Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 8

Transcen|Dance Project's Eve of St. George Is Your Goth Fantasy Come To Life

Transcen|Dance Project
Eve of St. George
at Toronto's The Great Hall
February 21 to February 24, 2024

Get Tickets [ HERE ]

Transcen|Dance Project's revival of Eve of St. George, based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, brings a distinctly Goth vibe to the end of February.

The event brings audiences into a story that evolves over three floors of the Victorian magnificence that is the Great Hall.

Audience members can follow the character of their choice, or simply stay put, and watch different aspects of the story unfold in front of them - or any combination of those two approaches, as the mood strikes them.

It's a licensed event. The dancers are talented and expressive, and the attention to detail and set is impressive. 

More details about how it works here.

Let the pictures tell the story.

Q&A With Toronto Rocker Allan Blitz

Q&A With Toronto Rocker Allan Blitz

Stream The Single Prove Me Wrong On Spotify Or Apple

Allan Blitz is a musician and artist with a new single to talk about.  The rising Toronto 2SLGBTQI+ rock singer's new song "Prove Me Wrong" features Toronto rapper Ellevan.

Allan Blitz. Photo by Fabian Di Corcia

Allan Blitz is also Allan Cabral, by day a photographer and digital content creator for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. (If you look at their reviews and promo material, you should find his name credited.)

I asked him a few questions about his music and career. 

How did you get your start in music - when did you know it was something you wanted to pursue?

As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of my life. It started with my aunt taking me to church every Sunday, providing me with the opportunity to sing my heart out. I also fondly recall listening to my mom singing Brazilian folk songs and Beatles tunes around the house. I also spent countless hours in my sister's bedroom, just absorbing the sounds of Rock 'N' Roll. She would play The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and all kinds of good stuff.

When I turned thirteen, a friend from school came over and introduced me to heavy metal. I was instantly captivated by the music, especially the singing. That same year, I began studying music, focusing on piano and classical singing. I was so profoundly touched by those early musical experiences that I couldn't imagine myself doing anything other than performing and making an impact through music. That sentiment remains true to this day.

In my twenties, I attended school for Theatre Arts and completed two years of musical theatre in university. It was a lot of fun but emotionally demanding. Despite being a rock singer, I have a special appreciation for opera and musical theatre, which you can definitely hear when I sing.

Allan Blitz performing live.What are some of your musical influences - I hear a lot of different elements in the song?

I consider myself fortunate enough to have been exposed to many different styles of music in my life, which I believe have greatly enriched my perception in songwriting. It all started with Rock N' Roll, Gospel, and Classical at home—my parents and my sister had a big CD collection. In my teens, I began embracing and welcoming Pop into my musical universe, especially as artists like Lady Gaga started gaining mainstream popularity. Realistically, my musical influences span Rock, Metal, Pop, Classical, and Musical Theatre. In my latest single, while it is prominently a Rap-Rock song, you can actually hear elements from all those genres, including classical (I play the harp in 'Prove Me Wrong'—specifically, the Toronto Symphony's harp, which they kindly let me take care of during the pandemic).

Behind-the-scenes production session of 'Prove Me Wrong'. Mr. Blitz with TSO harp in the background. Photo by Adrienne Elkerton

Regarding some of my biggest artistic influences, my universe includes Queen (a huge fan here!), Soundgarden, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Linkin Park, Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, Lady Gaga, Michael Bolton, Céline Dion (oh, yes!), Sam Smith, and Sia—I could go on. Simultaneously, I don't deny my deep connection with the Classical world, which has been present the longest in my life, especially as I worked for the Edmonton Symphony and now Toronto Symphony. I have a particular appreciation for the works of Schubert, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. In the theatre world, Stephen Sondheim undeniably had an impact on me in terms of articulating words truthfully both as a performer and songwriter.

I know... I have a lot of references! However, it is only Rock music that provides me with more visceral experiences that I can feel in my bones.

Does being a musician also help when you photograph musicians at work? I've noticed that many of your photographs really capture the passion of performances.

Most definitely. When photographing the Toronto Symphony at Roy Thomson Hall, I aim to capture the truthfulness and honesty of each moment. While passion is undoubtedly an important element, I find that there is great power and responsibility when performers demonstrate vulnerability on stage. It's an invitation to the audience, not an imposition. I actively seek out these moments because I understand that, just like the pieces being performed on stage, images will tell a story later.

I had the incredible privilege of meeting Yo-Yo Ma at a community outreach event in 2022, and I'll never forget the lightness and serenity he exuded, not only during his performances but also in his personal interactions. For me, his vulnerability ranged from tenderness to courage, and that certainly showed in the pictures.

Tell me about your performance with Against the Grain Theatre. How did that come about?

That took place during their Pride Opera Pub Cabaret in 2022, marking my first performance to an audience post-pandemic and my first official performance in Toronto. Alongside nine other singers who are members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, we curated a concert where each of us had the chance to share songs that held personal significance. I chose to perform "The Show Must Go On" by Queen and briefly shared about Freddie Mercury's journey with that song and his impact on my life. This song became a source of solace for me during a time when I needed to process grief.

This event also held particular significance for me as a queer individual, especially as I explore the intricacies of queer life and finding one's voice through my own music.

The current single: what inspired it, and what does it mean to you?

"Prove Me Wrong" is a song about broken trust, originating from the complexities of navigating a toxic relationship I experienced years ago in the professional realm when I was still living in Alberta. The cycle was more or less like this: love-bombing at first until they earned my trust, and then, once established, little passive-aggressive comments were introduced in our interactions, leading to full-on gaslighting, which I noticed was very much targeted at me. Whether in the workplace, friendships, love, or family, toxic relationships are extremely puzzling to navigate, especially when you once trusted the individual. What's particularly interesting is that when I first presented the song to Ellevan, my collaborator, I mentioned what it was about but didn't go into too much detail. Later, he told me that the inspiration for his verse, for which he wrote the lyrics, was also professional. Although his experience was less about dealing with toxicity, we both come together on the topic of having our trust broken. Personally, creating this song was my release and a way to cleanse the emotions stored within me.

It's funny that songs like these typically originate from romantic relationships or something considered more on the "personal life" side. However, it makes sense when work usually occupies eight hours a day in Western society, which is at least 33% of every single weekday. That's a significant amount of time! Yes, we should be talking about it.

I hope that listeners who have had similar experiences dealing with broken trust find relief and strength when listening to "Prove Me Wrong."

'Prove Me Wrong (feat. Ellevan)' cover art. Photo by Stelth Ng.

Halloween in February | TranscenDance Project’s Eve Of St. George Returns To Toronto February 20 To 24 2024

Halloween in February
TranscenDance Project’s Eve Of St. George Returns To Toronto February 20 To 24 2024
For The First Time Since Its 2019 Sold-Out Run

Tickets Available [HERE]

Guests will don masks and roam throughout the gothy Great Hall to experience the return of Transcen|Dance Project’s Eve of St. George. The immersive - and voyeuristic - retelling of the Dracula story includes music by Canadian composer Owen Belton. 

Transcen|Dance Project’s Eve of St. George

As you wander through four floors of the atmospheric environment created by the organizers, the intersecting stories of 16 characters will take shape. You can choose your own path by choosing a character to follow, or simply by staying put and watching the story unfold as they flit in and out of the room. 

You can rifle through the personal effects they may drop as they make their way through the building, and you may even find yourself interacting with them at various junctures in the story - maybe even Count Dracula himself....

The immersive production played to soldout houses in 2018 and 2019. This remount will be the swan song for the production in Toronto.

About Transcen|Dance Project

Transcen|Dance Project is a Toronto-based company looking to stretch the boundaries within the Toronto dance community and create a new environment for audiences to experience art and live performance. Founded in 2015 by former Canadian dancer, Julia Cratchley, who trained as a contemporary dancer at the illustrious Arts Umbrella in Vancouver and danced as a freelance dancer across North America.

Here's a peek from the 2019 production:

Tibet's Yungchen Lhamo In Brooklyn February 24, 2024

Tibet's Yungchen Lhamo
In Brooklyn February 24, 2024

Order the CD One Drop of Kindness[ HERE ]Get tickets to the February 24 show [ HERE ]

The ancient music of Tibet speaks to the modern ear in the music of Yungchen Lhamo. She'll be performing in Brooklyn on February 24.

Yungchen is an agile and expressive vocalist, and the songs retain their distinctive melodic and rhythmic character while adding a contemporary groove. 

Yungchen Lhamo

Born and raised in Lhasa, Tibet, Yungchen's name, given to her at birth by a lama, means "Goddess of melody". 

She left her native country to pursue music by making the 1,200 mile journey across the Himalaya mountain range to Dharamsala, India on foot. Yungchen later settled in Australia, where her meditation prayers inspired her first album, appropriately titled Tibetan Prayer. The release won the Australian Recording Industry Award (ARIA) for Best World Music Album in 1995.

She signed with Peter Gabriel's Real World Records to release three more albums through 2006. Her fifth release, Tayatha, came out in 2013, featuring a collaboration with Russian classical pianist Anton Batagov.

Now setted in New York state, she released her sixth album, Awakening, on Six Degree Records, in 2022. 

One Drop of Kindness, her seventh album, was released in 2023 on the Real World Records label, with guest artists and musicians Osher Levi, Norik Manukyan, Bob Bottjer, Ari Langer, Dr Eric, Jordan Anderson, and Christopher Krotke.

Yungchen has performed, acapella or accompanied, in venues as Carnegie Hall, New York, Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, London, The Louvre, Paris, Philharmonic Hall, Berlin, and the Sydney Opera House, among others. She performed at the 1997 Lilith Fair festival, many WOMAD festivals, rock and benefit concerts. She has also contributed soundtracks to many films. 

Check out the second single from One Drop of Kindness here:

Thoughts On Culture | The Relentless Tyranny Of A Visual World

The Relentless Tyranny Of A Visual World 

I was a kid when the first Star Wars movie (the first, not, you know...) was released, and I will never forget that first time that Han Solo punched the Millennium Falcon into hyperspace. Even my excited child mind knew that it was Hollywood trickery, but I was completely enthralled.

Gerd Altmann from Pixabay/CC0C

My brain and my emotions were convinced. That’s how movies work. We talk about the suspension of disbelief that’s necessary to the movie experience, but that suspension of disbelief works largely by one means: the visual. We’re hardwired to believe what our eyes see – no matter what we may know intellectually.

If it was something confined to movies and entertainment, it would be a tolerable situation, one without necessarily negative repercussions. 

But of course it’s not. It’s the meanings and connotations they carry, and in a preponderance of them, what ideas they serve to perpetuate. It’s the way we’ve decided it’s okay to sell things, to influence public opinion, and in general, overwhelm almost any other consideration by making something look good.  

It’s also about how we treat people, animals, and pretty much everything else. 

And, it begs the question: how can we pretend to navigate the world with anything like rationality when we are, in fact, enslaved by our senses, which in turn, connect directly to our emotions?

Alexa from Pixabay/CC0CWhat do we see?

Neuroscience says that what we think of as reality is, in fact, a product of our imagination. We think we know what we see based on sight and other sensory information, but who knows whether that actually represents objective physical reality? Our brains, on their own, manufacture alternate realities every time we dream. 

Simply put, we use the same part of the brain to interpret all visual stimuli, whether that comes from inputs via our eyes, or from our imaginations. The processing goes on in the same place. That’s why both avenues of visual stimulation feel the same, and why we trust in what we see.

Science has also proven that we don’t actually see what we think we see to begin with. Our brains, in essence, scan the environment, and then fill in the blanks with what we expect to find. That’s why eye witness accounts are often so problematic and unreliable. That’s why it’s nearly impossible to edit your own writing.

Modern Hollywood film making is predicated on the dominance of image over, say, coherent storytelling (Ridley Scott and Prometheus, I’m most definitely looking at you). The multi-billion dollar success of that strategy is concrete evidence that the formula works. Essentially, they set up a series of big scenes, and then cobble together a bit of a story to take audiences from one to the next. While it’s on screen, we’re overwhelmed by the visual magic. We are completely roped in by what we see, and our brain blithely skips over logical fallacies. 

But, I’ll point out that in the age of streaming, when it’s common to view movies multiple times, that magic does dissipate. Over time, those logical fallacies will loom larger and larger. It’s as if the pull of the visual can be diminished, but only by repeatedly and consciously noticing the flaws. 

CihanU44 from Pixabay/CC0CIt’s all about basic design principles

On a personal level, I learned a great deal about the relationship between the most basic visual design principles and my acceptance in the broader world through modeling for artists – which includes sitting through years of art classes, and listening to many, many lectures about design and colour theory. It taught me that those involuntary responses to what we see affect people on a personal level.

Visual illusion is how painters create the illusion of space on a flat canvas. It’s all about how you create and play with emphasis, as well as emotions through colour.

When I began modeling for art classes, I had no experience (I lied about that), so I read up on it. What I read, as it turned out, was quite antiquated. Students were never to speak to models. Models were never to wear make-up or jewellery. I took that to heart at first, and so spent three to four days a week when I was working, for a period of those first several months, completely unadorned and wearing shapeless clothes.

My natural colouring is monochromatic. Like the Coldplay song, I’m kind of all yellow. Or, ivory, as makeup companies like to categorize my skin shade. But it’s not just my skin, it’s my hair, eyebrows – I even have flecks of yellow in my green eyes. (And green eyes are created by the presence of yellow lipochrome in the iris.) If you look at my face, you’d notice my nose, since it protrudes out at you.

After a few months of modeling completely au naturel, and navigating the world that way for most of my weeks, I began to feel somewhat invisible. It sounds strange to say that, on a podium where a circle of up to 30 people are staring at your naked form while they draw it. I felt like a lump of clay. A thing.

So, on days when I didn’t model, I became a bird of paradise – full make-up, jewellery, loads of colour.  I hadn’t gone to that extent in cultivating my appearance since high school, and it had an extraordinary effect on the way people treated me. 

Someone I’d known for a couple of years and saw regularly didn’t recognize me. And was suddenly very friendly.

When I wore certain shades of eye shadow, complete strangers would stop me in the street and mention my eyes. Every time.

Everyone was super friendly when I wore pink.

StockSnap from Pixabay/CC0C

I was also writing as a freelancer at the time, and at one point, chasing down photographs for an art show I was covering. I’d contacted the person in charge of media at the art gallery in question several times, and he kept brushing me off. For two weeks, his answer was, “Come back in a couple of days…” Meanwhile, the show was obviously already open, and the timeliness of a review quickly dwindling away.

Then, one day I went into his office on my way home from running errands, on a day that I wasn’t modeling, and his eyes widened when he saw me. He was attentive, smiling, and look at that – he had the photographs right there in his desk drawer. 

On the way out, and deeply puzzled by his about-face, I hit the ladies’ room. It was when I was staring into the mirror that it dawned on me. I was wearing make-up, dressed up, in full bloom as it were. 

All of it is explainable by visual design principles.

    • The eye is drawn to the area of highest contrast – making my eyes pop out instead of my nose, for example, when I wore eye shadow.

    • Contrast can be created by light/dark, or by complementary colours – strangers freaked out over my eyes when I wore a purplish shadow with a lot of red in it, red being complementary to green.

If I, in my fair-skinned whiteness, experience the whims of others depending on what colours I wear, it throws the everyday effects of racial prejudice, which always has a visual component, into high relief. I learned that it was really quite easy for me to manipulate my image for the occasion; I could be either invisible or highly visible, accessible or inaccessible, at the whim of styling my wardrobe and make-up. 

PIRO from Pixabay/CC0C

If my skin were Black, Brown, or otherwise non-beige, I wouldn’t have those options.

Modeling, and a very brief dip into acting, also allowed me to see objectively why I have been typecast by the world. I saw how other people see me, which is at odds with the way I see myself. According to Hollywood casting logic, I should be a teacher, somebody’s mother/sister/aunt. A second grade school teacher. Not the leading lady, not by any means. 

So, I’ve had to cast myself, and there’s always been a degree of resistance.

It’s amazing that an industry that claims to be creative goes out of its way to regurgitate the same stereotypes over and over. And again, when it comes to race, it’s so much worse than annoying. It’s about how very few positive portrayals of Blacks/Asians/Arabs/Muslims means that those populations encounter suspicion and hostility routinely from everyone from store clerks to police and the courts. 

It works to perpetuate every bad stereotype. Whatever you see often enough, you accept as true. That’s a direct consequence of a culture where what we see is manipulated and modified on an ongoing basis. The more we go online, and certainly, in a metaverse universe, the more manipulation is possible.

What’s the alternative?

One of the things I enjoyed most about teaching online is that it entirely removes the influence of appearance. Often, I don’t know what gender my students are, and it doesn’t matter – it shouldn’t matter anyway, but in any classroom, you can observe bias based on appearances at work.

After all – how do you choose a teapot? A dog? By the way it looks.

Our response to what we see is involuntary to a large degree. It’s emotional, and not rational. So, what, if anything, can be done about the bias anyone who is sighted is subject to?

There’s education. Can we adequately prepare children for a world where they are led by what they see, even before they can formulate the analytical reason to really conceive of it? Perhaps the effects can at least be mitigated.

Can we ever get Hollywood to rethink the casting logic that is linked to racism, fatphobia, and ageism, and is locked into eurocentric beauty ideals? Any kind of change in society will be hard to put into motion if our relentlessly visual media keeps throwing the same old ideas back at us.

In the real world, for example, murders are rare, yet about half the crimes we see committed on our favourite TV shows are murders. It persuades the general public that we live in a world that's more dangerous than it really is. What could happen? Increased military-style police budgets, perhaps?

Should manipulation by visual design be allowed if it’s in the service of influencing consumer demand? There is no real free will or caveat emptor when you don’t even know what to protect yourself against. Subliminal advertising has been around for decades. Why is that kind of unconscious manipulation legal? 

Why are advertisers allowed to wield this weapon we have no defense against?

The best/worst part about this scenario is that we, as a society in North America, are both aware of this phenomenon, and in complete denial of it, all at the same time. We act as if we can trust our institutions to treat us impartially, and make “informed” consumer choices, and at the same time, insist that it’s necessary to wear uniforms, or adhere to dress codes – or get women to stop dressing so sexy if they don’t want all that attention. 

It weighs heavily when it comes to gender and race discrimination. 

Two dimensional

Emphasizing the visual in our culture has fundamentally changed how we see ourselves.

Since the arrival of photography, then television, and then accelerated exponentially by the Internet, we’re constantly bombarded with images – two-dimensional images. If you were asked to think of an image of yourself, right this minute, chances are what you are thinking of is a two-dimensional image. It’s a posed picture, probably Photoshopped and filtered – the last one you uploaded to Instagram. 

It’s kind of ironic that, in a visual culture, we’ve lost the very sense of what we actually look like. 

Documentary Feature | The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ Directed by John Bolton Available To Stream December 14 2023

Documentary Feature
The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ
Directed by John Bolton

Stream It Free Online From December 14

A new opera film will take the work of pioneering Canadian composer Barbara Pentland and bring it into the 21st century. Pentland wrote the opera The Lake in 1952 about the  Syilx people of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, and their first contact with settlers. 

The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ (Still courtesy of TELUS Originals)

The new project is said to be the first Canadian opera shot specifically as a film. It spotlights Westbank First Nation elder and artist Delphine Derickson, and award-winning Canadian soprano Heather Pawsey, who worked together over two years to create a film out of the opera that was never staged during Pentland's lifetime.

The TELUS original documentary feature The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ will be available on December 14th to audiences across Canada free on demand and online worldwide at this link. 

The story of an opera… 

The new version incorporates the perspectives and culture of the Syilx people. More than just the story of how an opera was adapted, the film becomes a story about the friendship between Heather Pawsey of Astrolabe Musik Theatre, and Delphine Derickson of Westbank First Nation.

It combines Indigenous and non-Indigenous storytelling, music and dance, some from the original productions, along with an honest oral history of the ups and downs of the project. 

Essentially, as the materials state, it's a film about what can be possible when people truly listen to each other.

True reconciliation isn’t just lip service or social media posts. It’s looking to try and redress the wrongs of the past as we acknowledge the First Nations culture and society today.

The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ (Still courtesy of TELUS Originals)Director John Bolton

Why did you take on the project? Can you give an overview of how that story of making the opera became a compelling piece in itself?

"The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ —like my previous hybrid documentary Aim For The Roses (about the album by Mark Haney), and like my forthcoming hybrid documentary King Arthur’s Night (about the medieval musical play by James Long, Marcus Youssef, Niall McNeil and Veda Hille) —is a film about a work of art, as well as an adaptation of a work of art. In all three cases, I found the backstories just as interesting as the stories, and I felt inspired to explore the parallels between the creators and their creations.

"The biggest difference The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ and the other two projects is that my subjects —Delphine Derickson, of Westbank First Nation and Heather Pawsey, of Astrolabe Music Theatre —approached me about making a movie about their collaboration, not the other way around. I already had a relationship with Heather (we’d wanted to work together for a while), but I didn’t have a relationship with Delphine, so I (along with Heather) took a trip to Westbank First Nation to meet her.

"The more time I spent with Delphine and Heather, the more I realized that this was really a story of a friendship, and if I focused on that, I’d figure out how to make the rest of the film, which is indeed what happened.I’ll admit that there were times when I wondered if I —as a non-Indigenous filmmaker —was the right person for the job, but Delphine gave me the most incredible encouragement and support throughout. Looking back, I feel less like I was invited to make a movie, and more like I was invited to participate in a cross-cultural collaboration that had been happening for a long time, and that continues to this day." 

The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ (Still courtesy of TELUS Originals)Q&A with Heather & Delphine

What drew you to this particular work?

Heather: It found me. I knew from the moment I opened the score of The Lake that it was a work I was going to have a long and close relationship with—though I could never have imagined that it was going to be this long and this close!

What is the story behind reviving Barbara Pentland’s opera? I’ve read that Heather has been involved since its overdue live premiere in 2014 (at least)> Why is it important to present this work?

Heather: I found the score for The Lake at the Canadian Music Centre, BC region in 1995 when I was looking for an aria from a Canadian opera to sing in the Eckhardt-Gramatée National Music Competition. I discovered that the opera was a true story that had happened in BC’s Okanagan Valley in the 1870s; that it was the only opera that Barbara Pentland had composed; and that it had never been performed. Barbara Pentland is one of Canada’s most important composers, and had been a strong advocate at a time when women weren’t taken seriously as composers. At the beginning, it was important to me to produce the opera to honour Barbara, her work, her advocacy, and her musical legacy. Of course, the project turned into something much, much more …

The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ (Still courtesy of TELUS Originals)

The 1950s were not known for informed representation of First Nations peoples or culture. Would I be correct in assuming the First Nations characters and culture in Dorothy Livesay’s libretto are somewhat problematic?

Delphine: We don’t sacrifice animals; we don’t throw pigs and chickens into the water. We don’t do a ceremony; we never held a ceremony at the lakeshore or, if our ancestors did, it would be private, sacred.

Heather: Dorothy Livesay wrote her libretto based on the memoirs of Susan Allison, the protagonist of the opera and first settler in what is now West Kelowna. A Métis character in the opera, Johnny MacDougall, was a real person, who built Susan and John Allison’s house at Sunnyside Ranch. How he is portrayed in the opera — as a friend and source of knowledge about the syilx/Okanagan culture — is not necessarily how he was viewed by the syilx/Okanagan people then or now.

Does the story change, or is it essentially the same tale of the syilx people and first settlers in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley?

Delphine: I don’t think it changed. The only thing that changed was including people of today, who are alive, with their culture. 

Heather: Delphine and I created a scene where an Indigenous woman and a settler woman meet, not knowing each other’s languages or cultures, and they reach out and try to communicate, try to build a bridge.

Delphine: Heather and I role-modelled how we can work together. It doesn’t matter about our backgrounds, what colour skin we are or our culture, or whatever —we modelled that we can work together.

How does Ogopogo fit into the story? What is its significance in syilx culture?

Heather:  nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ is what Susan Allison believed she saw on that stormy day in 1873. The original opera is her telling her story of that sighting

Delphine:  nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ is part of our history. It’s part of who we are as sqílxʷ people.

The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ - Excerpts from Opus 59 Films on Vimeo.

Maasaï Dance In The Contemporary World | dance Immersion presents Kenya’s Fernando Anuang’a

With material from a media release

Maasaï Dance In The Contemporary World
dance Immersion presents Kenya’s Fernando Anuang’a
January 19 & 20, 2023 in Toronto

He'll also be teaching workshops on January 16 & 17

Get Tickets Here

Toronto's dance Immersion presents Kenya’s Fernando Anuang’a performing his contemporary Maasaï dance solo TRADITIONAL FUTURE in its North American premiere. The performances take place January 19 & 20, and will include an artist talk.

Fernando Anuang’a (Photo courtesy of the artist)Dancer/Choreogrpher Fernando Anuang’a

Fernando Anuang’a began his journey into dance in 1990 as a member of the renowned Rarewatts Maasaï dancers in Kenya. He drew inspiration from Maasaï traditional dance, which is combined with song. With it, he created a unique dance language that blends the traditional with contemporary dance.

Self-taught to that point, he attended masterclasses with choreographer Carolyn Carlson to further his skills. 

His dance career has taken him from Kenya to France, where he performed his solo dance works at the National Dance Center of Angelin PRELJOCAJ – Pavillon Noir in France and the Centre Chorégraphique National of Carolyn CARLSON, Colisée in Roubaix.

 
Fernando Anuang’a has choreographed and performed his work throughout Africa, Europe and Asia. He'll be making his North American premiere in Toronto.
Fernando worked on his piece “Traditional Future” at renowned choreographer Wayne MacGregor's studio AKILI in LAMU, produced by Pierre Cardin. The premiere performance was staged at Musée du Quai Branly in Paris and Espace Cardin, in 2011. 
In it, Fernando explores the question: How do we evolve tradition toward modernity without obliterating its tracks, without betraying one’s roots?
Bringing Maasaï dance into the 21st century with integrity is his passion. The image of the Maasaï jump tradition has been exploited; Fernando’s practice instead infuses this cultural vertical energy with evolving Maasaï undulation gestures. TRADITIONAL FUTURE was the third solo piece he choreographed. In it, he stays loyal to the Moran (Maasaï warrior) tradition as a symbolic root, while finding a deeper energy and more liberating form of self-expression to bring the tradition into the future.
Traditional Future CreditsPerformer, Choreographer & Soundscape Designer: Fernando Anuang’aMusic: Traditional Maasaï vocals with contemporary soundscapeToronto Presentation: dance ImmersionProduction Manager: Charissa WilcoxStage Manager: Patricia Anuang’aTechnical Crew & Box Office: The Theatre Centre Fernando Anuang’a (Photo courtesy of the artist)PerformancesVenue -The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
Friday, January 19, 2024:Pre-Show Reception – 7:15 PMPerformance & Artist Talk – 8:00 PM
Saturday, January 20, 2024:Performance & Artist Talk – 8:00 PMGet tickets HERE .Workshops – Dance with Fernando!Learn Contemporary Maasaï dance with Kenya’s Fernando Anuang’a.
Workshops will take place at Canada’s National Ballet School – Studio 4D – 400 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G6
Master Class for Advanced Dancers Tuesday, January 16, 20241:00 – 4:00pm [3 hours]$30
Beginner/Open Level ClassTuesday, January 16, 20247:00 – 9:00pm [2 hours]$20Click HERE to register for the workshops.From a performance at La Réunion for Souffle Danse ton océan Festival 26 Nov 2023

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG — dances for a sacred season December 8 to 10

From a media release

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents
WINTERSONG — dances for a sacred season
December 8 to 10 at Harbourfront Toronto

Get Tickets Here

NOVEMBER 2023 (Toronto) - Celebrating 35 years of illuminating the solstice through dance, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG—dances for a sacred season. Featuring a World Premiere by Hanna Kiel, plus works by Jera Wolfe, Santee Smith, Carol Anderson and Colin Connor, WINTERSONG warms the hearts of family audiences with a breathtaking tapestry of seasonal dance inspired by the world’s rich solstice traditions.

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG (Photo: David Hou)

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre is a Toronto based repertory company of exceptional next-generation artists founded in 1980 by Artistic Director Deborah Lundmark and Managing Director Michael deConinck Smith. Highlights include appearances at Toronto’s Princess of Wales and Royal Alexandra Theatres, five invitations to the Canada Dance Festival and tours to Singapore, Malaysia, China, Scotland and NYC. CCDT has been featured at Fall For Dance North, Toronto’s premiere international dance festival, and Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural International Junior Festival.       

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG (Photo: David Hou)
 The Programme 

A Sonata of Shadows (World Premiere)—Choreography by Hanna Kiel

Music by Adam Campbell

“This composition delves into the aftermath of the solstice, examining its connection to our lives and the lessons we derive from it. There are moments when it feels like this darkness will never dissipate. However, as in the natural cycle, daylight inevitably returns. This piece explores the profound nuances of these dark moments, delving into the feeling that they might persist indefinitely.” —Hanna Kiel

Hanna Kiel is a Dora award winner, a founder and artistic director of Human Body Expression, and a resident choreographer at Canada’s Ballet Jorgen.

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG (Photo: David Hou)Star Dreamer (2011)—Choreography by Santee Smith

Music by Cris Derksen

“Star Dreamer celebrates the traditional story of the Seven Dancers and significance of the Pleiades to the Iroquoian Midwinter Ceremonies. During the winter solstice Shooting Star dreams the Seven Dancers into existence. Dancing and swirling in unison, they transform into the brightest stars in the sky while he falls back to Earth.” —Santee Smith

Santee Smith / Tekaronhiáhkhwa is a multidisciplinary artist and the founder and artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre.

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG (Photo: David Hou)Embers (2019)—Choreography by Jera Wolfe

Music by Luke Howard, Lior, Shards

“When I think about the winter solstice I am taken to my time spent in Winnipeg. I remember the cold winters that brought me and others together. We would gather together indoors to stay warm. We would eat, play music and enjoy each other’s company. It was the warmth of us coming together that brought comfort to the harsh and unforgiving winters.” — Jera Wolfe

Jera Wolfe is a Dora award winner whose choreographic credits include the National Ballet of Canada, Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, and Red Sky Performance.

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG (Photo: David Hou)THAW (2022)—Choreography by Colin Connor

Music by Patrick Grant

“THAW is a celebration of ice thawing and changing into rushing Spring rivers. It is also a celebration of these young dancers finally emerging from the cold of pandemic distance and isolation into the warmth of closeness and being truly with each other again.” —Colin Connor

Colin Connor is an award-winning choreographer and former artistic director of the American legacy José Limón Dance Company.

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents WINTERSONG (Photo: David Hou)Nowell Sing We (1988)—Choreography by Carol Anderson      

Music by Kirk Elliott 

Driven by the celebratory briskness of medieval carols arranged by Kirk Elliott, Nowell Sing We sets two-dimensional imagery – familiar from medieval art – into motion. Since its creation in 1988 for the inaugural WinterSong, every CCDT company member has danced in this piece. 

A founding member and Artistic Director of Dancemakers, Carol Anderson subsequently went on to create ten works for CCDT as the company’s most prolific guest artist. She is a celebrated writer on the subject of Canadian dance and recipient of the Dance Ontario Award.

Indie Pop Q&A: Sharl

Indie Pop Q&A: Sharl

Stream the album Clichés on Spotify HERE

Australian-born, and now based in London, pop artist Sharl is a classically trained musician turned pop songsmith. Her music combines upbeat electro pop with lyrics that come from the heart.

Sharl - Photo Credit: Josh Fahmi

Her debut music video has won film festival awards, and she's an avid advocate for Asian representation in the music industry.

I asked her a few questions after the release of her debut album Clichés. 

How did you get your start in music? When did you know it was something you wanted to pursue?

Music was a huge part of my life since a young age, I learned the piano and violin starting at the age of 3 and quickly fell in love with many genres of music which came to shape my influences today. Pop music was my ultimate passion throughout my teenage years and I was fascinated by the recording process. I happened to sign to a small local indie label and that gave me the opportunity to start making my own original music professionally. This was years ago and I now work independently which is great to have total creative freedom.

I can hear a number of influences in your new single - the classical music you studied, also the classic orchestral pop of the 1970s, K-pop - how did you come up with your musical style? What are/were your musical inspirations?

Those are all inspirations and I think they have subconsciously shaped what comes out when I write, especially melodically. I’ve always admired Taylor Swift’s songwriting and ability to capture a picture and emotions through her lyrics. I also love production which captures the essence of a mood itself so I am also inspired by different sounds and beats.

Do you have a favourite (or maybe more than one) current music artist? What kind of music do you listen to?

Right now I’ve been listening to Larissa Lambert and loving the laid-back, chill sweet RnB sound. I’m usually into all kinds of pop, electropop and RnB influenced music though.

There is a huge pop industry in Korea and through Asia, with only a few of the top artists making internationally. At the same time, there is little representation for any Asian artists outside of Asia. What reason do you think there is for that imbalance?

I think it’s a mixture of fewer Asian people pursuing that path, and lack of support for it.

How important is representation in pop culture?

It’s incredibly important as representation across media pervades every aspect of our culture, what people believe and how they behave.

Lack of diversity means that opportunities are restricted for groups of people. There can be bias against them, and they may be unable to reach their full potential or live in the way which would be most authentic to them.

So I hope to see strong representation across all groups in pop culture in the future and the world certainly looks like it’s made great movement in this direction already.

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Neoclassical | Cellist Ian Maksin's New Album Amor Renatus (Rebith of Love) & North American Tour

Neoclassical
Cellist Ian Maksin: Amor Renatus (Rebith of Love)
(October 10, 2023 / Independent)
& North American Tour

Stream/Download The Album Find Tour Dates & Tickets

If music has healing properties, it's what the world needs most. That's the message of cellist and composer Ian Maksin.

Speaking on the album, Ian Maksin shares, “AMOR RENATUS is a reflection on the tragic ongoing events in Ukraine, Middle East, and other parts of the world. It delves deep into the darkest recesses of the human soul, unearthing a myriad of feelings universal to all wars: grief, indignation, fear, and despair. 

“As the journey continues, the music guides the listener through a path to redemption and a spiritual transformation, allowing them to ultimately find peace, comfort, and empowerment.  As artists, we are fortunate to have music as the most powerful means of emotional healing and be able to offer it as medicine for the soul to the listener as well.”

The pieces are written for cello enhanced with a loop pedal and electronics. Percussion rounds out the sound on some of the tracks, including a Mongolian frame drum and West African djembe. 

When he tours, it's much more than scheduled performances. He's travelled with other musicians he's met along the way, participated in spontaneous jams, and raised money for charity.

A portion of the proceeds from his will be directed to For Wellbeing, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian aid in the regions of Ukraine most affected by war.  Maksin has been supporting this charitable organization since March 2022 as part of his Cello for Peace tour of over 200 concerts in North America and Europe. 

Ian MaksinIan Maksin

A cellist, composer and singer who can perform in more than 30 languages, Ian Maksin has been travelling and touring, and that has resulted in new music. His music combines different genres, contemporary and traditional modes, taking inspiration from the music of the world. 

Ian was born in Leningrad to a multinational family, and he began to play guitar and piano at 3. By 6, he was studying the cello at the School for Gifted Children in Moscow. At 16, he continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. 

His path initially seemed set for a conventional career in Western classical music, and he worked within the genre for several years, including a three-year stint with the New World Symphony in Miami. He eventually decided to branch out into everything from rock and blues to jazz and global beats.  

Ian turns his diverse experiences in performing into compositions that blend all his influences into a unique style. He sings in Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, English, Farsi, Armenian, French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew, Mongolian, and Bambara, among others. 

The Album

The album consists of a Prologue in four acts, Requiem (also four), Epilogue in three movements, and Postlude. If you had to put it all under one umbrella, these days, you'd call it neoclassical.

The Prologue begins with a plaintive and contemplative mood.  His music is melodic and expressive, modern, yet timeless. I'm reminded of the music of the Impressionists, late Romanticism - let's say late 19th to early 20th century. By the final movement, it's a playful tango-esque piece.

As it progresses from movement to movement, the music seems to gather strength. The tech he uses produces a full and seamless sound that ranges from a solo voice to accompaniment in two or more parts. 

The Requiem is perfect Halloween listening, from the whirling melody of the first movement, Requiem Aeternum, to the Mediterranean influences of Tube Mirum, the second, the cinematic scope of Dies Irae (with its eerie harmonics), and strongly rhythmic.

The Epilogue is more sombre in tone, with droning electronics underneath an affective cello melody. It's thoroughly contemporary in its aesthetic, with an emotional heart. Amor Renatus emerges as the second movement of the Epilogue, a moody composition that juxtaposes plucked and bowed cello strings. The piece finishes with a distinctly hopeful tone in Ortis Solis, the last movement.

Urbs Aurum, the Postlude, continues in an emotional and more hopeful tone. With something of a baroque flavour, contrapuntal voices come together in harmony. 

Ian's music has a sense of invention that keeps it fresh, even with sounds and elements that are steeped in various traditions. It's delightful listening for anyone with eclectic tastes in instrumental music.  

The Tour

The current leg of his tour began in September in Arizona, with dates set to December, so far.... Stay tuned AT THE LINK for more TBA.

Dates:

October 28: Boston MAOctober 29: Somerset NJNovember 2: Philadelphia PANovember 3: Washington DCNovember 5: New York, NYNovember 8: Toronto ONNovember 9: Ottawa ONNovember 10: Quebec QCNovember 12: Montreal QCNovember 18: San Francisco CANovember 19:  Los Angeles CADecember 3:  Chicago ILDecember 8: Minneapolis MN