Carnival of Cultures
| June 8, 2012 | to | June 10, 2012 |
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Carnival of Cultures is a weekend festival that celebrates folkloric traditions through music, dance, theatre from the four corners of the globe. Come discover South American, European, African, Middle-Eastern, and Asian cultures presented by over 500 local artists who will take the stage at the Marion Dewar Plaza. In addition to non-stop entertainment and activities, the festival also offers tantalizing authentic cuisine, eye-opening demonstrations, and hands-on workshops for people of all ages.
The world is at your fingertips at Carnival of Cultures!
Le Carnaval des cultures est un festival qui fête les traditions folkloriques par le biais de la musique, la danse, et le théâtre provenant des quatre coins du monde. Venez découvrir les cultures de l’Amérique du Sud, de l’Europe, de l’Afrique, du Moyen-Orient et de l’Asie présentées par au delà de 500 artistes d’ici qui s’afficheront sur la scène du Plaza Mirion Dewar (Festival Plaza) . En plus de spectacles et d’activités continus, le festival offre des cuisines authentiques, des démonstrations révélatrices et des ateliers pour les gens de tous les âges.
Le monde est à portée de main au Carnaval des cultures!
Event Highlights:
- Non-stop entertainment
- Folkloric music, dance, theatre
- Children’s corner
- Demonstrations
- Workshops.
Festival Information:
General information: 613.742.6952
General information email: carnivalofcultures@hotmail.com
Location: Marion Dewar Plaza (formerly known as Festival Plaza)
Ottawa City Hall, Laurier Ave. & Elgin St., Ottawa
On the Web:
Website: www.carnivalofcultures.com
Map:
View Map
Ottawa StoryTellers presents Old Frost: Tales from a Nordic Hearth
This is the first show of our NAC 2009/10 season.
Thursday, December 3, 7:30 p.m.
Location: NAC’s 4th Stage
Tickets: $15, $12 seniors and students*, available at NAC box office
or www.ticketmaster.ca , 613-755-1111
*Package prices are available, 4 shows for $50
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As the air turns cold and the winter winds begin to blow, we look to the North Lands of Europe and the mythic tales of the Norse gods. Join Jennifer Cayley, Ellis Lynn Duschenes, and Ruth Stewart-Verger as they weave the tale of an enchanted harper who wanders the snow-covered hills, recounting the outrageous and sometimes very human exploits of Odin, Loki, and the other inhabitants of Asgard. From the creation of the world to Loki’s downward spiral of trickery and betrayal, these stories of the ancient Norse gods have inspired everything from operas to modern day epics like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. To set the mood for these epic tales, musician Tim Cutts will play the nyckelharpa, a 600 year old instrument whose sound evokes celebrations in the halls of kings of old. Join us as we leave this world behind and travel to the great halls of Valhalla, where the stories flow as freely as the mead and the music echoes through the night.
Performers’ bios:
Tim Cutts plays for fun, and besides his usual Celtic tune focus with the Old Sod Band, enjoys the monthly session at The Swan near Manotick. His interest in Scandinavian music started with a vacation tour in 1976, which took him through the heart of Dalarna, a folk-music rich area north of Stockholm. In 2000 he purchased a ‘beginner’s” nyckelharpa to learn on, which was replaced in 2007 with a handmade one by Mikael Grafstrom.
Jennifer Cayley has been a storyteller for two decades, telling in community venues and at festivals in Ottawa and across Canada, the U.S., and Great Britain. Her repertoire includes epic, traditional, autobiographical and literary material, with a focus on epic and traditional folk and fairy tales. She believes passionately that stories are powerfully important to all of us as we struggle to understand the shape and meaning of our lives.
Ellis Lynn Duschenes is a founding member of Ottawa Storytellers. She fell in love with the old Norse stories, which she heard told in cabins by Norwegian skiers, while she and her two sons skied the trails of Northern Ontario. She has a passion for the epics tales from mythology, with Homer’s Odyssey having a special place in her repertoire. She has been a teller for more than a quarter century, and as well as performing, she brings her passion for stories to her work as a primary teacher.
Ruth Stewart-Verger, raised in a family of storytellers, learned her art from relatives, neighbours, and travelers who stopped at the family dinner table, to share their wealth of stories. Ruth’s first love is for stories of people, their struggles and their triumphs. Story heroes carry Ruth to a different time, a different way of understanding. In these tales of adventure and misadventure, Ruth recognizes her neighbours and sometimes perhaps herself.
“The Odyssey” at the Shenkman Nov 13
Ottawa StoryTellers brings its highly successful NAC show, Homer’s Odyssey, to the new Shenkman Arts Centre’s Black Box Theatre on Friday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m.Tickets ($15) are available at the Shenkman box office, 613-580-2700.
Homer’s Odyssey is the story of the ten-year voyage of Odysseus, creator of the Trojan Horse, as he tries to reach his home after the fall of Troy. We travel with him to the land of the Cyclops and the enchanted world of the seductress Circe; then we arrive in Ithaca, as Odysseus fights a bloody battle to reclaim his kingdom and rejoin his faithful wife, Penelope.
The Odyssey, one of the world’s oldest and greatest epics, is a powerful action-packed adventure story and a wonderful and tender love story. Who could ask for anything more?
Info: www.ottawastorytellers.ca or call 613-322-8336
Choreographer Wen Wai Wang takes work back to China
Kevin Griffin, Vancouver Sun
When Wang and his company arrive in China, they’ll be making history as the first modern B.C. dance company to perform in China in almost 30 years. In 1980, West Vancouver’s Anna Wyman Dance Theatre became the Western world’s first modern dance company to tour China.Wang and his company will be staying an additional two weeks in Beijing to create the remaining half of a new work with BMDC’s Gao Yanjinzi.
With the working title of Under the Skin, it’s described as one work for 12 dancers that explores the differences and similarities between East and West. It will premiere at the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa next June.
Full story: Choreographer Wen Wai Wang takes work back to China
