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In advance of International Women’s Day, and with political developments south of the border helping to reignite feminism worldwide, we profile some Vancouver women who are changing our city.

START HERE 16 19 27 28 18 43 38 33 39 43 35 40 27

> BY LUCY LAU, CARLITO PABLO, CHARLIE SMITH

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EDUCATION

If you’re in the mood to kick-start or reboot your career, check out what’s available this year at B.C. postsecondary institutions. > BY CHARLIE SMITH

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ARTS

The Vancouver International Dance Festival kicks off with delirious dreams of paradise, ballet that digs deep, and much more.

Books The Bottle Comedy Dance Food I Saw You Local Discs Movie Reviews Real Estate Savage Love SoManyDJs Straight Stars Theatre

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n Wednesday (March 8), the United Nations will commemorate International Women’s Day just as patriarchy is making a comeback in the United States. President Donald Trump has appointed an anti-abortionist to head the Justice Department, stopped U.S. government funding of health organizations that offer advice on abortions, and appointed the fewest female cabinet-level officers since Ronald Reagan was president.

Trump’s rise has reignited the feminist movement not only in the United States but around the world. In advance of International Women’s Day, we’ve profiled several Vancouver women bringing out changes in our city.

SAMAAH JAFFER

SFU undergraduate student

2 Samaah Jaffer is a journalist,

intellectual, community organizer, advocate for democratic engagement, and outspoken critic of Islamophobia. She’s also the program assistant at SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, where she helps facilitate dialogues on topics ranging from social justice and sustainability

to urbanism, indigenous issues, and arts and culture.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity to work in this office because it’s given me a lot of insight into what I am personally really passionate about,” Jaffer said in an interview at SFU Woodward’s.

In the fall of 2015, Jaffer began noticing an increasing number of hate crimes directed not only at Muslims but also at people who appeared to be Muslims.

“It really started to become a personal concern for me,” she said. “It’s something that I definitely feel is important to talk about. I think it’s a phenomenon that people often don’t believe is real or believe is a fabrication of some sort. I find that also very worrisome because of how real it is and how I’ve seen it manifest in so many ways within my own life.”

Her parents both moved to Canada as children from East Africa, where many people of Indian ancestry were subjected to intense discrimination. Her father, who traces his roots back to the Indian state of Gujarat, was among the nearly 60,000 South Asians expelled from Uganda in the early 1970s by the country’s vicious dictator, Idi Amin.

“I had one conversation with my grandfather about Islamophobia,” Jaffer recalled. “He mentioned that when they first came to Canada, they were targeted with racial slurs as well, but with time it phased out.”

She said that it’s been particularly difficult for the older generation to come to terms with the return of racism after feeling that they had been accepted in Canada. It’s why she’s organizing two events within the Muslim community this month to foster conversations about Islamophobia. She feels it’s especially important to build bridges between different sects of Islam.

Jaffer, who is the B.C. editor of rabble. ca, also cautioned people against making assumptions about why Muslim women don a hijab. For some, it might be a political or fashion statement, whereas for many others, it’s strictly an act of faith, and assuming otherwise could be extremely offensive. “You can’t put a label on why people choose to wear it or not,” she said. “It’s really important to acknowledge that.”

So where did her activism come from? She credits her friend and mentor Itrath Syed, who was the federal NDP candidate in Richmond see page 6

The Georgia Straight | Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 51 Number 2565 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 www.straight.com Phone: 604-730-7000 / Fax: 604-730-7010 / e-mail: gs.info@straight.com Display Advertising: 604-730-7020 / Fax: 604-730-7012 / e-mail: sales@straight.com Classifieds: 604-730-7060 / e-mail: classads@straight.com Subscriptions: 604-730-7000 Distribution: 604-730-7087 EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Yolanda Stepien GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith SECTION EDITORS

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#BeBoldForChange 4 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

Robin Laurence (Visual Arts), Mark Leiren-Young, John Lekich, Amy Lu, Bob Mackin, Michael Mann, Rose Marcus, Beth McArthur, Verne McDonald, Allan MacInnis, Guy MacPherson, Tony Montague, Kathleen Oliver, Ben Parfitt, Vivian Pencz, Bill Richardson, Gurpreet Singh, Jacqueline Turner, Andrea Warner, Jessica Werb, Stephen Wong, Alan Woo ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER

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Growing Room: A Feminist Literary Festival March 8 – 12, 2017 | Vancouver, BC Amber Dawn • Marianne Apostolides • Elizabeth Bachinsky • Carleigh Baker • Adèle Barclay • Meghan Bell • Juliane Okot Bitek • Ali Blythe Nicole Breit • Kat Cameron • Claudia Casper • Roxanne Charles • Cyndia Cole • Lorna Crozier • Francine Cunningham • Jen Currin Dina Del Bucchia • Junie Désil • Samantha deVries-Hofman • Dora Dueck • barbara findlay • Cynthia Flood • Elee Kraljii Gardiner Chantal Gibson • Hiromi Goto • Jane Eaton Hamilton • Rachel Hartman • Leah Horlick • Aislinn Hunter • June Hutton • Kyla Jamieson Rachel Jansen • Vici Johnstone • Jónína Kirton • Chelene Knight • Sonnet L’Abbé • Fiona Tinwei Lam • Doretta Lau • Evelyn Lau Jen Sookfong Lee • Alex Leslie • Christine Lowther • Carrie Mac • Tanis MacDonald • sab meynert • Alessandra Naccarato Kellee Ngan • Nilofar Shidmehr • Sylvia Symons • Audrey Thomas • Betsy Warland • Beni Xiao • Jennifer Zilm • Daniel Zomparelli

Events Include:

Sister Says

Launch Party with Sister Says Party / March 8, 7:30pm @ Fox Cabaret ($10 at door)

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Myths and Legends Reading / March 11, 10:30am @ 24 West 4th Avenue

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To My Family, With Love Workshop / March 12, 10:30am @ VLP Mount Pleasant

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Best Fictional Friends Forever Reading / March 11, 3:30pm @ 24 West 4th Avenue

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All events free unless otherwise specified. For line-up visit roommagazine.com/festival. Register for events at growingroom.eventbrite.com.

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MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 5

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“She did crappy jobs her whole life so that my brother and I could have jobs that we loved and also decide to East in the 2004 election. At the raise children and still work and live time, Jaffer was an elementary- in one of the most expensive cities school student in Richmond. in the world,” she said. “That is what “That was definitely a pivotal mo- makes her an amazing mom.” > CHARLIE SMITH ment where I was able to see a fellow Muslim woman wearing a hijab doing such an amazing job carrying herself BEV SELLARS in what was a very difficult campaign,” Although Bev Sellars has writJaffer said. “Just even as a child watchten two books, she’s reluctant to ing that, I was definitely inspired.” > CHARLIE SMITH think of herself as an author. According to her, she did it only because she THEODORA LAMB wants to spur more aboriginal persons to write about their experiences Vancity director Theodora Lamb and the stories of their people. brought her son Sagan to his first “I don’t really consider myself a board meeting when he was just 26 writer, but it has to be done,” Sellars days old. She was inspired by Italian told the Georgia Straight in a phone politician Licia Ronzulli, who repeat- interview. edly took her baby Vittoria with her In her first work, They Called Me into the European Parliament. After Number One: Secrets and Survival Vittoria became a toddler, photos of at an Indian Residential School, she the girl raising her arm to vote along- shares her story as a survivor of one side her mom went viral. of the religious schools sponsored “It was a beautiful example of a by the government to assimilate woman in governance and leadership indigenous children. bringing her daughter into a space In Price Paid: The Fight for First where you don’t expect to see chil- Nations Survival, Sellars tells the dren,” Lamb told the Straight by phone. history of indigenous peoples in “I remember seeing that and thinking, Canada and the Americas from ‘Holy cow, that’s what I want, right their point of view. there.’ So I was pretty excited to bring “Hopefully, other indigenous Sagan in, at 26 days, to sort of emulate people…pick up the pen and do their the feeling that I received when I saw own writing as well,” said the former those photos years before.” two-time chief of the Xat’sull First Lamb said the best way to cele- Nation (Soda Creek Indian Band) in brate International Women’s Day in Williams Lake, B.C., whose two works B.C. would be to support a provincial were published by Vancouver-based campaign to introduce $10-per-day Talonbooks. childcare. She acknowledged that Released in 2016, Price Paid talks she’s fortunate to have an “amaz- about the largely unrecognized coning husband and partner and father tributions of aboriginal people to to my kid”, Kurt Heinrich, and ex- the world, from food to medicine, tremely supportive parents. Yet she language, and democracy. It also conceded that it’s still a challenge deals with the horrific conditions having a four-month-old son while they were subjected to after contact serving on the board of B.C.’s largest with European settlers, from deaths credit union. It makes her wonder caused by diseases brought by settlers how others who aren’t as privileged to starvation and the near total eraas her are able to cope. sure of their language and culture.

“I’m sleep-deprived and I’m selfIn the book, Sellars recalls that care–deprived on every level imagin- it was only after she entered law able,” she said with a laugh. “And I still school that she read the Indian Act, have it so good.” a law adopted in 1876 that continues Lamb is cofounder of the Feeding to govern matters relating to inGrowth Food Series, which helps sus- digenous people. tainable local food companies scale “I don’t think anybody has the up in size by connecting them to re- right to tell the original people of this sources. “It’s a community of entre- land how to live their lives, and who preneurs, and I’ve always worked for can be native and who can’t be. That’s entrepreneurs,” she said. “I’ve never not right,” she said in the interview. worked for a big company.”

“Our lives, basically from the time we Her love of food intensified while were born till after we died, is dictated she was working for one such busi- to us by the department of Indian afnesswoman, Barbara-jo McIntosh, at fairs, and that is absolutely wrong.”

Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. Another According to Sellars, it’s time to entrepreneur who inspired her was repeal the Indian Act and to comSpice Radio’s Shushma Datt, who em- plete the negotiation of treaties in ployed her as news director. the spirit of the Royal Proclamation A resident of the Commercial of 1763 by King George III, which Drive area, Lamb is executive produ- recognized aboriginal title. cer of the Hollyhock Leadership In“Legally, if they recognize their stitute, where she works closely with own law, we still own the land, so entrepreneur Joel Solomon, who has there needs to be a treaty with the funded many green initiatives across newcomers to settle it,” she said. the province. She said that she appreCanada is marking its 150th year of ciates how Solomon practises “fer- confederation in 2017, and for Sellars, vent leadership” while retaining a celebrations can only be truly meanhumble attitude and a sense of grace. ingful with a full acknowledgment of But Lamb’s greatest source of in- the history of indigenous people. see next page spiration just might be her mother.

Local women

from page 4

2

It is no accident we are #1

AY TOD CALL I L A B L E A V A

Bev Sellars has shown how historians shortchanged indigenous achievements.

“We weren’t sitting here on the to come here and work where they shores waiting to be saved,” Sellars know it’s safe is really important.” > LUCY LAU said. “We have thriving communities and because of the diseases and the clashes of culture, all of that… MELODY MA went away, so we need to get back to An evening at the ballet transrecognizing that.” > CARLITO PABLO formed Melody Ma into a catalyst for social engagement.

ELIZABETH KREBS AND During the past five years, the Vancouver woman has been making a KATIE PIASTA mark in the arts, technology, educaElizabeth Krebs always felt tion, and politics. Ma recalls attending there was a socially conscious a contemporary ballet performance element missing from the realm of when she noticed that she was probably fashion. So when, in 2011, she re- the only young person in the audience.

“I started looking around in that ceived an opportunity to manage Community Thrift & Vintage—a theatre and questioning why there consignment shop operated by the aren’t more young people,” Ma told the Portland Hotel Society, a local non- Georgia Straight in a phone interview.

She got in touch with Ballet BC and profit that advocates for underserved residents of the Downtown East- later cofounded a young-patrons program to get out younger audiences. side—she didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Ma soon discovered artsScene, In addition to the secondhand threads Krebs curates daily, the a national network of young professtylist and retail veteran admits she sionals who support the arts, eventually was drawn to the boutique’s peer in- becoming its cochair. Now in her miditiative, which employs vulnerable 20s, Ma is a member of the Arts and and recovering women in the DTES. Culture Policy Council, a civic body The women begin their careers in that advises the City of Vancouver on Community’s stockroom, sorting, matters relating to arts and culture.

As a web developer with extensive steaming, and tagging garments before graduating to roles on the sales experience with software, Ma knows floor. The work offers them stability, technology. In 2015, she organized Krebs notes, as well as a renewed the Hour of Code in B.C. event as sense of confidence and purpose in part of the global movement to teach young people coding skills. the neighbourhood.

Following the coding event, Pre“That’s my favourite part of the job: the employment program,” she mier Christy Clark announced that tells the Straight by phone. “It’s really the government would provide codcool to see them [the women] come ing training for students from kinin…and see that the work that they dergarten to Grade 12. Ma recalled put in is valued and a necessary part that she criticized the move at the time because no resources were alof making this business work.”

Following a six-month stint at located for the program. Then in Community’s original location at June 2016, the government rolled out 41 West Cordova Street, Katie Piasta a $6-million investment to support felt just as inspired by the social en- coding in schools.

After that experience, Ma said, terprise. She emailed Krebs with the idea of launching a similar concept she started thinking about how polthat would harness her expertise itics affects people’s lives. She got in sewing and fashion design, and together with friends and launched soon she was managing the Win- Imagine X B.C., an online platform dow Community Art Shop, an “arts that seeks to engage people on the and crafts showcase” that offers art, issue of good government.

Last year, Ma took a walk in Chinahousewares, and accessories by makers based in the DTES and beyond. town, where as a young girl she’d Central to Window Community is gone to Chinese school on weekdays the store’s in-house Carrall Canvas after regular school and also learned Co. brand, of pouches, tote bags, and traditional Chinese dance on weekaprons hand-sewn by women em- ends. It struck her that many of the places she knew were disappearing. ployed in its own peer program.

After almost five years of operat- That realization led her to start the ing from separate retail spaces in the #SaveChinatownYVR campaign to DTES, Krebs and Piasta—alongside advocate for better urban planning Community Thrift founder Jenni that respects heritage.

Reflecting on much of what she Lee—have joined forces under one roof at 11 West Hastings Street to has been doing since that night at the form a new flagship. Now known col- ballet a few years ago, Ma said that lectively as Community Window, the citizens have incredible power.

“If you put your mind to it—and if bright, airy room stocks the unisex denim, Ts, and jackets handpicked by you’re strategic about it, if you’re pasKrebs, plus a collection of handmade sionate about it, and if you’re willing to goods edited and crafted under the take risks—you can shape the world,” Ma said. “You don’t need to sit back direction of Piasta.

An 800-square-foot, on-site sew- and, you know, let people dictate how ing studio allows the women-led the world and society should be creatand women-run business to expand ed. You can actively participate and… its peer program, giving both Krebs mould the world, especially if you see and Piasta the chance to continue that there is an opportunity…as a socithe socially conscious work they ety to move forward in a positive way, do best. “There are a lot of women or that we’re going off-track and we who are marginalized down here,” need to be brought back in line.” > CARLITO PABLO Piasta says. “And for them to be able

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E EINGK F RRKBAC PA IN

EDUCATION

Lorena Christensen, director of business development with the Chartered Professional Accountants of B.C., says WorkBC has forecast thousands of job openings over the next decade for accountants and auditors.

Kick-start your career

B.C., told the Straight by phone.

According to the province, there are expected to be 11,600 openings during the next nine years. CPA Canada’s most recent compensation survey puts the median salary for CPAs in B.C. at $100,000.

The CPABC oversees licensing of chartered professional accountants as well as their education. To achieve a CPA designation, stuIt’s never too early or too late to think about ways to dents must complete a two-year upgrade your skills to win a promotion or a better job professional-education program administered through the CharWith the end of the postsecondary school tered Professional Accountants Western School year approaching, it’s time to start thinking of Business, culminating in a three-day nationBY CHARL IE SM IT H about new programs for the summer and fall. al exam.

This week, we’ve prepared a roundup of options “It’s graduate level, so you have to have for you to consider, whether you’re looking for completed a bachelor’s [degree] going into it,” something fun or you’re really serious about Christensen said. “You take it part-time while launching into a new career. you’re working.”

Students will only be admitted into the program CHARTERED PROFESSIONAL if they’re employed in a position with relevance ACCOUNTANTS OF B.C. to the profession. According to Christensen, the CPABC will provide them with a mentor, someFor those looking to launch a new career, ac- times within the student’s own organization, to counting appears to be a fairly safe bet. Ac- help them through the process. To graduate, the cording to the provincial government’s WorkBC student must have 30 months of accounting-related website, “financial auditors and accountants” work experience. rank first on the list of expected job openings for “You have two core modules—what we call occupations usually requiring a bachelor’s, gradu- Core 1 and Core 2—that’s your financial reate, or first professional degree. porting and your strategy and governance,” “It’s a major selling feature for students,” Lorena she said. “It’s a combination of online learning, Christensen, director of business development self-study, and then classroom learning as well. with the Chartered Professional Accountants of You write an exam at the end of it before you’re

2

allowed to move onto the next module.”

Each module lasts a semester. For the subsequent two modules, the student chooses two electives, which can be in such areas as assurance, performance management, tax, or finance.

That’s followed by two capstone professional modules, including one that is entirely focused on helping the student pass the final exam.

“It takes, on average, about 25 hours a week to study for the CPA Professional Education Program,” Christensen said.

Meanwhile, another 10,700 accounting technicians and bookkeepers are expected to be required in B.C. by 2025, according to the WorkBC website. These ranked fifth on the list of job openings usually requiring a diploma, certificate, or apprenticeship training. These positions pay a median hourly wage of $19.23.

Students seeking to secure these jobs can improve their chances by obtaining an advanced certificate in accounting and finance (ACAF) through a CPABC program lasting up to two years. Although this does not provide a CPA designation, it demonstrates that the person has graduated from a program created by CPA Canada.

Christensen said there’s no requirement for a bachelor’s degree to enter the ACAF program, which involves about 15 hours a week of study.

She also emphasized that not everyone who becomes a CPA is employed by a large accounting firm. Most CPAs work in the public or nonprofit sector, whereas others have joined high-tech firms.

“I have a CPA as well,” Christensen said. “I’ve never had a traditional accounting role, yet I use see next page

Executive Leadership Certificate Professional Development Program and Courses Part-time | SFU Vancouver sfu.ca/leadership MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 9

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my designation and my education all the time.”

NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Deep in the Amazon basin in

2 eastern Peru, there’s a water-

way that can scald animals and humans to death. The so-called Boiling River can even fry frogs. And this month, energy-management master’s degree students from New York Institute of Technology’s Vancouver campus will fly down there to investigate the river’s potential to generate geothermal electricity.

“Students can apply to get funding to travel to work on a project in a global setting,” Remi Charron, an NYIT associate professor of energy management, told the Straight by phone. “So the students submitted a proposal.”

He mentioned that while they’re in Peru, they’ll speak to the local indigenous population to explore whether or not a geothermal project could be developed while taking into consideration the site’s cultural significance. The second part of the project involves comparing the potential of the Boiling River to that of Meager Creek Hot Springs, which is 95 kilometres northwest of Whistler.

Charron said the students will also speak to First Nations people in Mount Currie to determine if there is any cultural significance to the hot springs in their area. “It’s an important consideration for any energy project to go forward: to get the buy-in from the local First Nations.”

Meager Creek gets its heat from a volcanic source, but this doesn’t appear to be the case with the Boiling River. Charron said scientists believe that its heat comes from water that flows deep into the earth and reemerges scalding.

Students enrolled in the energymanagement program study different forms of renewable-energy genera-

Capilano University digital visual effects students learn how to create images that are inserted into live-action footage.

tion as well as energy efficiency. “They would learn the importance of reducing energy consumption in buildings and industry,” Charron added.

In a course about power plants, the program addresses the integration of electricity grids. Feed-in tariffs, which can reward individual producers of renewable energy, are covered in a solar-energy course. Students also study grid-level battery storage, which may be necessary as production of renewables like solar and wind power increases in the coming years.

“The wind blows more in the night,” Charron pointed out. “Solar works more in the day. You can get more even distribution over a 24-hour period but you would need to include some kind of battery storage. From now to 2050, the cost of these technologies is going down substantially.”

The energy-management program was launched in Vancouver in September. It includes 10 courses and takes 12 to 20 months to complete, according to Charron. Classes are offered in the evenings, and part-timers could earn a master’s degree in three years.

NYIT’s Vancouver campus, which is at 701 West Georgia Street, also offers master’s degrees in cybersecurity and instructional technology, as well as MBAs in management and finance. NYIT also has campuses in China, the United Arab Emirates, and three U.S. locations, including New York.

CITY UNIVERSITY OF SEATTLE IN CANADA

Arden Henley believes in the

2 power of positive learning. The

principal of Canadian programs at City University of Seattle in Canada, a.k.a. CityU in Canada, told the Straight in a recent phone interview that research has demonstrated that where anxiety is prevalent and competition dominates, it actually interferes with the cognitive process.

“If you create an inclusive and caring environment, you actually make it easier for people to learn,” Henley said. “A variant of that is to focus on the strength of the student.

What do they bring? That’s consist-

ent with caring, compassionate, and kind approaches.”

Henley has spent 35 years of his life practising family therapy. He said that over the course of his career, he’s learned a great deal about the corrosive effects of stress hormones. Too much adrenaline and cortisol being released too frequently impedes learning new concepts. And he’s convinced that when people feel that they are in a safe place, it can put them in an alpha state.

“Then you can see how this naturally leads into a foundational concern for social justice,” he said.

“Because as you’re more open to others in your immediate environment, that teaches you to be open to people farther away from you and in different groups.”

According to Henley, people in these alpha states are able to feel on an experiential level—rather than just conceptually—why others would like to be treated fairly and to have equal opportunities in life.

CityU in Canada offers graduate programs in counselling and

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education—two careers where empathy is critical.

So how does this empathetic approach to learning manifest itself at CityU in Canada?

“It starts with our adviser, who is very conscious of building relationships with the students so that they always have someone to talk to and take their problems and issues with,” Henley replied. “We emphasize that. But we really try and see every student as an individual. We look at their success as a priority— each and every student. Unlike some institutions, we don’t take pride in the percentage of students who fail to complete a program. We take pride in the percentage of students who complete the program.”

Henley explained that CityU in Canada’s pedagogical approach grew out of collegial relationships in the professional community rather than in the academic community.

All the instructors are practitioners, many of whom have known each other for many years. And according to the principal, they’re keenly interested in education linking back to the community.

“Our education programs are offered in school districts in the context of their relationship with the districts,” he said. “The delivery is distributed and localized.

So, again, there’s an emphasis on community—not just in the sense of creating community but also the relevance of the learning to a particular community.”

The Ministry of Advanced Education has approved CityU in Canada’s request to create a bachelor of management degree, which raises the possibility of this holistic approach being expanded into new areas.

“We’re now looking at how we can, in some ways, introduce the same kind of values and the same approach to education in business and management: community-centric with a focus on ethics,” Henley noted. “We’re looking at the issue of sustainability.” see next page

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY DIGITAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Vancouver is in the forefront of

2 digital visual effects and anima-

tion, no small thanks to dozens of studios do this work. According to the Vancouver Economic Commission, the digital entertainment and interactive industry is responsible for more than 40,000 jobs and adds billions to the city’s gross domestic product.

But according to Adam Sale, coordinator of Capilano University’s digital-effects program, the release of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift has the potential to turn virtual reality and augmented reality into an even greater economic powerhouse.

“They’re going to overtake the film industry and the games industry,” Sale predicted in a phone interview with the Straight. “Their tentacles are already reaching into the tertiary [areas] like medical, architectural, military, and psychological.

“Every single aspect of our lives is going to be fundamentally changed

by VR and AR,” Sale continued. “And all of the things that we’re doing in visual effects, film, and 3-D transition perfectly into those mediums.”

He said that’s why Capilano University is investing “quite heavily” in these technologies to ensure that digital-visual-effects and animation students are going to be prepared for this brave new world.

The school’s North Vancouver campus offers a two-year diploma in digital visual effects in the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation. It includes three sound stages, a bar set, a house set, and a Hollywood backlot. There is also a 15-metre, 270-degree green screen.

“We’ve also got a full motion-capture stage and virtual-reality facilities, so we are pretty much an out-ofthe-box film studio,” Sale said. “All of our experiences tend to happen on campus except when we go out and do film shoots. We encourage students to scout out interesting locations, get the necessary permits for them, and actually shoot on location, because

At Granville College, animal-loving students are given hands-on training to become veterinary technician assistants.

that’s a real skill in itself.”

Digital visual effects involves creating meticulously detailed images that look real enough to be inserted into live-action footage. Sale said that this means the lighting, shadows, and resolution of characters have to match what’s created digitally. There’s a smaller green screen on the south campus to ensure students can hone their skills shooting with the proper shading before going out into the industry.

“Visual effects has so many different career paths that there’s not really a mould for the ideal student,” Sale noted. “High school is our minimal requirement for graduation with, of course, the necessary grades.”

There’s also a requirement to provide a letter of intent and a portfolio, which could be a Tumblr blog, Instagram posts, or anything else that might demonstrate a prospective student’s skills.

“We have people who are computer scientists who apply, who show us programs they write,” Sale added.

“There are sculptors, painters, writers, and people that actually have experience in the industry coming back.

“It really tailors itself well to people who have an interest in the art of filmmaking and effects,” he noted. “There is a lot of different paths for them to choose their career, which may be more technical or less technical.”

Capilano University’s digital-visualeffects program accepts 25 students per year, with classes starting every September. In their second year, these students do a 72-hour practicum to gain industry experience.

“We usually have 6 o’clock classes in second year and the industry people come in and really focus the students’ skills that they learn in the foundation of their first year,” Sale said. “Our instructors work all over the industry.”

One fringe benefit of the program is that students receive their own computers. Sale said that this means they can take them home after graduating with all of their work intact.

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY ANIMATION

Whereas the Capilano Univerdigital-visual-effects program accepts applicants from a wide range of backgrounds (see above), 2-D and 3-D animation are more suited to those who know how to draw.

The coordinator of the animation programs, Craig Simmons, told the Straight by phone that in his area, the education is “very much artistically focused”.

“It’s the art of animation design,” he said. “So they study everything from the beginnings of life drawings and what a figure looks like to char-

2 sity

acter design and modelling through to fully rigged animated characters and environments.”

Animation and visual-effects students often end up working in the same companies, Simmons added, and on occasion they will shift from one program to the other.

“Students who like to draw all day usually go into 2-D animation because that’s what they’re going to be doing [after graduating],” Simmons said. “Students who are more interested in games and television— creating full CG stuff—they go into 3-D. And the students who want to work in live-action film go into the visual-effects program.”

Students in all three programs spend much of their time at Capilano University’s Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation. According to Simmons, having them under one roof creates synergies, and many end up collaborating on projects.

“We get really great artists and we get really great technical people,” he said. “We put them together and they feed off each other. They care about creating characters and environments that come to life. Our students end up in the entertainment industry, creating the next generation of video games, television shows, and feature films.”

One former student, Ben Anderson, was the animation director on Life of Pi, which won the 2013 Oscar for best achievement in visual effects. Anderson, now the animation supervisor at Method Studios, is one of several industry experts on the faculty.

Simmons said that Capilano University instructors in animation and digital visual effects collectively have more than 200 years of experience in these fields.

He noted that Capilano University only accepts a maximum of 25 students into each of the three programs every September, which guarantees small class sizes. At the end of the second year, they put on a grad show in downtown Vancouver.

“It acts as a trade show,” Simmons said. “They get their own booths. see next page

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They get to produce and promote their wares to all the industry people who come out to see it. It’s a lot of fun.”

SFU EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE

Leading

an

organization,

2 whether it’s in the public, private, or nonprofit sector, is far more complicated nowadays than it was in the past, according to Vancouver management consultant Suzanne Hawkes. In a phone interview with the Straight, she cited a variety of factors, including the speed of change, global interconnectedness, and rapidly evolving social, cultural, and intergenerational norms.

“All of these are vastly different than even what we saw 10 or 15 years ago,” Hawkes stated.

The good news, according to Hawkes, is that there are teachable skills to help managers cope with all of this. She’s part of a team of trainers and organizational experts who have packaged them into a new, intensive part-time SFU Continuing Studies program that leads to an executiveleadership certificate.

Beginning in September, it will include five modules over a ninemonth period. Two of the modules focus on building personal foundations for successful leadership and leading collaborative teams for high impact. Others zero in on creating organizational coherence and catalyzing action in complex systems.

To obtain an executive-leadership certificate, students will have to attend four weekend retreats at SFU’s Vancouver campus. “They’ll also get coaching,” Hawkes said. “They’ll work on their own impact project, and they’ll have a lot of support to develop an individual leadership plan tailored for their ongoing development after.”

Hawkes is the sole Canadian trainer at the U.S.–based Rockwood Leadership Institute and has a great deal of experience helping organizations understand how to manage diverse workforces. Other instructors in the program are strategic-planning expert and scholar Aftab Erfan, trainer and coach Susan Petrina, organizational consultant and coach Yoni Gordis, and curriculumdevelopment specialist Tricia Bowler.

“I’m really deeply excited about this program and how expansive their vision was around this,” Hawkes said.

“I can’t wait to get our first cohort. I think this is going to be a big milestone in the leadership field.”

Consultant Suzanne Hawks helped design the curriculum for SFU’s executive leadership certificate; MBA students don’t have to travel to UNBC (above) to earn its degree.

Hawkes noted that the program will emphasize six mindsets that managers need to cultivate to be successful nowadays. The “adaptive” mindset makes one more agile and able to respond to changing conditions. A “developmental” mindset encourages constant learning of new skills and attitudes. The “collaborative” mindset helps leaders manage change across organizations.

Then there’s the “equity” mindset, which involves an awareness of power and rank within organizations. The fifth mindset is an appreciation for whole systems, enabling a leader to scan the landscape for dynamic changes that can affect the organization. Finally, there’s the “catalytic” mindset, which transforms ideas into action.

On March 30, the public can learn more about the program at an event called Leadership in Complex Systems: New Models for a Changing World, which will be hosted by SFU Continuing Studies. It will take place at the BMO Theatre Centre (203–162 West 1st Avenue), with Harvard law school faculty member and author Sheila Heen as the keynote speaker.

Heen is coauthor of Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (even when it is off-base, unfair, poorly delivered, and frankly, you’re not in the mood). There will also be e-info sessions about the executive-leadership certificate program on April 19, June 15, and July 25.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA MBA

Let’s start by getting one thing

2 out of the way. You don’t need to

live in Prince George to obtain a master’s in business administration from the University of Northern British Columbia, even though the campus is based in that city.

“We have a partnership with Langara College, so we provide all of our classes face to face at Langara,” UNBC MBA program director Cheryl Wallace told the Straight by phone. “So students have an option to take it in Prince George or take it in Vancouver at Langara College.”

She said the UNBC MBA program is geared toward students who are already in the workforce. To accommodate their busy schedules, classes take

place one weekend a month, Friday through Sunday, with nine hours of instruction per day. The program extends over five semesters and can be completed in 21 months.

According to Wallace, it’s a general program touching on all key areas of business: human resources, strategy, finance, project management, organizational behaviour, marketing, and management of technology.

“Our typical profile of our students is that 35-to-45-year age range,” she said. “They’re well-established in their careers but want to move to the next level. There are lots of entrepreneurs.”

Unlike for many university graduate programs, applicants don’t need an undergraduate degree to qualify for admission. This offers an opportunity for mature students who need more formal education to advance in their careers.

“We’ve had lots of students go through the program who have twoyear diplomas and who have excelled,” Wallace said.

Group projects occur outside of weekend classroom sessions. In some instances, that can involve students working cooperatively in different

cities. In these instances, they may communicate by telephone or email.

“MBA programs, typically, are meant to be application-based,” Wallace said. “Of course, there’s a huge academic piece, but students should be able to walk away with an MBA and apply their knowledge right away.”

One of the graduates of the program is Dave Fuller, who has since written a book on small business called Profit Yourself Healthy and coached many small-business owners. In 2016, a year after graduating with a UNBC MBA, he was named the Canadian rookie business coach of the year by the Professional Business Coaches Alliance.

“I would recommend the program to anybody who is feeling stagnated, stuck, or just looking for something more,” Fuller said in a testimonial for the program.

Wallace also has an MBA from UNBC, having graduated in 2009.

“It gave me the ability to move up in my career,” she said. “I went from a regional coordinator position at Northern Health into a director position at the YMCA. Then I came here as the director of the MBA program.” see next page

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Brian, Class of 2017

Questioning the “fiction” in science fiction.

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12 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL

Ted Gervan, vice president of at Vancouver Film School, says he can’t think of another school in the world that has 10 production studios in the centre of a city like Vancouver, which has become a mecca for film, television, and media production.

The 30-year-old school offers a wide range of one-year programs in film and television, game design and technology, and animation and visual effects. The school has eight campuses in Vancouver, including its flagship Gastown facilities, which occupy 155,000 square feet.

“Our abundance of space allows the students to explore advanced cinematography techniques, which can only happen in a studio where you can model the light and shadow and do really complex things,” Gervan told the Straight by phone. “It also allows them to undertake more ambitious projects, including feature-length films, because with as many studios as we have, students are able to book them for longer periods of time. Doing a 30-day feature-film shoot can actually happen at VFS because of the sheer abundance of space.”

Every year, students produce and edit more than 600 film projects. This, according to Gervan, makes Vancouver Film School as busy as any postproduction house in the city. He also said that student filmmakers benefit from the presence of actors, sound designers, makeup artists, animators, and writers who also attend the school.

“It’s really advantageous when you’ve got actors performing on your shoot who are trained actors as opposed to film students trying to be actors,” he commented. “It does have the effect of enhancing the production value overall.”

In the video-game area alone, Gervan said students receive input from mentors who work for the city’s leading game designers, including EA, Hothead, Relic, Microsoft, Capcom, and Activision.

“Each student and, in many cases,

2 education

Langara College instructor Stephanie Koonar says there will be plenty of jobs for students keen to work in financial services.

their families have different educational priorities and goals,” Gervan acknowledged. “I strongly believe that if you want to obtain a meaningful career in film and entertainment media, a one-year education at VFS is one of the best and fastest ways to do so. Also, compounding living and tuition costs for two-, three-, and fouryear programs are certainly something to consider closely when that amount of time may not be necessary, given your career path.”

Moreover, he said that students at his school have, on average, about 1,200 “contact hours” per year. He maintained that this means, in effect, that the school is offering a “volume of curriculum” in a single year that’s the equivalent of some three-year programs because there are no part-time studies and students are immersed in their education for 40 hours per week.

“There’s a lot of opportunities now—particularly in animation,

games, and game programming— don’t want to be accountants.” that are…amazing career opportunShe said that the financial-services ities that pay really well,” Gervan said. diploma prepares people to become client-services representatives with LANGARA COLLEGE a financial institution. This dipFINANCIAL SERVICES loma can also be a springboard to obtaining a four-year bachelor’s Before Langara College an- of business administration degree nounced its new financial- from Langara. services diploma program last year, According to Koonar, some people it decided to find out what the indus- who apply to work at banks don’t try was seeking. So it only seemed realize that these institutions are natural to send an instructor who often seeking candidates who can teaches market research, Stephanie build a business or a clientele. And Koonar, to venture into the com- banking-industry officials have told munity to find some answers. her that some of the most successful “It was designed with alumni applicants “are sales and marketing who are already working in the field people who want to be out there conand with industry representatives,” necting with people”.

Koonar told the Straight by phone.

Last year, the college also decided “What they told us is that people in to divide its school of management financial services are actually sales into three divisions: marketing manand marketing people. So they are agement, business management, and sales and marketing people who are financial management. comfortable with numbers but they Koonar, who is the coordinator of

2

the financial-services diploma, said marketing management provides a foundation in marketing, sales, advertising, distribution, market research, business computer applications, written communication skills, and law.

“Because there are lots of job opportunities in marketing, we provide the students with a variety of different courses so they can see what they might like or resonate with,” she said. “We try to make the courses very similar to what they would be doing on the job so that they really get an understanding of what that job is about, whether it’s running an event, designing an ad campaign, or writing a news release.”

One of her passions is to enhance students’ financial literacy. So this fall, Langara College will launch new courses on personal financial planning, which will provide the basics on such things as securing a mortgage, investing in a registered education-savings plan, and maintaining a tax-free savings account.

Koonar said some students who take this course might then decide to pursue a financial-services diploma. For them, the job prospects are promising.

“The stat I was using was that 38 percent of financial advisers plan to retire in the next 10 years,” Koonar said. “And 57 percent of Canadian advisers are older than 50.”

As the world prepares to celebrate International Women’s Day on Wednesday (March 8), Koonar pointed out that the financial-services sector can offer lucrative careers for women.

And she has noticed growing interest among women in this field because they want to be less dependent on partners for their financial security.

“Women are wanting to be empowered themselves and be accountable and responsible to make money themselves,” she said.

They also have significantly longer life expectancies than men, which is another reason for them to prepare for the future. see next page

www.cityuniversity.ca

MAKE YOUR MARK

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MASTER OF COUNSELLING INFORMATION SESSION:

Mar 23 & Apr 13, 5:00pm CityU Canada in Vancouver 789 W. Pender Street, Suite 310, Vancouver

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to fit your education around your life. Most CityU students are working professionals like you; eager to add to their skills and open up new career possibilities. And like you, they have other obligations. So at CityU Canada we offer flexible schedules and a choice of part-time or full-time studies.

Open to your possibilities at CityU.

An Affiliate of the National University System. This program is offered under the written consent of the Minister of Advanced Education effective April 11, 2007 having undergone a quality assessment process and been found to meet the criteria established by the minister. Nevertheless, prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs.

MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 13

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VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE JEWELLERY ART AND DESIGN

Like many of today’s high-

2 school students, Rosemary Bar-

tram was eager to become an artist in her teenage years. The owner and jewellery designer of Era Design in East Vancouver was lucky enough to have a science teacher named Mr. Burns at Argyle secondary in North Vancouver who wanted to help girls get involved in the trades. He created a jewellery class as an elective, which was offered in one of the shop rooms.

“At the end of the class, I said: ‘Mr. Burns, I really, really love it. How can I become a jeweller?’ ” Bartram recalled in a phone interview with the Straight.

He told her about the jewellery art and design program at Vancouver Community College. She prepared a portfolio of her work, applied to the program, and, much to her surprise, she was accepted even though she was only 19 years old at the time.

“Boy, they took a risk on me,” Bartram said with a laugh. “There were a lot of people in their 30s who had a full career and who had been through Emily Carr and had art degrees and English degrees. I was a high-school student.”

She thrived in the two-year fulltime program, which offered three days a week of studio time back then, enabling her to learn metalsmithing, wax-carving, forging, and stone-setting. Then there was a half-day on gemology.

“To this day, I use my gemology training absolutely every day,” she said. “I still have my old textbooks and I refer to them. It’s such a valuable thing to know what the stones are and how to answer questions that people have.”

Bartram, who is held in high regard for her customized designs, also appreciated that the program covered art history and drawing. In-

Lighthouse Labs boot camp graduate Sarah Veness (left) and education manager Rosy Lee enjoy some downtime.

structors told her that she didn’t have to necessarily look at jewellery to design her pieces and that she should also be paying attention to architecture.

“Art was integral to the whole program,” she said. “I think that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Bartram also has a great deal of confidence in the direction that VCC’s jewellery art and design program is taking under Karin Jones, who graduated from the program more than 20 years ago. Jones’s art has been shown at the Royal Ontario Museum and in exhibitions in Japan and the United States. Bartram called Jones an “amazing person and an amazing goldsmith”.

“They’re so lucky to have her as their program head right now,” Bartram said. “Only good things are going to come from that, I have to say.”

VCC’s jewellery art and design program still covers the same sub-

jects during its two years that Bartram enjoyed so much as a student.

The history of art is offered in each of the four terms, as are gemology and design and drawing. There are also courses on metal techniques, production techniques, computer graphics, and business management.

In the second term, students are required to complete a display project, and in the fourth term, they must complete a diploma project.

To this day, Bartram is glad that she didn’t listen to naysayers who wanted to discourage her from achieving her dream of becoming an artist. “Don’t be dissuaded by people who say you can’t make a living in art or design or trades, because I really disagree with that,” she said. “I think you should choose something that you’re passionately interested in and just go for it. You can have a really good career.”

On Friday (March 3) from 2 to

3:30 p.m., VCC will host an information session on the jewellery art and design program in Room 160 at its downtown campus.

LIGHTHOUSE LABS

The city of Indianapolis has its

2 Indy 500. The Florida city of

Daytona Beach has its Daytona 500.

And Vancouver has its HTML500, which is ample proof that high tech still ranks ahead of auto racing in our town.

The HTML500 was created by Lighthouse Labs and is the largest free learn-to-code event in Canada.

This year, the daylong session takes place next Saturday (March 11) at the Rocky Mountaineer Station (1755 Cottrell Street). On-site mentors help people build their first page in HTML or CSS. “They’re doing it by lottery. There are only 500 spots,” cohost Sarah

Veness told the Straight by phone.

“The last I heard, there were 2,000 people registered for it.”

Veness, an SFU communications grad, used to work as a community manager at Lighthouse Labs, where she organized events to help women and children learn how to code.

Last September, she enrolled in the company’s intensive and immersive eight-week boot-camp program, which trains people to become junior developers. Shortly after graduation, she joined Omnifilm Entertainment.

“The point of boot camp isn’t to make you a JavaScript developer or a Ruby developer,” Veness said. “Really, the point is to teach you how to learn a language.”

A typical day in boot camp would begin with an hour or two of lectures starting at 9 a.m. She said this would be followed by a bunch of daily assignments, which ranged from small readings and modules to logic-based exercises. That’s in addition to weekly projects.

“You get graded and you get a code review on your project every week,” Veness stated. “There is a lot of face time with the mentors and the instructors, which is definitely one of the biggest benefits of the program.”

During the camp, she remained on the company’s Gastown premises for about 12 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s because she felt it was necessary to immerse herself in the culture to learn the language of coding.

“It really builds up your confidence that you can solve problems that you’re going to be faced with day to day,” she said. “A lot of the projects are also built that way.”

For example, one project had an existing code base. But at boot camp, students had to jump in and start building different features or fixing bugs in the system.

“It’s supposed to mimic what you’re going to experience in the real world,” Veness noted. “I think a lot of people think that when you’re coding, you’re sitting there in front of a blank editor and you’re building a page from see next page

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THE CUTTING ROOM

Keira Danniels and Karen Merrifield are two friends with a big dream: they want to free brides from the financial ordeal that comes from paying big bucks for a wedding dress that’s only used once and then sits in a closet for 30 years.

They already operate a web- and graphic-design studio in Vancouver called Polychrome Creative. But they’re also hoping to launch a new clothing line, Fern and Moon.

“Karen got married last year and came up with a really brilliant bridalline idea, so we’re collaborating on that,” Danniels told the Straight by speakerphone with her business partner by her side.

Their plan is to sell bridal separates that would look beautiful together, working in tandem, like a marriage. According to Danniels, these tops and bottoms could be put together over a bodysuit to create a dress. After the wedding, it would be possible to wear the top and the skirt separately. And although they would be for the high-end market, they would still come at a far more affordable price than a wedding dress, which can easily exceed $2,000 with the “bridal markup”.

“Should you want to, you don’t have to wear them, but certainly in our demographic and crowd, it feels pretty wasteful and not that ecofriendly to have one thing for one day that then stays in your closet,” she said.

The only problem was that Danniels and Merrifield had never launched a clothing brand, let alone hired patternmakers, retained manufacturers, or marketed their fashion designs to retailers. Enter the Cutting Room, a Kitsilano fashion-design school owned by apparel-industry veteran Liza Deyrmenjian.

“Liza is helping us from conception to launch,” Merrifield said. “We really started with learning how patterns get made and what sort of information patternmakers need.

Now we’re working on our branding and marketing.”

Merrifield added that she appreciated being able to bounce ideas off Deyrmenjian.

Class sizes are small—the maximum is six, according to the Cutting Room website—which enables students to receive detailed feedback on everything from refining their fashion lines to identifying the best contractors.

“It’s almost like having a hands-on mentor who’s keeping you on a schedule as well, which is pretty awesome,” Danniels said.

At the end of their course, the women will do a full presentation that covers everything from patterns to the business plan.

“From there,” Danniels added, “we’ll go on with whatever budget we’ve got. But we’re hoping to have everything launched by 2018.”

2

VCC student Justice Barclay learns some of the secrets of gemology from program coordinator Donna Hawrelko.

GRANVILLE COLLEGE VETERINARY TECHNICIAN ASSISTANT

Adele Reyes had what many

2 would consider a dream job,

working as a flight attendant. But she found that even though the destinations were different depending on which route she was on, the tasks were repetitive, and she yearned for something different.

Reyes is also an animal lover with two dogs, and she started doing Internet research to find out how to become a veterinary assistant. She eventually selected Granville College, enrolling in January 2016, which later helped her later find employment in a Langley animal hospital.

In fact, she was offered her job in the first week of a three-week practicum arranged through the college.

“As a VA, we have to ask the questions,” Reyes said. “Then we have to get all that information and relay it to the [animal] doctor.”

She expressed great satisfaction with her training at Granville College, which educated her about how a veterinary assistant should prepare an animal for surgery. In addition, Reyes learned about animal parasites, zoonotic viruses, medical conditions affecting various animals, and a host of other topics, including how to assess if a canine’s heart rate is dangerously high or low.

She’s often the first point of contact when people bring dogs into the clinic with respiratory problems or diarrhea. “Maybe they just ingested something wrong,” Reyes said. “But if it’s a puppy, it could be parvovirus, which would be very bad.”

She said she believes that her education at Granville College was superior to what’s being offered elsewhere. She bases this, in part, on seeing how a practicum student from another college had difficulty wrapping an animal before it went into surgery. Reyes said she had to practise doing this at school before she began working at a clinic. But

she maintained that the practicum student couldn’t do it properly because she wasn’t required to practise this technique in her program.

“You have to do it very tightly,” Reyes stated. “The more looser it is, the more bacteria will get into it. You have to perfect that with a certain way of folding.”

She’s seen some unusual things in her time at the clinic, including a hamster with a prolapsed penis.

As a veterinary assistant, she had to ask questions of the client just as she would about any other animal’s medical condition.

One thing is certain: there’s none of the monotonous repetition that Reyes experienced as a f light attendant. “I want to be shown something different,” she said.

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY BUSINESS

Imagine spending the first seof the year studying international business at Capilano University and then spending the second semester doing the same thing in the United Kingdom. Then imagine that this one year of education yields two academic credentials.

In fact, this is exactly what occurs with the international-management graduate diploma and master’s of science in international business offered by Capilano University and the University of Hertfordshire.

According to Capilano University’s vice chair of the graduate management program, Tammy Towill, up to 22 students are accepted into this unique studying opportunity each year. The prerequisites include an undergraduate degree in business with a 3.0 gradepoint average. These requirements can be waived for a person with “significant work experience”.

“Really, that’s not that uncommon with graduate programs,” Towill told the Straight by phone. “[The prerequisites] are really for the younger students. We want to make sure they have the academic foun-

2 mester

dation because they don’t have the work experience.”

Towill said her university intends to eventually request approval from the B.C. government to convert this into a dual master’s degree from both academic institutions. But for now, the master’s comes from the U.K. university and the graduate diploma comes from Capilano University.

Towill said the program covers finance, human resources, strategy, and the other elements associated with graduate business-education programs. “But the lens that we look at it from is through an international-business perspective,” she stated.

Long before Capilano College was converted into Capilano University in 2008, it was carving out a niche with its international focus. Towill said that once the province granted university status, administrators had to decide where its “distinctive excellence” would set it apart from much larger institutions such as UBC and SFU. In addition to emphasizing its school’s connection to the world, the school focused on becoming a leading teaching university.

One way to achieve this has been through small class sizes. Another way is ensuring that faculty are not only experts in their fields of study but also knowledgeable about instructional techniques.

“Being a master of your content does not make you a good teacher,” Towill said.

She credited a former Capilano University vice president, Catherine Vertesi, for promoting globalbusiness education. That’s because Vertesi appreciated that business is often international in nature, particularly for people working in Vancouver.

“She really pushed to develop not only study abroad but even field school,” Towill said. “Not everybody can go away for a whole semester, but maybe you can go away for 10 days or three weeks.

She was really the brainchild behind this program.”

ary, automotive, and nursing programs. However, many don’t realize that it offers more than 40 certificate and diploma programs through VCC Continuing Studies.

The dean of continuing studies, Gordon McIvor, told the Straight by phone that there are diplomas available in everything from gemology to medical-device reprocessing to early childhood care and education.

The full-time gemology program isn’t cheap—according to McIvor, it costs about $9,000—but he said it can enable people to find employment as appraisers or in other areas in the jewellery industry. The program runs from April to August.

McIvor recalled attending a recent gemology graduation ceremony where most of the people were in their 40s and 50s. “These are people who are very established and have large social connections,” he said.

It’s the only program of its kind in Western Canada and it attracts many entrepreneurs, as well as students from around the world. They learn such skills as how to identify authentic and fake jade and how to count carats in precious gems.

McIvor is also enthusiastic about VCC’s program for training medical-device reprocessing technicians.

They ensure that reusable utensils used by dentists, doctors, and other medical practitioners are sterilized.

The program is offered every February and September. “It costs about $8,000 or $9,000, but 90 percent of the students get jobs,” McIvor said.

The MDRT program includes eight weeks of classroom instruction followed by practicums in hospitals and other health-care settings. “Often when things work out really well, they get hired on the spot as soon as their program is finished,” he added.

A third program he highlighted, early childhood care and education, leads to becoming a licensed childcare worker.

“It’s not just about working in a daycare centre,” McIvor emphasized. “There are way more opportunities. Some people focus on storytelling or infant toddlers or special-needs children. Music therapy comes into play. People can have other interests that they can bring to an early childhood environment and provide a unique service.”

McIvor also noted that VCC has renewed its fashion-design program to meet the changing expectations of employers in the apparel industry. “They require our graduates to be comfortable with social media and to understand marketing and merchandising,” he said. “It’s not just patterns anymore. Vancouver is a world leader in technical apparel.” -

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BOOKS

Room’s new fest marks 40 years of feminism > B Y KATE WIL SON

T

he first thing that writer Amber Dawn sent to Room magazine, Canada’s longestrunning feminist literary publication, was a memoir about sex work. A few months later, the journal decided to print the piece—a choice that changed the course of her life.

“I consider my writing pretty far from mainstream,” the Dayne Ogilvie Prize winner and long-time contributor to the publication tells the Straight on the line from her Vancouver home.

“Room was the first magazine to accept any of my content, even though I’d sent things to many literary reviews. The magazine literally took a chance on me. I think that’s part of what makes Room, Room—they’re very bold in terms of voice and identity, and also in creative genre. That

boldness started my career.”

Created in 1975 by five Canadian women, the Vancouver-based journal has a long and storied history.

Founded to showcase the best writing from cis-gender, gender-queer, and LGBT women, and women of colour, the magazine has a broad scope. Publishing fiction, poetry, reviews, artwork, interviews, and profi les about the female experience, Room provides an inclusivity missing from much of the industry.

“The Canadian Women in the Literary Arts counts up who is printing and reviewing books, in terms of gender, race, and sexuality,” says Arielle Spence, a member of the magazine’s editorial board, over a coffee on Granville Island. “They’ve shown that although we like to think of the arts as being quite equal and fair, patriarchy, sexism, racism, and homophobia continue to

Arielle Spence is chief organizer of Growing Room. Jenni Rempel photo.

exist. That’s why, although Room has changed so much over four decades, it’s still so important.

“Submissions to the magazine are free, and 90 percent of our writing is

uncommissioned.” Spence continues.

“We’re focused on finding excellent new voices who might not have been printed before or have a long writing CV, but are more than worthy of publication. We’ve given a lot of major Canadian authors their first credit, and continue to choose quality over cherry-picking big names.”

Having showcased the early work of writers like Pulitzer Prize– and Governor General’s Award–winning novelist Carol Shields, Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award recipient Eden Robinson, and CBC Canada Reads fi nalist Nalo Hopkinson, Room has a knack for spotting wordsmiths on their way up.

“I think there’s always a freshness to Room—fresh voices, fresh readers, and fresh editorials,” says Amber Dawn, whose work for the magazine involves sift ing through hundreds of submissions. “For us, it’s all about finding the most engaging pieces.”

The journal’s connection with firstclass contributors has come in handy over the last 12 months. Announcing that Room will celebrate its 40th anniversary by launching a comprehensive festival featuring workshops, readings, and panels, Spence—the event’s chief organizer—has gathered together a stellar lineup of speakers and moderators to connect Vancouverites with Canada’s larger literary community.

Featuring topics such as trauma, feminist humour, and pregnancy, the fiveday writing event will be attended by more than 500 literature lovers.

“Naming the festival Growing Room has become way more apt than we could imagine,” Spence says with a laugh. “When you work for a literary magazine called Room, there are a lot of room-themed puns. The festival ended up expanding and expanding and expanding, and we realized that we were riding a huge wave of enthusiasm. We never expected that so many writers would be onboard so

quickly, that we’d collaborate with so many partners and community organizers, and that the media would be like, ‘Yes, this is what we’ve been looking for.’ I don’t want to say that we’ve got carried away—but maybe we have a little bit.”

Coinciding with the launch of the festival will be the release of the journal’s anthology, Making Room: Forty Years of Room Magazine, a 400-pluspage book archiving the best of the magazine’s output. Split into chronological sections introduced by an interview with an editor or prominent writer from the period, the anthology pieces together writing from different eras of feminism, touching on topics like the morning-after pill, the “mind fuck” of being raped by a romantic partner, and the difficulty of negotiating trans-womanhood.

“The anthology does a few things,” says Amber Dawn, whose writing will be featured in the book. “It allows us to see a continuum between works, and it allows us to remember and treasure literature that is absolutely vital. I think there is often something very temporary about literary magazines, and people will recycle them or donate them, but this anthology is something that will be on our shelves forever. It’s a living record that we can keep easily close at hand. I hope it inspires other women to write about whatever it is they want to say.”

“Especially now,” Spence agrees, “we need writers and artists more than ever to speak back to what’s happening in the world. The festival and anthology aim to help disseminate those ideas to new audiences, and to encourage others to tell the truth through art.” Growing Room: A Feminist Literary Festival takes place at various venues from Wednesday (March 8) until March 12. See roommagazine.com/ festival for details.

Wanderwell lived large in an age of adventure REV IEW ALOHA WANDERWELL

By Christian Fink-Jensen and Randolph Eustace-Walden. Goose Lane, 421 pp, softcover

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round-the-world aeroplane race of 1924, the North American public went crazy for publicity-hungry showoff adventurers who returned home to give lectures and show films about where they had been. The best-known American example was Lowell Thomas, the person who had made Lawrence of Arabia famous.

The best-known Canadian instance was Gordon Sinclair of the Toronto Star (and later of CBC’s Front Page ); he spent Challenge); the 1930s visiting Devil’s Island, dining with headhunters in New Guinea, and all that sort of thing. But there was another Canadian of this type: a British Columbian and a woman.

Idris Welsh (1906‒96), who grew up on Vancouver Island, assumed the forename Aloha because it had a romantic ring. As for the phonysounding surname Wanderwell, she acquired it through marriage to a man actually named that: Walter Wanderwell. He was an accused rumrunner, suspected German spy, political crank, and mountebank showman, who in 1922 advertised for women to join him in a discontinuous round-the-round

“endurance race” in souped-up Fords.

The Wanderwell team, a kind of travelling circus about travel itself, would go to somewhere in the Amazon or Africa, for instance, making silent films and snapping photos. They traipsed through nearly 50 countries.

At important stops along the way and in major world cities they filled theatres to capacity before moving on.

Aloha was the organizer, publicist, photographer, and, when necessary, mechanic. She became a pilot as well and, in the Depression years, quite famous— but also somewhat notorious.

The coauthors, respectively a freelance writer and a filmmaker, present this book as a lively bit of obscure social history, competently and journalistically told, and as a biography of a pioneer breaker of gender roles.

But well before the end it becomes something quite different: a murder mystery. Over the course of their joint career the Wanderwells graduated from Model Ts to a hundred-foot Nova-Scotia– built schooner called the Carma. During one of its voyages, Walter had to defuse an attempted mutiny. Later, in 1932, he was shot to death in the vessel’s cabin. A long, heavily sensationalized trial in Los Angeles put Aloha in the headlines all over again. The man tried for the crime was found innocent; the one Aloha herself suspected wasn’t charged. You’ll have to read the book to find out why. > GEORGE FETHERLING

Personal trainer addresses plus-size athletes Drawing upon her own experiences, a local business owner is on a mission to address the long-neglected fitness needs of large women

W

hen she was in her early 20s, Louise Green regularly woke up with a hangover. It wasn’t because she was out clubbing into the wee hours but because she was, by her own description, dealing with a heavy dose of self-loathing. Although she desperately wanted to lose weight, exercise regularly, and lead a healthy life, her efforts to do so rarely lasted longer than a few days at a time.

Two decades on, this is the same woman who runs her own successful fitness and personal-training business geared to plus-size athletes like herself. She has completed several marathon and triathlon races and has done the Ride to Conquer Cancer from Vancouver to Seattle multiple times. The founder and CEO of Body Exchange Lifestyles Inc. is also the author of the just-released Big Fit Girl—Embrace the Body You Have.

The North Vancouver mother of one is on a mission to spread the word that being thin doesn’t equate to being fit and that anyone can be an athlete, no matter their size or shape.

“I wanted to write the book because I felt that there was a major gap in the information that is available to plus-size women when it comes to fitness,” Green says in an interview Louise Green wrote Big Fit Girl to help readers realize their fitness potential, no matter what size they are. Vairdy Frail photo. over sparkling water. “On the store shelf, there are many varieties of fitThe turning point for Green came training with her that she never judgmental tone, she writes about ness books, but I don’t see any that about 15 years ago when she signed up talked about how many calories nutrition, not diets, including what speak to the specific needs of this for a running clinic in the West End. we were burning or how to tone types of foods work best for pre- and particular demographic: physical When the group leader introduced up your butt; it was just ‘Let’s kick post-workout nourishment. She shares needs and psychoherself, Green ad- ass and run,’ ” Green says. “It was tips on how to find a qualified personal logical needs. mits she was a completely new perspective to me trainer and on how to effectively set “Fitness can be shocked to see a that I’d not seen or heard. We were goals, following the SMART acronym, really scary,” she plus-size woman all athletes to her.” which stands for “specific, measurable, Gail Johnson adds. “There are decked out in runIn Big Fit Girl, Green helps people attainable, realistic, and timely”. a lot of barriers to it for people that ning gear. In that instant, Green real- unleash their inner athlete, coverShe also talks about how to deal are larger. I really acknowledge that ized what was possible; the instructor, ing everything from how to elimin- with the barrage of the “ideal” fein the book and I think people take in her view, was “an icon, a rock star, ate negative body talk to where to male body type that the media proa sigh of relief because I understand and a total game changer”. find plus-size active apparel. In an vides, suggesting outlets that are where they’re coming from.”

“I just remember thinking after approachable, reader-friendly, non- body-positive, such as FabUplus

Health

Magazine, North America’s first lifestyle magazine with weight-neutral content, and Adios Barbie, a feminist site that aims to broaden the discussion of body image to include race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, and size.

“I feel like people’s newsfeeds and inboxes need an overhaul,” Green says. “The way I’ve set up my world is I only see positive messaging.

We’re affected so much, even subliminally, by glancing at Facebook or looking at newsstands.”

Although Green’s own story is inspiring in itself, she also shares motivating messages from several other plus-size athletes and fitness professionals in her book. She quotes, for instance, long-distance cyclist Natalie Dzany, who says: “Every kilometre I ride makes me realize how strong my legs are, and I’m thankful each and every time.

It’s not about how I look; it’s about how I feel, and I feel fabulous!”

Then there are quotes from a few people who have nothing to do with the fitness industry but who shared some words to live by, such as Theodore Roosevelt. He’s quoted as saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Green stresses that judging “success” by numbers on a scale is one way of limiting your personal and athletic potential. Better ways of measuring improvements in health and fitness, she writes, include positive changes to mood, self-confidence, sleep, and energy that come as a result of exercise.

“I wanted to remove the focus from reducing calories or whittling down your body, because those add such an enormous pressure to women,” she says. “It robs us of living our best lives. Big Fit Girl is about having a limitless life.” -

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From left to right, Um Omar, Raghda Hassan, Nihal Elwan, Leena Al Ahmad, and Rawaa Mahouk present a homestyle Syrian buffet. Dima Yassine photo.

Syrian pop-up feasts become success story that includes homemade plates like kibbeh, a baked or fried meatball typike many Canadians, Van- ically crafted with finely ground meat, couver research consultant bulgur, and Middle Eastern spices; Nihal Elwan was moved to fatayer, a savoury pastry stuffed with action when, beginning in cheese, spinach, or other ingredients; 2015, harrowing reports of the global and mutabbal, a popular appetizer migrant crisis led to the arrival of over made from smoked and grilled egg25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada. plant, tahini, olive oil, and yogurt.

Given her background in gender and Past events have taken place at women’s studies in the Middle East, Tamam Fine Palestinian Cuisine, however, it wasn’t long before Elwan Shaughnessy Heights United Church, realized she wanted to do something and St. Mary’s Kerrisdale Church. to aid Syrian women, many of whom Tickets are $43 each and include acfaced difficulties cess to three all-younetworking and can-eat courses, finding full-time plus dessert and B.C. employment tea. “The beautiful Lucy Lau since they previthing about this is ously served as housewives in Syria. that these women cook exactly as they Her solution involved a compon- would cook in their homes for their ent many people look to for comfort families,” explains Elwan. “It’s not when placed in a foreign setting: factorywide scale; it’s not like a masfood. Specifically, Syrian food—an sive restaurant. It’s not a chain type of “uncommercialized” cuisine that thing. They cook the way they would the Cairo-born Elwan claims is, cook at home.” hands down, the best to come out of All proceeds from the ticket sales the region. “The idea, initially, was to benefit the Syrian women and their put together a dinner for a group of families. Many of the chefs’ partners Syrian women and just invite some and children, Elwan notes, are happy people from my neighbourhood to to lend a hand during the cultural come to this dinner and, you know, soirees, which involve a live band get to know them and see what performing traditional Arabic tunes, Syrian food is about,” she tells the too. “The husbands and the boys are Straight by phone. also taking part,” she says. “They’re Elwan asked four Syrian women— doing the dishes, they’re helping set all of whom landed in Metro Van- up. They’re helping clean up, which is couver with their families in the last really lovely because it’s a bit of a reyear—to cook up traditional dishes versal of the typical gender roles you from their home cities of Aleppo, see coming out of the region.”

Homs, Daraa, and Idlib for interestDuring every Tayybeh event, attened locals. The event would offer the dees are introduced to the chefs, who women a chance to flex their skills emerge from the kitchens to share in the kitchen while practising their their names, where they’re from, how English and getting to know the long they’ve been in Canada, and their community. After securing a small hopes for the future. The interactions grant from the Vancouver Founda- help humanize the women, stresses tion and a venue in which to host the Elwan, while helping them to make dinner, she published an open invi- friends and build connections. “They tation to the fete on Facebook. The become people—not just people you response was overwhelming. “We read about or people on the news.” didn’t know where this was going,” For International Women’s Day, Elwan recalls. “We had no budget, so Tayybeh will be catering the Vanwe didn’t advertise. We just sort of couver International Women in Film let it go and, incredibly enough, the Festival’s opening gala at the Vanevent sold out in a day.” city Theatre on March 8. That same Rave reviews from guests and in- night, a group of Syrian women chefs quiries about when the next dinner will also be serving up Middle Eastwould be happening led Elwan and ern fare at a fundraising benefit at the cooks to launch a series of pop- the North Shore Women’s Centre. up feasts titled Tayybeh: A Cele- March’s pop-up dinner, meanwhile, bration of Syrian Cuisine. Its name is still in the works. (Follow the pronounced “tie-bay”, the term is the group’s Facebook page at facebook. feminine construction of the Arabic com/tayybeh/ to keep updated.) word for “kind” or “generous”. In And while the banquets and caterthe Levantine dialect—a colloquial ing gigs offer Vancouverites a rare form of Arabic spoken in parts of the taste of authentic, home-style SyrMiddle East—the word also means ian cuisine, they are, above all, an “delicious”. “Put all of this together opportunity to break down the wall and no name could have been a bet- that so often divides us from our ter fit,” says Elwan. “We’re a group of neighbours. “I think the monthly women creating delicious food.” dinners are a beautiful opportunFour months later, Tayybeh’s core ity for both sides to get to know ‘the collective of chefs has grown from Other’,” says Elwan. “And there’s a lot four to six women. Its signature pop- of acceptance, a lot of appreciation, up dinners—the group has hosted a lot of gratitude on both sides. Our three around the city thus far—con- guests get to eat incredibly delicious tinue to sell out. There, dozens of items, and once that happens, all Vancouverites have had the pleasure interactions over food end up being of indulging in a buffet-style spread really beautiful.” > B Y LUCY LAU

L

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FOOD

Undaunted, new wine importers dive right in

I

t was a blustery, rainy day in mid-January of this year when I hopped the SeaBus in North Vancouver, on my way to visit Jessica Luongo and Marisa Varas, the principals behind AmoVino Distributors (one of the newest wineimporting agencies in our market).

Before I go on, I’ll eliminate any potential distraction by clarifying that Jessica has no knowledge of being any relation to Roberto Luongo, the former Vancouver Canucks goaltender. This has come up on occasion with others, because there was an added curiosity when she held a previous position at Burrows, Luongo & Associates, a wine agency owned by her grandfather Larry Luongo with yet another Canucks-linked name.

All of this is coincidence.

It was while living in Italy to learn Italian that Jessica fell in love with wine culture, and she returned to Vancouver to learn everything she could about the business. Working at her grandfather’s company, doing everything from office administration to inventory management to marketing, she soaked up every AmoVino Distributors’ Jessica Luongo and Marisa Varas focus on importing organic, biodynamic, and family-produced wines. aspect of the business, including forging ahead with a formal wine educa- had also travelled and lived in various easy market for wine importers. We provides a challenge, as restaurants tion through the globally renowned South American and European coun- are one of the most heavily taxed don’t receive wholesale prices or Wine and Spirit Education Trust. tries, with the wine bug eventually places in the world, meaning we discounts on wine, and smaller, inAs she was becoming increasingly landing on her as well. also have some of the highest wine dependent eateries can find it a strugdetermined to start her own company, It seemed to be the right place and prices. Finding high-quality wines gle to buy by the case, whether due to Luongo reconthe right time for worthy of interest at a price that space or budget constraints. nected via Faceboth to begin can offer value and accessibility inAt a time when other importers are book with Varas, a this new venture. volves a fine sense of balance, which feeling the pinch, and even occasionpast acquaintance.

Although they requires experience, smarts, and ally downsizing, Luongo and Varas Kurtis Kolt They had attended incorporated their good instincts. have opted to fearlessly dive right in. the same North Vancouver high school, company in September 2015, it wasn’t It can be a gamble for many wine “We’re bringing in wines of qualthough they hadn’t known each other until November 2016 that they im- importers bringing in a product to get ity that have a niche, with a focus well at the time due to a three-year ported their first wines. That year was a listing at B.C. Liquor Stores, which on organic, biodynamic, and family age gap. spent attending as many wine tast- generally offers good distribution and production,” Luongo told me on that Varas had just returned from three ings as possible here in Vancouver and a crack at sustainable, consistent sales stormy January day. “These wines are years in London—where she earned travelling abroad to source new wines, (and income). The balance of wines distinct and offer something unique her business degree—and was ex- along with all the untangling of red coming into the market end up as part for the market, and we’re excited ploring various entrepreneurial op- tape that is required to start this sort of of the spec system, warehoused and about sharing them and honouring portunities. Along with the fact that business in our market. available by the case to private retail- the people behind them.” her parents were wine collectors, she Keep in mind that this isn’t an ers and restaurants. This model also Although importing wine in

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B.C. can be challenging enough, I inquired if they felt that being young and female presented additional challenges in how others in the industry perceive them, whether here at home or when trying to get business done at international tables. Let’s face it, there are sexist people in all industries.

“Really, as silly as this sounds, we’ve been female our whole lives,” Varas said with a laugh. “So navigating a world where sexism exists isn’t anything new. But I should add that I can’t even think of examples we’ve encountered since starting the company. Maybe we’ve been lucky on that front, but it’s not something that distracts us.”

They’re obviously doing many things right, as retail stores and restaurants have been steadily buying their new offerings. In fact, they’ve also nabbed a coveted B.C. Liquor Stores listing for Katogi & Strofilia Mountain Fish 2014 (Peloponnese, Greece; $18.99), a red made from the country’s indigenous Agiorgitiko grape variety, loaded with bright and juicy black and purple fruit, along with a dash of fresh thyme. It has quickly become a new favourite of mine, as has Donkey & Goat Sluice Box White 2014 (El Dorado, California; $48 to $53, private liquor stores), a premium, stunning white blend of Vermentino, Picpoul, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, and Roussanne, grown organically and biodynamically, and worth every cent (spotted recently at Kitsilano Wine Cellar and Broadway International Wine Shop).

Each of their wines brings an intriguing story to the table; I’m looking forward to seeing how AmoVino’s own story evolves.

Visit Luongo and Varas at www. amovino.ca/ to learn more about them and their wines. -

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MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

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VIDF

Japanese butoh legend

BY JANET SM IT H

Akaji Maro admits it’s paradoxical, but it was hell on earth that turned him toward Paradise.

“I was inspired by unfortunate events in the world, like terrorism or war or environment destruction,” he tells the Straight, speaking through a translator from his headquarters in Tokyo’s Kichijoji neighbourhood before coming to the Vancouver International Dance Festival. “I couldn’t see any positive.”

Anyone who saw his 45-year-old troupe Dairakudakan’s last show at VIDF in 2015, Mushi no Hoshi, know he creates otherworldly tableaux like no other.

But they may also be surprised to find Maro turning to a more heavenly milieu. The previous nightmarish theatrical spectacle conjured a hellscape of human-insect hybrids.

But hell, Maro noticed, has been portrayed a lot in art over the centuries—especially in the dark, deathobsessed realm of butoh. Paradise, in all its many forms in different cultures, had not been as thoroughly explored. The septuagenarian choreographer, who’s also a well-known actor (and had a cool cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1), says he started to delve into portrayals of paradise in Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism, where hell is called Western Paradise (Gokuraku-jodo in Japanese).

“I was thinking, ‘What’s the definition of paradise?’ ” says Maro, who says he often collects his ideas in regular daydreaming sessions. “Adam and Eve had to leave paradise and I asked myself, ‘Why did they leave?’ Maybe it was because they gained knowledge, and that made me question why having knowledge is a good thing.

Paradise lost and found

Replete with fright wigs, flower petals, and ghostly, white-caked figures, Akaji Maro’s Paradise may not be the utopia you pictured. Hiroyuki Kawashima photo.

Maro tells us all this conjures on-stage. You can hear his deep, resonant information so we can laugh over the phone line. “A sense of what butoh have a window onto his is: that’s a small measurement to see our work,” he creation. But in the end, says. “You should just apply your imagination and you can’t try too hard to decrypt the dream logic of just enjoy it.” his work; sometimes you miss the point by trying to entirely make sense of butoh. Expertise in the form, The Vancouver International Dance Festival preMaro stresses, is no prerequisite for enjoying the sents Dairakudakan’s Paradise at the Vancouver carnival of weird imagery and provocative ideas he Playhouse on March 10 and 11.

At the Vancouver International Dance Festival, Dairakudakan butoh master Akaji Maro applies his dream logic to heavenly realms “So as I went over those ideas I started thinking paradise is a fiction built within us. And as I went through my creative process, my cynical point of view of this fiction started to evolve.”

As always, Maro was also inspired by other art forms. He drew heavily from the poem “L’Éternité” by Arthur Rimbaud—the lines “It has been found again. What? Eternity.”—and Henri Rousseau’s leafy paintings, which appear as projections in the show.

His signature wide research then took him into the etymology of the word paradise, which can be traced back to an old Persian word meaning “enclosed garden”. “Para means like a cover or block—like a parasol protects you from sun,” Maro explains. “So protecting yourself from bad things was also part of my creative process. Within this place we find something we experience for a moment where we find a happiness—it doesn’t matter whether it’s big or small.”

All of this study and brainstorming, along with ample input from his dancers about what paradise means to them, has resulted in a strange and dazzling show by the 18 performers coming here. The usual ghostly, white-caked, naked bodies of butoh are present, but so, too, are delirious images of brightly clothed roller skaters, bodies bound by chains, wild fright wigs, and scatterings of red hibiscus petals.

It’s a mix of both the heavily symbolic, and—at least in the case of roller-skating—his troupe’s ideas of pure utopia.

THINGS TO DO

2

More picks amid the wild variety at the Vancouver International Dance fest Vancouver International Dance Festival programming couldn’t be more eclectic. Here are just a few of the local and visiting highlights you should try to fit into your dance adventuring.

KINESIS DANCE SOMATHEATRO (At the Scotiabank Dance Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday [March 1 to 4]) Artistic director Paras Terezakis marks his company’s third decade with In PENUMBRA, a multimedia ode to our search for utopia. Expect powerful physicality and a striking look, with atmospheric use of light bulbs.

YAYOI THEATRE MOVEMENT (At Studio 1398 from Wednesday [March 1] to March 10) Handpainted scenography by Shizuka Kai, video projections by Kyle Stooshnov, and surreal piano strains by Sara Davis Buechner promise to make Okuni—Mother of Kabuki, the new work by Vancouver-based Yayoi Hirano, come to multisensory life.

COMPAGNIE VIRGINIE BRUNELLE (At the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre from March 16 to 18) The last time the Quebec sensation came here, with her piece Foutrement, she paired hockey pads and pointe shoes in a boldly soul-baring look at the brutality of love. Now, with another sizzling duet, To the Pain That Lingers, we expect the choreographer to ignite the same kind of fire.

KITT JOHNSON (At the Roundhouse from March 23 to 25) You can read the Danish performer’s solo Post No Bills in terms of existentialist theory and the embodiment of our world’s ills. Or you can just sit, mesmerized by and a little bit afraid of the balaclava-clad figure you see flailing, crawling, and sidling around in the shadows in front of you. > JANET SMITH

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice BURANA BROUGHT TO LIFE There are a lot of reasons to recommend Spellbound Contemporary Ballet’s Carmina Burana, but let’s start with the score: Carl Orff’s catchy cantata has graced everything from movies to TV commercials to hip-hop music because it is so damn epic. Now add the fact that this Italian dance company is capable of such virtuosic physical feats. Its choreographer, Mauro Astolfi, sends dancers sculpturally scattering around the stage here, playing with a long table and a big closet. Expect him to wildly interpret all the moods of the piece—the brutal, the bawdy, and the balletic. The Chutzpah Festival presents Spellbound Contemporary Ballet’s Carmina Burana at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre from Saturday to Monday (March 4 to 6).

Five events you just can’t miss this week

1

BRENT CARVER IN CONCERT (March 2 to 5 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage) The former Phantom is not a musical-theatre legend for nothing.

2

STILE ANTICO (March 5 at the Chan Centre) The boffo British early-music ensemble elevates Elizabethan music.

3

LAYERS OF INFLUENCE (To April 9 at the UBC Museum of Anthropology) Saris, kimonos, sarongs; oh, my!

4

BONJOUR, LÀ, BONJOUR (To March 11 at Studio 16) Arguably Michel Tremblay’s best play, in masterful hands.

5

JEREMY DENK (March 4 and 6 at the Orpheum) The piano star joins the VSO in sublime Mozart.

In the news

PUBLIC ART BIDS ADIEU The Lego-like art installation Human Structures Vancouver (shown here) will be leaving the shores of Olympic Village—one of three public-art installations moving to Montreal in March after showing in the 2014–16 Vancouver Biennale. They’ll be part of the La Balade de la Paix/An Open-Air Museum exhibition sponsored by the city of Montreal and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal to celebrate the Quebec city’s 375th anniversary and Canada’s 150th. Jonathan Borofsky’s colourful sculpture of interlocking human figures has been an uplifting sight along the bike path since its installation in the summer of 2014. Also leaving town are Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Walking Figures on Lonsdale Avenue and Wang Shugang’s The Meeting, the eight squatting red monks in front of the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art in North Vancouver. MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

MARCH 9 COMPLETE READERS’ CHOICE WINNER’S LIST

+ A CHANCE TO WIN A GETAWAY TO KA’ANAPALI MAUI!

22 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

VIDF

For Alonzo King LINES Ballet’s Sand, the choreographer probed every possible scientific and poetic attribute of the subject matter, setting the dance to sublime jazz. Laura O’Malley photos.

Alonzo King digs ever deeper at dance fest King, who has creations in the repertoires of the Royal Swedish o spend a half-hour speaking Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, the Joffrey with choreographer Alonzo Ballet, and many others, seems as King is to contemplate the meaning of life and art, and to ponder the importance of truth and beauty in our times.

The veteran artist, a onetime performer for Dance Theater of Harlem who founded San Francisco’s Alonzo King LINES Ballet in 1982, goes deep—in conversation and on-stage.

“Given the short time we have on the planet, I wouldn’t want to go shallow,” he says wryly from home in San Francisco, his voice still carrying the warm lilt of his Georgia roots. “If you want to go diving for pearls of wisdom, you have to go deep; they’re not found in shallow waters.

“If you’re not asking ‘What’s the purpose of life?’ you’re just showing tricks and skill and entertainment.”

King’s philosophy stretches into the intense creative process he plunges into with his contemporary ballet company’s beyond-honed dancers, just as it affects the earnest research he takes on for every piece he stages.

For Sand, the work he’s bringing here as part of a Vancouver International Dance Festival double bill, he’s excavated every conceivable trait and poetic quality of his subject matter. He’s researched the qualities of its constituent minerals, like quartz; he’s thought about the way wind and waves form sand into patterns.

“We delve into everything,” he says.

The work, performed in front of an ethereal, long white fringe curtain, has also taken a lot of its inspiration from its music—as always, for King, who has previously used everything from Sephardic songs and archival synagogue recordings to traditional Indian and African melodies. This time, he revisits jazz, using music by celebrated sax player Charles Lloyd and pianist Jason Moran. But if the idea of pairing that freeform musical style with his exacting, polished ballet seems incongruous, think again.

“I think people misinterpret the term free jazz. It’s incredibly disciplined,” he says. “The point of the law is to create freedom.” He talks about the form as African, and the way Johann Sebastian Bach and classical Indian music used some of the same approaches.

And then, as ever, he takes the concept to a higher level, one that offers insight into humanity and avoids easy categorization. “We look for labels the same way we look for races,” King suggests. “This person is this, this person is that. We’re not that. We’re human beings.

“When you’re art-making, your personal story gets out of the way.

You are in the realm of ideas and you are reaching profundity.…Most musicians and dancers are working in a realm that words are too clumsy to speak about.”

The other piece on the program here is Shostakovich, set to the composer’s angular string quartets. King is proud to have recently debuted it to wild applause at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Dmitri Shostakovich’s hometown.

“The music is sublime. It is wonderful work to enter and play with,” says King, who has set the fluttery, restless piece en pointe. > BY JA NET SM IT H

T

inspired by work as ever. He travels “I feel there is more clarity,” he less and less with his company, but agrees. “I just want to work. I’m on he seems even more driven by ideas planet Earth and I want to work till and a sense of purpose.

I’m not on planet Earth.” -

The Vancouver International Dance Festival presents Alonzo King LINES Ballet at the Vancouver Playhouse on Friday and Saturday (March 3 and 4).

MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 23

Open in

ARTS

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March 3 to 11, 2017 | Tue-Sun @ 7:30pm 2 x 1 preview March 2

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Operatic sensation Isabel Bayrakdarian says that, for her, any music in the Armenian language, her mother tongue, comes straight from the heart.

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Star soprano offers an ode to a mother Isabel Bayrakdarian conjures the celebratory and the meditative in concert with Elektra Women’s Choir > B Y A LE XAN DER VAR TY

I

n opera, as Isabel Bayrakdarian well knows, characters are always signing deals with the devil: for love, for power, for eternal life. But when it came time for the Armenian-Canadian soprano to make her own real-life bargain, she chose to go the other way, offering a fervent prayer to Jesus in the hope that faith would sustain her beloved mother’s life.

“I spoke to the humanity of Christ,” Bayrakdarian explains in a telephone interview from her home in Santa Barbara, California. “I said, ‘Okay, you had a mother; I have a mother. We both love our mother. So let me make a deal: you take care of my mom, and I’ll sing about your mom.’

“That,” she adds, “was all I could give.”

It was, for a while, enough. Despite the dire predictions of her doctors, Bayrakdarian’s mother survived her near-fatal stroke, living long enough to see the release of her daughter’s most recent recording, 2016’s Mother of Light. The album, which Bayrakdarian will draw on during her upcoming performance with Elektra Women’s Choir, explores the Armenian liturgical tradition—with, naturally enough, a particular focus on hymns dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Mother of Light also gives the lie to the notion that the devil has all the best tunes: its ancient Armenian hymns are achingly melodic, and Bayrakdarian sings them with exceptional grace and immense emotional power.

“Basically, the Armenian language has no filter, because it’s my mother tongue,” says the 42-year-old Glenn Gould School graduate, who was born in Lebanon to Armenian parents. “Anything that goes through that language goes straight from the heart out, from the soul out. It doesn’t even go to the brain; it just goes out. It’s more direct—and the more I’ve sung, the more I’ve taken out this filter, this limiting filter, from my other repertoire.”

Bayrakdarian will perform six songs from Mother of Light with Elektra, along with Prayer, a world premiere commissioned from Bayrakdarian’s pianist husband, Serouj Kradjian. The latter excerpts its text from the Lebanese-American mystic Kahlil Gibran’s book The Prophet, a spiritual meditation that Bayrakdarian identifies with deeply.

“The best line in it is when somebody says, ‘Teach us how to pray,’ and he says, ‘I cannot teach you how to pray. God listens not to your words, except when he himself utters them 24 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

through your lips.’ And I love this, because it applies to singing,” she says. “If I come out there singing to show off, to say ‘Listen to me. Listen to my voice,’ you know what? There is no connection with the audience.…

But when you’re a conduit, when you allow the music to pass through you and let your soul sing it, that’s when you have a connection to the divine, and you’re able to express it in human form.”

Between the Armenian hymns, Prayer, and Abbie Betinis’s From Behind the Caravan: Songs of Hâfez, which draws on Persian Sufi traditions, Elektra’s 30th-anniversary gala has a strong and diverse spiritual component. But for the choir’s artistic director, Morna Edmundston, the focus is more on making sure that everything on the program is sonically compatible.

“I want people to have their own experience, listening to the music,” she explains by phone from her Surrey home. “I want them to be open to what’s being presented in the music, but I’m not telling them how to feel or what to think or what to believe.…

The program does present these different points of view, and each one of them has its own spirituality. But I think it’s more musical than spiritual, just to be honest.”

Still, the works on offer are both celebratory and meditative—a moment of relative calm before Elektra moves on to its next 30 years. Which, Edmundston notes, will be even more woman-centric than before. In May, the choir will celebrate women composers from North America, while in the 2017-18 season and beyond a new commissioning initiative will support female composers on a global level.

“I looked at the number of women composers that we’ve programmed and did a little math, and I went, ‘Oh. Eighteen percent. Isn’t that ironic?’ ” Edmundston says. “But I think ‘The medium is the message’ is a phrase that fits here. We’re not always singing music that is about being women, or that is feminist, or that has a message, but the fact that we’re standing there, having changed the landscape in terms of respect for women’s choirs, is the message. What Elektra is, the fact that it exists, the fact that it’s doing what it’s doing in a very strong way, is as important as the music that we’re singing—but it all goes together.” Isabel Bayrakdarian joins Elektra Women’s Choir at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on Wednesday (March 8).

MARCH 1 – 2 5

2017VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCEFESTIVAL

INFO & BOX OFFICE: 604.662.4966 · VIDF.CA

GUEST SPEAKERS

Richmond’s annual series of talks about art, the city and creating connections between citizens and their communities

COLLABORATION AS INNOVATION THURS, MARCH 9 | 7:00PM DAVID VERTESI // VANCOUVER MURAL FESTIVAL Once viewed as a form of vandalism, graffiti and underground street art have been gaining popularity as a legitimate art form around the globe over the past few decades. Today, street art is finding its place with mainstream audiences.

In 2016, the Vancouver Mural Festival brought together thousands of onlookers and in its first year, successfully mobilized more than 150 businesses, organizations and artists to work cooperatively to create a unique public celebration.

David Vertesi, Executive Director of Vancouver Mural Festival, oversaw its inaugural year which commissioned more than 50 new large-scale murals in one month. vancouvermuralfestival.com

OKUNI – Mother of Kabuki

Shostakovich and Sand

In Penumbra

YAYOI THEATRE MOVEMENT

ALONZO KING LINES BALLET

KINESIS DANCE SOMATHEATRO

March 1-4 & 7-10, 8pm Matinees on March 4 & 5, 3PM $25-$30 at Studio 1398

March 3-4, 8pm $50-$60 Vancouver Playhouse

March 1-4, 8pm $25-$30 Scotiabank Dance Centre

Dancers Playing Basketball

Paradise

DEANNA PETERS / MUTABLE SUBJECT

—

DAIRAKUDAKAN

KTL COMPANY

March 5,12,19, 2pm FREE Woodwards Atrium

March 10-11, 8PM $50-$60 Vancouver Playhouse

March 5,12,19, 3pm FREE Woodwards Atrium

This talk will be preceded by a short performance by local beatboxer, Shamik.

Richmond City Hall Council Chambers 6911 No. 3 Road FREE, but seating limited.

Please RSVP to lulu@richmond.ca APRIL 6 John Patkau Patkau Architects Vancouver, BC

MAY 4 Eric & Mia Interdisciplinary Artists Calgary, AB

richmond.ca/luluseries Alonzo King LINES Ballet photo of Michael Montgomery by RJ Muna

MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25

ARTS

Play reckons with reconciliation > B Y A LE X A ND ER VA R TY

T

M A R C H 2 0 17 ELEKTRA 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT Wed Mar 8, 8pm

Presented by Elektra Women’s Choir Elektra welcomes Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian for a compelling and unique collaboration on International Women’s Day.

UBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Fri Mar 10, 8pm

Presented by the UBC School of Music The UBC Symphony Orchestra performs Saariaho’s Asteroid 4179: Toutatis, Navarro’s Il Concerto for Clarinet, and Holst’s Planets. Featuring Aidan Muldoon Wong, clarinet.

NOCHE FLAMENCA’S ANTIGONA Sun Mar 12, 7pm

Presented by the Chan Centre Noche Flamenca and Soledad Barrio unite passionate flamenco and ancient Greek tragedy in their critically acclaimed multimedia piece Antigona.

PAUL LEWIS, PIANO

he end product, as always, is unknown. In forum theatre, as practised by Vancouver’s Theatre for Living company, there’s a narrative structure—a script, if you will—that draws on the real-life experiences of the actors on-stage.

And, as the troupe’s former name, Headlines Theatre, implies, that script generally examines some pressing social or political concern. But the finished product doesn’t manifest until opening night, when audience members are invited on-stage to engage in dialogue with the actors—and it’s different with every performance.

The shape of the theatrical experience that šx w am’ t (home) offers, then, will be amorphous for a few days yet. But asked what to expect, David Diamond, Theatre for Living’s artistic and managing director, has a clear idea of his ensemble’s intent.

“What are we making? Well, we’re making a play that asks questions about what reconciliation means, and how we navigate it—in the nonindigenous community, in the indigenous community, and in between communities,” he says of šx w am’ t (home), which takes its name from a Musqueam term that encompasses an expansive sense of place and belonging. “There are a lot of layers to this conversation that need to happen, and my hope is that a play like this asks all of us important and uncomfortable questions.”

Helping Diamond frame those questions is associate director Renae Morriseau, who recently helmed God and the Indian for the Firehall Arts Centre, and a cast that includes a residential-school survivor, a Unitarian pastor, and a first-generation Canadian of Filipino descent. Their stories all factor into the script, developed collaboratively with dramaturgical input from the two directors.

Renae Morriseau hopes to inspire change. Mark Montgomery photo.

and participants a chance to move beyond tolerance to a deeper understanding of difference.

“If I’m tolerant, that means I can keep my biases but I’ll give you space,” she says. “But what do we do if we move beyond tolerance? As David says, we don’t want to give you the answers, but it’s important to interact with these attitudinal realities that we find ourselves in as Canadians, as First Nations.

“Personally, I’ve worked a lot in First Nations communities about reconciliation,” Morriseau continues. “And First Nations people have been reconciling from the time they left residential school, or from the time that they’ve had to deal with dislocation to land because of being forced to leave their communities through legislation and the policies of the Indian Act. So we’ve been dealing with it a lot longer than the general Canadian, and I think that what’s so unique about this work is that we’ve brought in diverse communities that are all pushing up against those realities.”

For the Cree and Salteaux theatre artist and singer, as for her codirector, the important part of forum theatre is that it’s empowering. By giving voice to their hopes for reconciliation—and perhaps to their fears of “the other”—audience members will return to their daily existences more prepared to work for justice.

“Art inspires people to make change,” Morriseau says. “Sometimes change isn’t such an overt reality, but it’s something that permeates and bubbles underneath one’s moral code.…And for any country to grow and to evolve and to look towards a good future, we need to have that good energy.” -

“There are a number of threads,” Diamond explains. “One is a family— a white family, in fact—who adopted an indigenous child almost from birth, and he has grown up not knowing anything about his culture, about his birth family. And that weaves together with a story of an indigenous father and daughter. The two men know each other through work, construction work, and they’re actually friends.

The daughter encounters the son, who she vaguely knows, and through a conversation launches him onto a path of really wanting to know where he’s from. He is also really involved with stuff around Kinder Morgan, and her father doesn’t want her involved with that. As a result of residential school, he has left activism and his own culture. He’s kind of put that away.

“I think what’s important to us is that they’re just normal people,” he adds. “They are us.”

For Morriseau, the show—a col- Theatre for Living presents šx w am’ t laboration with the Journeys Around (home) at the Firehall Arts Centre the Circle Society—offers its viewers from Friday (March 3) to March 11.

Sun Mar 19, 3pm

Presented by the Vancouver Recital Society One of the world’s top pianists and VRS audience favourite Paul Lewis performs Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Weber.

SALSA AT THE CHAN Sat Mar 25, 7:30pm

30TH ANNIVERSARY

Presented by Sal Ferreras and his Latin Orchestra Join percussionist Sal Ferreras and his Latin Orchestra for a sizzling evening of music and dance in support of The Lipstick Project. Telus Studio Theatre.

GALA CONCERT

Featuring soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian

THE CHOIR OF KING’S COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE Sun Mar 26, 2pm

Presented by Early Music Vancouver Undoubtedly one of the world’s best known choral groups performs an enlightening program, led by choirmaster Stephen Cleobury.

ANDA UNION

Sun Mar 26, 8pm Presented by the Chan Centre Hailing from Inner Mongolia, the ninemember ensemble Anda Union utilizes a wide range of instruments and vocal styles in a fusion that would make Genghis Khan proud.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | 8pm Chan Centre for the Performing Arts 6265 Crescent Road, Vancouver

Tickets Chan

Centre Ticket Office 604.822.2697 | tickets.ubc.ca

CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 6265 Crescent Road, Vancouver (UBC)

Tickets and info at chancentre.com

50 adults | $40 seniors 65 and over 20 Students with valid ID includes all fees and taxes

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Optional - add a 30th Anniversary post-concert reception ticket at the Chan Centre - $30

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26 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

ARTS

Crimmins rants, Noah A MONTH OF charms at JFL NorthWest TUESDAYS RETURNS TO THE

COM E D Y

FOX CABARET

JFL NORTHWEST

2321 Main Street, Vancouver

At various venues from Thursday to Saturday, February 23 to 25

TUESDAY, MARCH 7

And just like that, it’s over. Two

2 weeks of comedy shows, big and

small, at venues throughout the city are over. Now it’s back to business as usual—still multiple comedy shows per night, but not as many.

On February 23, the legendary political satirist Barry Crimmins hit the Biltmore. He’s been laying it on the U.S. government for over 40 years, and kept his foot on the pedal on this night.

Slowed by a bum leg and a cracked rib from a recent run-in with a truck, Crimmins was measured at first, throwing out killer but unrelated lines, never really getting into one subject for too long. He talked about Trump, naturally, and southern racists and hack comedians. But when the subject of Hillary Clinton came up, he exploded into life with an extended rant. “She couldn’t be a bigger part of the patriarchy if she had an 11.5-inch cock!”

Over at the Queen E. on the same night, Trevor Noah was as charming and popular as he was last year.

For a guy who hosts a real fake-news show, though, his political material felt tacked on (although he does a great Trump impression). The bulk of his act we saw last year: his fish-outof-water shtick gets less relevant with each passing year he lives in the States.

Granted, the stories and jokes—a Three’s Company–worthy mix-up with the word napkin when he tries his first taco—are fun, but less so the second time around. He ended the evening by using the N-word well over 30 times.

That bit, too, hinged on a confusion, this time between the charged slur and its meaning in another language.

The point was to take away the word’s power, but maybe it’s not such a good idea to leave it ringing in everyone’s head on the way out.

Making his first appearance in the city was Colin Quinn at the Rio Theatre the next night. He was debuting his new show, Bully. I loved the show’s scope. He talked about bullies in all their forms, at work everywhere from politics to barrooms to the office to prehistoric caves, the animal kingdom, and ancient Greece and Rome.

Gabriel Kahane voice & piano

TUESDAY, MARCH 14

Dálava

TUESDAY, MARCH 21 Barry Crimmins saved a lot of his political ire for Hillary Clinton.

So many great lines, but I can’t wait to see the show once he’s performed it more. His brain moves faster than his famously mumbling mouth, so it felt scattershot. He’d get halfway through a sentence and then abandon it for a different take. But once he gets it down, it’s going to be fantastic.

Sarah Silverman apologized for starting her show half an hour late and making the crowd go through metal detectors at the Queen E. on February 24. Turns out her tweet of a few weeks ago was causing her all sorts of problems: “I’m sorry I called for a military coup! I knew it was a long shot, obviously!” she joked. We saw a new Silverman, one who wasn’t as setup/punch-line heavy as the last time she was here. Stories of her sisters and her new dog were just as funny as any thought-up gag, but buttressed by truth (and her weird brain).

Andy Kindler’s Alternative Show at the Rio was highlighted by Jaden Basie, a Biebs-like hip-hop kid (created by Vancouver’s Katie-Ellen Humphries) who tagged every joke by pointing at audience members and saying, “This guy’s been there! He know what I’m talking about!” But the character had an unexpected depth, too. He/she was a crowd favourite even in a show with the hilarious Todd Glass, who had fun with musical cues and Kindler heckling him from off-stage and on-. My only complaint about the Alternative Show was that it was too short, with only four guest comics per installment.

POP:

Plumes Ensemble deconstructs Grimes’ Vision BAR OPENS AT 7PM MUSIC STARTS AT 8PM | 19+ Tickets just $25 Get yours at musiconmain.ca or call 604.879.9888

musiconmain.ca

We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia

> GUY M AC PHERSON

Cat in the Hat gets the adaptation it deserves TH E AT RE DR. SEUSS’ THE CAT IN THE HAT Adapted and originally directed

by Katie Mitchell. Directed by Carole Higgins. A Carousel Theatre production. At the Waterfront Theatre on Sunday, February 26. Continues until March 26

Mischief, mayhem, and meow:

2 this lively and colourful adap-

tation of the Dr. Seuss classic has all the ingredients to offer a safe taste of anarchy to its young audience.

If you haven’t been a child or read to one in the past 60 years, here’s a brief synopsis: a boy and his sister Sally have been left home alone by their mother, with no one but their pet fish for company. It’s raining, and they’re bored, until a bump announces the arrival of the Cat in the Hat, who— along with his friends, Thing One and Thing Two—unleashes chaos and makes a huge mess in their house, all in the name of “fun that is funny”.

Katie Mitchell’s adaptation, originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain, complements Seuss’s simple, rhymed text with lots of physicality, and director Carole Higgins and her cast do an excellent job of finetuning the characters’ synchronized movements and exaggerated gestures.

A lot of the action is presented through the reactions of Mack Gordon’s Boy and Lauren Jackson’s Sally as their wide eyes and craned necks trace the trajectory of the Cat’s high jinks. Gordon and Jackson are exquisitely bewildered narrators of their adventures.

Mike Stack’s Cat exudes mischievous delight from hat to tail, with plenty of knowing looks and proud tricks in between. Kayvon Khoshkam’s buttoneddown Fish, the story’s advocate for order, is his hilarious foil, and Nicol Spinola and Amanda Testini, as Thing One and Thing Two, run back and forth breaking things at such velocity that the fluffy hairs of their blue fright wigs are visibly blown back.

This is grand chaos, minimalistically and inventively staged. Vicki Mortimer’s modular set and props combine in ingenious ways to reproduce Dr. Seuss’s illustrations with precision. Drew Facey’s costumes are also spot-on; his wittiest touch is to put Khoshkam’s Fish in a sharp business suit. Paul Clark’s jazzy music matches the show’s playful mood.

All the frenzy is offered up at a pace slow enough for the very young (the show is recommended for ages three to eight) to savour. And as a bonus, every show features a brief talkback with the actors, so curious kids can learn some behind-the-scenes secrets. > KATHLEEN OLIVER

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MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 27

ARTS

BJM delivers physical spectacle DANCE BJM A DanceHouse presentation.

At the Vancouver Playhouse on Friday, February 24. No remaining performances

Top-flight contemporary dance

2 has a strong audience in Van-

UPCOMING CONCERTS MOZART AND SHOSTAKOVICH, WITH JEREMY DENK

SATURDAY & MONDAY, MARCH 4 & 6, 8PM Orpheum SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture MOZART Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major* SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 12 in D minor, The Year 1917 David Danzmayr conductor

Jeremy Denk piano*

Conductor David Danzmayr presides over a program featuring 2014 Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year Jeremy Denk performing Mozartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Piano Concerto No. 19, and Shostakovichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grand story-telling work, Symphony No. 12 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Year 1917â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a commemoration of the Russian Revolution and a tribute to Vladimir Lenin.

PRE-CONCERT TALK 7:05PM, FREE TO TICKETHOLDERS. MASTERWORKS GOLD SERIES SPONSOR

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ALESSIO BAX WITH THE VSO SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 8PM Orpheum MONDAY, MARCH 13, 8PM Bell Performing Arts Centre, Surrey MORAWETZ Railway Station BERNSTEIN 3UHOXGH )XJXH DQG 5LÎ?Vr MACDOWELL Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor* COPLAND Symphony No. 3 Bramwell Tovey conductor Jeanette Jonquil clarinet°

Alessio Bax piano*

Maestro Tovey conducts the Second Piano Concerto of Edward MacDowell, a composer/pianist championed and influenced by Liszt. This eclectic, triumphant, quintessentially American work will be performed by remarkable Italian pianist Alessio Bax, and VSO Principal Clarinet Jeanette Jonquil stars in Bernsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funky, jazzy Prelude, Fugue and Riffs.

MARCH 11 MUSICALLY SPEAKING SERIES SPONSOR

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KIDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; KONCERTS:

INSPECTOR TOVEY INVESTIGATES THE ORCHESTRA SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2PM Orpheum Bramwell Tovey conductor Iman Habibi & Deborah Grimmett piano duo Maestro Bramwell Tovey dons the Inspector hat to investigate the instruments of a symphony orchestra, in a fun and educational concert centred on Saint-SaĂŤnsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous Carnival of the Animals.

VSO INSTRUMENT FAIR in the lobby at 1pm. Your child can try real orchestral instruments under the guidance of student and professional musicians. Instruments provided by Tom Lee Music KIDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; KONCERTS SERIES SPONSOR

PREMIER EDUCATION PARTNER

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SYMPHONY AT THE ANNEX:

THE IDEA OF NORTH SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 7:30PM Annex ANA SOKOLOVIC Jeu des portraits KAIJA SAARIAHO Lichtbogen ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Aequilibria HARRY STAFYLAKIS Arc of Horizon William Rowson conductor Bringing together music that originated in cold climates, this program is inspired by the cultural and geographical home of the composers, which include Quebecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ana Sokolovic, Finlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kaija Saariaho, Icelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and MontrĂŠalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Harry Stafylakis.

SYMPHONY AT THE ANNEX SERIES SPONSOR

WILLIAM ROWSON

@VSOrchestra

TICKETS:

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28 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 / 2017

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE ANNEX SERIES PROVIDED BY

MEDIA SPONSOR

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couver: witness the two wildly appreciative sold-out audiences for BJMâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a.k.a. Les Ballets Jazz de MontrĂŠalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on the weekend.

In its 45th season, BJM continues to wow the world. It also continues to break ground, on this program dishing out some work thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dramatically avant-garde, yet still offering the physical spectacle its fans show up for.

