Yvonne Wallace (Lilwat) and directed by Jefferson Guzman.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to see utszan at @FirehallArtsCte during the @heartofcityfest http://ow.ly/mIGB30pK34N” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on October 23, 2019. UPDATE the winner is Jenn!

This Haunted Farm in South Surrey Will Have Halloween Fun Without the Fright

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Stewart Farm, a picturesque site telling the story of a Surrey family circa 1900, will turn into the Haunted Farm October 26th with seasonal family fun, without the fright.

Stewart Farm Halloween

Haunted Farm in South Surrey

When: Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Historic Stewart Farm (13723 Crescent Rd, Surrey)
Admission: Entrance is free, sponsored by the Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society.

This family friendly site is open to visitors to experience Surrey long ago.

In the farmhouse kitchen, warm up by the woodstove and sip hot chocolate while you have your fortune told by a fate cake. Afterwards, take part in a scavenger hunt to find things like rats, bats and other Halloween icons throughout the house. Next, head to the barn for another scavenger hunt and be rewarded with candy. There will also be a variety of Halloween themed games, including Shoe Toss Fortune and Pumpkin Bowling. Stick your hand in the creepy Discovery Jars and catch a classic scary silent movie from the late 1800s inside Stewart Hall.

Stewart Farm Surrey

Stewart Farm is open Tuesday to Friday, and on weekends. The grounds are open every day, even if the farmhouse is not, with scenic water views and lots of space for children to run. Right now they are also hosting a fall photo contest. Share your photos of the farm on Instagram with the tag #HistoricStewartFarm for a chance to win one of three prizes.

Learn more about Historic Stewart Farm and Heritage Surrey by following along on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram.