New Grassroots Festival Announces Headliners, Programming
The Ottawa Grassroots Festival (OGF) is excited to announce that the date for their first annual mini-folk festival has been set for Saturday April 28, 2012. The festival (OGF) is an annual family-oriented celebration of folk music, dance and other participatory arts.
… different components … including a ukulele singalong, contra dancing, yoga and a “playback” theatre performance … “open stage” performance opportunities for children as well as adults. All afternoon activities are free, with donations being accepted for CKCU FM, Ottawa’s long-running community radio station.
Who: Rick Fines, Katherine Wheatley, Missy Burgess & many more
What: 1st annual Ottawa Grassroots Festival
When: Saturday, April 28, 2012
Where: Montgomery Legion, 330 Kent at MacLaren, Ottawa
Why: A community-oriented celebration of music and dance
For more information about the Ottawa Grassroots Festival contact:
Bob Nesbitt, Producer, nesbittr@sympatico.ca, Cell 613-794-9161
Read more: New Grassroots Festival Announces Headliners, Programming
March 27, 2012 – The Ottawa Grassroots Festival (OGF) is excited to announce that the date for their first annual mini-folk festival has been set for Saturday April 28, 2012. The festival (OGF) is an annual family-oriented celebration of folk music, dance and other participatory arts. The event will take place inside the Royal Canadian Legion, 330 Kent St. in Ottawa.
The one-day festival consists of a number of different components which will take place in various parts of the building. In the afternoon, the downstairs area will offer a diverse range of participatory activities, including a ukulele singalong, contra dancing, yoga and a “playback” theatre performance. At the same time, the hall upstairs will feature several respected and talented performers along with “open stage” performance opportunities for children as well as adults. All afternoon activities are free, with donations being accepted for CKCU FM, Ottawa’s long-running community radio station.
Kick up your heels
Free dance festival offers Mashed Potato music and tap dancing on the picnic tables in Strathcona Park
Natasha Gauthier, Ottawa Citizen
DUSK DANCES
What: Free outdoor performances of contemporary Canadian dance
When and where: June 30-July 3, 7 p.m. at Strathcona Park (Laurier Avenue East at Range Road)
Information: Performances are paywhat-you-can. For more information, call 613-266-2365
Summer evenings are always busy in Strathcona Park, that bucolic strip of green along the Rideau River at the Sandy Hill end of Laurier Avenue East. Dogs chase Frisbees. Kids chase dogs. Couples stroll beneath the flowering catalpa trees. There are soccer players and student picnickers and urban wildlife observers. And for four nights beginning July 30, there will be dancers.
After almost 10 years, Dusk Dances is returning to Ottawa. Founded in 1993 by Toronto company Corpus, Dusk Dances presents contemporary Canadian dance in urban parks throughout Ontario, with occasional appearances in Vancouver and Quebec City. The festival was held in Ottawa from 1998 to 2002, when it was a co-production between Corpus and the Canada Dance Festival.
Read more on the Ottawa Citizen website: Kick up your heels
Fresh Canadian Choreography: The Canada Dance Festival announces its 2011 June program
Photo courtesy of Canada Dance Festival
Brian Webb, Artistic Director of the Canada Dance Festival (CDF) today announced the June 15-18, 2011 festival program “Fresh Canadian Choreography” taking place at Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC).
The six productions that make up “Fresh Canadian Choreography” represent the very best of contemporary dance in Canada. Two works are world premieres, while three of this year’s six choreographers have recently broken out on both the national and international dance scene.
“These artists’ creative powers are soaring. They are definitely ones to watch over the next few years,” said Mr. Webb. “They have already made names for themselves in their home towns and provinces,” he continued. “They have dedicated fan bases and I just know our audiences will fall in love with them, too!”
This year’s event showcases 20 highly energetic dancers whose work offers wildly imaginative yet thought-provoking snapshots of their personal experiences and the Canadian cultural landscape. “Contemporary dance is always evolving, and at this year’s Festival you will see dance full of passion and invention,” expressed Mr. Webb. “There are definitely some surprises in store for our audiences, too, which will extend beyond the traditional concept of the dance stage.”
Prairie invasion at NAC: $2.8-million festival to present 80 events this spring, from Buffy Sainte-Marie to Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Steven Mazey, Ottawa Citizen
Photo: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen
Singers Buffy Sainte-Marie and Suzie Vinnick, violinist Erika Raum, productions from Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre and Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers and art shows presented by the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Saskatchewan Craft Council will be among more than 80 events the National Arts Centre will present as part of the Prairie Scene Festival April 26 to May 8.
Created to celebrate performing and visual artists as well as writers, filmmakers and chefs from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the festival will be presented in more than 30 venues across the Ottawa area. In Regina Thursday, NAC officials announced part of the lineup and said more performances will be announced in February.
The festival has a budget of $2.8 million, with 60 per cent of that coming from private fundraising, donors and ticket sales and the rest coming from the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments and the federal government.
Full story on the Ottawa Citizen website: Prairie invasion at NAC
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
Volunteers Needed – Summer Finale for the Arts
We’d like to pass this note along on behalf of our friends at the Canada Dance Festival:
I am delighted to inform you of the glittering “Summer Finale Fundraiser for the Arts”, an exciting partnership between the Canada Dance Festival (CDF) and the Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, which is being held Wednesday, August 26, 2009, from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM, in the Panorama Room, at the National Arts Centre (NAC). This spectacular new fundraiser has been impressively put together quite quickly in order to bring in much-needed funds for the two organizations, and promises to be a fun/elegant night out, in celebration of the arts!We are urgently looking for volunteers for the August 26th “Summer Finale Fundraiser for the Arts” and would be honoured if you would participate.
Your gracious support would be truly appreciated. By supporting the “Summer Finale Fundraiser for the Arts”, you will be helping us build fantastic futures for both music and contemporary dance in Canada and demonstrating a real appreciation for the role of the arts in Canadian culture. Also, volunteer hours apply towards complimentary tickets for the 2010 Canada Dance Festival itself, showcasing the very best in Canadian contemporary dance!
Information on the two beneficiaries:
• The Canada Dance Festival (CDF) is the foremost presenter of contemporary dance in Canada and is internationally-acclaimed for its creativity, its outrageous beauty, and its very high quality. Considered the leader in the Canadian dance community, the festival is an important springboard for launching Canadian dance talent, both established and hot emerging, onto the national and world stages. The 2010 festival, being held June 5-12, 2010, at the National Arts Centre (NAC) and other venues throughout Ottawa and Gatineau, will be a dazzling array of the best in Canadian contemporary dance. Event proceeds will support the CDF’s commitment to support the creation and appreciation of new contemporary Canadian dance.
• The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), under the baton of the world-renowned Pinchas Zukerman, is one of the world’s finest classical orchestras. The Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra is a community of music lovers who share their passion for music through special events and by supporting music and music education financially and through volunteer efforts. Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit the Friends of the NAC Orchestra’s commitment to music education programs for young people.
• For more information on the two beneficiaries, please visit www.canadadance.ca and www.friendsofnaco.ca.
The spectacular August 26th “Summer Finale Fundraiser for the Arts”, with Julie Nesrallah (world-renowned Mezzosoprano and host of Tempo on CBC Radio 2) as MC, will begin at 5:00 PM and will boast a stylish reception, live jazz entertainment, a very exciting music performance by members of the National Arts Centre Orchestra!, a fabulous prize draw, and a luxury silent auction featuring a stunning and unique array of superb and unique donated items from across North America and around the world, including fine and rare wines and spirits, artwork, deluxe hotel and resort getaways, and other special gifts. The impressive wine portion of the auction will highlight exceptional lots of fine and rare selections, as well as everyday drinking wine and spirits, from some of the best wine cellars in Canada, at very appealing prices.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
Daytime Set-Up Shift – Panorama Room, NAC
• 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM
• Dress is casualEvent Shift – Panorama Room, NAC
• 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM (important that volunteers stay until the end!)
• Volunteer training will begin at 4:00 PM promptly
• Volunteers should arrive dressed and ready to go; dress code is business attire
• Light refreshments will be provided
• Upon arrival, volunteers will have a run-through of the event schedule, a tour of the function areas, and personalized training for the tasks they will be assigned
• Volunteer tasks including greeting guests, greeting VIPs and media, registration, silent auction duties, etcTO SIGN-UP AS A VOLUNTEER:
To confirm your participation as a volunteer, please email me your full name, phone number, cell number, email address, if you would prefer to help with set-up during the day or at the event itself, and a confirmation of the hours you will be available onsite at the NAC.** Please forward this note to any colleagues/friends who might be interested in volunteering.
Thank you so much – we look forward to hearing from you.
Mikhela
Mikhela Jason
Director of Development
Canada Dance Festival
Phone: 613-590-1849
Fax: 613-590-9952
Email: mikhela@rogers.com
Opa! Get your Greek on
Mj Deschamps for Metro Ottawa
Get ready for cries of “Opa!” and delicious, hard-to-pronounce food — Ottawa’s annual Greek Festival is here.
Now in its 36th year, GreekFest — which starts Thursday and runs through Aug. 23 —is expected to draw crowds of 80,000 to its Hog’s Back Park site for traditional cuisine, dance demonstrations, music, and its famous nightly Zorba show.
“Our motto is to ‘Live a Day the Greek Way,’” said GreekFest general manager Erin Giakoumelos. “The festival’s sights, tastes and sounds are a great way to experience Greek culture and cuisine.”
For the full article visit metronews.ca