Kosmos, the evening closer by Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis, is a perfect example of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fearless ambition. It showcases an exciting new voice that pushes the dancers into extremes far removed from their rigorous balletic backgrounds.

In a preshow talk, artistic director Louis Robitaille spoke about how Foniadakisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s origins in Crete and its African influences drive his movement. In the frenzy that dominates the first half of Kosmos, dancers shake and twist their torsos, spin like Sufis gone mad, and kick their legs out with the force of pile drivers. The blur is meant to capture the frantic urban rush, but as the electro-guitar soundtrack by Julien Tarride continues, Foniadakis takes the work to an entirely different place of meaning. First, he zeroes in on the human level, and then, through the magic of pixelated, starlike projections, the cosmic one. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit like shifting from the stress-inducing, relentless roar of a busy street to the infinite calm of outer space. And the effect is surprisingly moving.

French star CĂŠline Cassone stands out here, with her flailing fuchsia hair, as she does in the pumped-up pas de deux Mono Lisa, by Israeli-born choreographer Itzik Galiliâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who has a warped flair for male-female duets.

Cassone teases and battles with Alexander Hille, who pulls her legs into increasingly impossible splits and exaggerated arabesques and hoists her into backward and upside-down lifts. Set in lighting that suggests an industrial milieu and accompanied by a mechanical, typewriter-tinged soundscape, the piece mixes comedy and a current of vulnerability beneath the swagger. Cassone shows an otherworldly ability to flex and extend, or fall limp and doll-like.

The only misstep on the program is Rouge, a piece that, though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gamely executed, raises questions about appropriationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially in this time and this place. The piece is meant to be a tribute to indigenous people and their â&#x20AC;&#x153;resilienceâ&#x20AC;?, according to the program. The Grand Brothers turn tribal beats, throat singing, and sounds from nature into a compelling electro-driven score. But do the dancers really have to wear warpaint and

BJM conjured the chaos of city life at the beginning of Kosmos, the highlight of the program the Montreal company brought to Vancouver. Ignio Ceremigna photo.

fringed costumes? Brazilian choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, of Grupo Corpo, enacts an abstracted history of the Americasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; indigenous peoples through a driving hop-hop-stamp rhythm and whiplash-inducing headsnapping. But the midsection focuses on repeated images of men taking women from behindâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not too subtly, the rape of a culture. The imagery verges on insensitive, given what indigenous women have endured over the centuries and still on Vancouver streets.

Still, leaving the theatre, the overriding feeling was of having just watched a troupe of superhumans pummel the stage floor, defy gravity, and push themselves past their limits. Tellingly, one of the most memorable moments was not during the bombast, but during a brief pause in Kosmosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a rare, revelatory second when you could hear the dancers trying to catch their breath. > JANET SMITH

AM A Created by Amber Funk Barton and Mindy Parfitt. At the Cultchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vancity Culture Lab on Wednesday, February 22. Continues until March 4

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not often you get to learn a

2 line-dancing routine set to Billy

Ray Cyrusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mindless slice of country cheese â&#x20AC;&#x153;Achy Breaky Heartâ&#x20AC;? during a night out at the theatre.

But am a, a work as small and deeply personal as the title suggests, is all about teaching ourselves to do new things, and pushing us out of our comfort zones.

The dance-theatre show is inspired by scientific concepts of neuroplasticity, in which our brains can change, blazing new pathways with practice.

If that sounds overly scientific, Mindy Parfitt and Amber Funk Barton go to great pains to make sure the show doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play out that way, physically enacting the ideaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not just through its line-dancing experiment, but, more importantly, through their own exercises later in the show. We wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you quite what those are, except to hint that Parfitt is a theatre artist who dreams of letting loose her inner ballerina, and

Barton is a dancer whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never had to use her voice on-stage.

The result is an eclectic offering of personal confession, science lesson, and movement, with the added atmosphere of Cande Andradeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s video design and Antoine BĂŠdardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound design, both subtly expressive.

In one striking scene, Barton speaks about how sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always expressed herself through dance since she was four, while black-and-white projections of her twirl beside her. Swimming turns out to be one of Parfittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outlets, and a projected figure splashes through pool lanes that stretch up toward the top of the back wall. Two white cupboards on wheels also share time as â&#x20AC;&#x153;screensâ&#x20AC;?, as well as â&#x20AC;&#x153;roomsâ&#x20AC;?.

Some of its neuroplasticity lecturing feels incongruous, but am a is really getting at womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiencesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;their roles, the pressures and fears they put upon themselves, and the constant question â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who am I?â&#x20AC;? And on this level, the show digs into some truly deep, honest, and vulnerable terrain. The women talk candidly about body image, aging, and sexual identity, the destructive pathways we can set in our brains, and the way we can try to release ourselves from our worst self-doubts.

Am a has a bit of a disjointed feel, and you may not want to throw yourself into its fun-loving dance lesson off the top. But even if confessionals are not your thing, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably agree: when this show comes together it really connects.

The stories here have a truth that most women will recognize on an almost visceral level. Parfitt and Barton are offering themselves up with such likability and honesty that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll feel like cheering when they leap fully out of their safe place into wild new realms.

In fact, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be in such a celebratory mood, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good chance youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be more than ready to take part in the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festive finale. And any occasion that ends with a Champagne-fuelled dance party (this time with Michael Jackson taking the place of Cyrus on the soundtrack) cannot be a bad thing. > JANET SMITH

straight choices REACHING CONSENSUS The term consensus is not just the title of Sound of Dragon’s upcoming concert: it’s also the intercultural octet’s mission statement. With a lineup that includes several bona fide stars—including erhu virtuosos Lan Tung and Nicole Ge Li, cellist Marina Hasselberg, and guitarist Itamar Erez—achieving a unified yet exotic sound will not be difficult, although the pieces on the ensemble’s program are far from easy. At the Orpheum Annex on Thursday (March 9), expect to hear John Oliver’s title track, Mark Armanini’s Chinese Poems, and Farshid Samandari’s Breath of Life, among other works that include the world premiere of Marco Bindi’s Hymn to Aphrodite. What sounds like a sensuous yet challenging program will be further enlivened by the movement stylings of ballet-trained, Beijing-raised Dong Mei, a new arrival in B.C. who’s making quite a splash on the local dance scene.

ar ts/ timeout THEATRE DANCE MUSIC COMEDY LITERARY EVENTS ET CETERA GALLERIES MUSEUMS

< < < < < < < <

Circle Society, presents director David Diamond’s production about what reconciliation really means. Mar 2-11, Firehall Arts Centre. Tix $15 (plus service charge), info www.theatreforliving.com/present_ work/sxwPamet/index.html/.

THEATRE

SPRING AWAKENING Rock musical set in late-19th-century Germany tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality. Mar 8-11, 8-10:15 pm, Pacific Theatre (1440 W. 12th). Tix $25, info www.pacifictheatre.org/ boxoffice/rentals/.

2OPENINGS

2ONGOING

ELBOW ROOM CAFE: THE MUSICAL Zee Zee Theatre presents a candid look inside Vancouver’s most iconic eatery, the home of raucous service, celebrity sightings, and hearts of gold. Contains mature content.

Mar 1-12, York Theatre (639 Commercial). Tix from $20, info www.thecultch.com/.

ROMEO + JULIET The School for the Contemporary Arts at SFU presents Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy about love in the face of hatred. To Mar 4, 8 pm, Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre (149 W. Hastings). Tix $7-15, info www.face book.com/events/1238721416175377/.

’ ŠXW AM T (HOME) Theatre for Living, in collaboration with Journeys Around the

DR. SEUSS’S THE CAT IN THE HAT Carousel Theatre for Young People pre-

ACTION

March 8 – 12, 2017 at the VIFF Vancity Theatre

BREATH (Iran) A young girl negotiates childhood and issues beyond her years amidst the tumult of the Iranian Revolution.

Wednesday, March 8, 7:30pm International Women’s Day

sents a kid-friendly stage version of the Dr. Seuss book about two bored children who have their lives turned upside down by a talking cat. To Mar 26, Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St., Granville Island). Tix $35/29/18, info www.carouseltheatre.ca/ production/dr-seuss-the-cat-in-the-hat/.

BONJOUR, LA, BONJOUR Quebec playwright Michel Tremblay’s tragic story of forbidden love, directed by Gilles PoulinDenis. Presented in French with English surtitles on Tue, Thu, and Sat. To Mar 11, 8 pm, Studio 16 (1545 W. 7th). Tix $26-30, info www. seizieme.ca/saison/bonjour/?lang=en/.

ON THE FARM (Canada) In Vancouver, when the criminal justice system fails them, a woman and her community fight to bring a serial killer to justice.

Thursday, March 9, 6:00pm

DANCE 2THIS WEEK COASTAL FIRST NATIONS DANCE FESTIVAL New Indigenous stories, songs, and dances from a diverse array of indigenous performance groups from throughout B.C., the Yukon, Saskatchewan,

see next page

Wanna Yuk?

LUTINE (France) A documentarian’s exploration of polyamory disrupts the norms of relationships… and filmmaking.

Friday, March 10, 9:00pm

VILLALOBOS BROTHERS • MAR. 3 @ 8 PM

A trio of Mexican virtuoso violinists redefining contemporary Latin music

BEN ALLISON QUARTET • MAR. 10 @ 8 PM EVERY TUES AT 8:00

Visit: womeninfilm.ca #viwiff

VENUE: WESTERN FRONT

Over 30 other films + panels, parties, and more.

PRO-AM NIGHT

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE • MAR. 31 @ 8 PM

FEATURED HEADLINERS

One of the most exciting young jazz musicians in the world today

EVERY WEDS AT 8:00 THURS & FRI AT 8:00 SAT AT 7:00 & 9:30 THIS WEEKEND FEATURING (MAR 2-4)

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WITH “A” BAND & NITECAP

Tickets: 604.990.7810 • Online: capilanou.ca/centre

Museum of Anthropology at UBC A place of world arts + cultures

moa.ubc.ca

Capilano University • 2055 Purcell Way • North Vancouver

EDUCATION PRINT & DIGITAL special issues, branded content, social media & more.

604.730.7020 | sales@straight.com

March 10, 2017 – January 28, 2018

AMAZONIA

TOP TALENT SHOWCASE

Renowned for inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and an ‘instantly identifiable sound’ (MTV)

The Rights of Nature Opening party next Thursday March 9, 7–10 pm. Free admission.

MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 29

Arts time out

from previous page

Atlantic Canada, Alaska, New Zealand, and the Pacific Rim. To Mar 5, The Museum of Anthropology at UBC (6393 NW Marine Drive). Info www.damelahamid.ca/.

IN PENUMBRA Kinesis Dance somatheatro presents the world premiere of a new multimedia work inspired by the search for utopia. Part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival. Mar 1-4, Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie).

Info www.vidf.ca/tickets/.

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL Annual celebration of dance features performances by Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Kitt Johnson, Kaeja d’Dance, Cie Virginie Brunelle, Kinesis Dance, Karen Jamieson, Margaret Grenier, Jane Osborne, Kim Stevenson, and Dairakudakan. Mar 1-25, various Vancouver venues. Info www.vidf.ca/.

ALONZO KING LINES BALLET The Vancouver International Dance Festival presents the San Francisco–area contemporary-ballet company in a live performance of Sand and Shostakovich. Mar 3-4, 8 pm, Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton).

Tix $60/50, info www.vidf.ca/.

MUSIC 2THIS WEEK CAP CLASSICS 2016–2017 Pianists Scott Meek and Clair Yuan perform Brahms’s Hungarian Dances and Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances. Mar 3, 11:45 am, BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts (2055 Purcell Way). Free admission, info www.capilanou. ca/music/events/Cap-Classics-2016-2017/.

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SPRING LOVE Soprano Chandra Curry and pianist Carter Johnson present an evening of music by Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, and Strauss. Mar 4, 7-9:30 pm, Orpheum Annex (823 Seymour). Tix $55/45/25, info www.facebook.com/ chandracurryofficial/.

MOZART AND SHOSTAKOVICH, WITH JEREMY DENK David Danzmayr conducts pianist Jeremy Denk and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in a program of works by Mozart and Shostakovich. Mar 4, 6, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe).

Info www.vancouversymphony.ca/.

STILE ANTICO: IN A STRANGE LAND— ELIZABETHAN COMPOSERS IN EXILE Early Music Vancouver presents the British ensemble in a musical program that explores the works of English Elizabethan musicians Philips, Dering, Dowland, Byrd, and White. Mar 5, 2 pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall (Chan Centre at UBC). Tix $18-67, info www.earlymusic.bc.ca/.

HARRIET KRIJGH The Vancouver Recital Society presents cellist Harriet Krijgh and pianist Magda Amara in a program of music by Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. Mar 5, 3 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. Info www.vanrecital.com/.

30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT Elektra Women’s Choir welcomes Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian for a compelling and unique collaboration on International Women’s Day. Mar 8, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd., UBC). Tix $20-50, info www. elektra.ca/concerts-events/galaconcert/.

COMEDY 2ONGOING THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 604-684-5050, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with pro-am night Tue at 8:30 pm, showcase Wed at 8:30 pm, and featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. 2KEVIN BANNER Mar 2-4 2RYAN BELLEVILLE Mar 9-11 2GRAHAM CLARK Mar 16-18 2DAVE NYSTROM Mar 23-25 2SARAH TIANA Mar 30-Apr 1 YUK YUK’S COMEDY CLUB 2837 Cambie, 604-696-9857, www.yukyuks.com/vancouver.

Comedy club with Top Talent Tue at 8 pm, amateur night Wed at 8 pm, and professional headliners Thu-Fri at 8 pm and Sat at 7 and 9:30 pm. 2BRETT MARTIN Mar 2-4 2OWEN BENJAMIN Mar 9-11 2EMAN EL-HUSSEINI Mar 16-18 2CHRIS QUIGLEY Mar 23-25 2JASON ROUSE Mar 30-Apr 1

straight choices

INDIGENOUS DANCE STORM Dance from the Northwest, Newfoundland, and around the Pacific Rim converges on UBC’s Museum of Anthropology this week to celebrate the 10th annual Coastal First Nations Dance Festival. In partnership with the museum, Dancers of Damelahamid present their own new work, Interweavings, along with St. John’s all-women drum group Eastern Owl; the festival’s first Pacific Islander artist from Hawaii, Peter Rockford Espiritu of Tau Dance Theater; and the always spectacular art of Cree hoop dancing. Head to the MOA’s Great Hall to see the flurry of colour, dance, and music, from Thursday to Sunday (March 2 to 5).

A FESTIVAL OF IMPACTFUL INDIGENOUS CINEMA

AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CINEMATIC TERRITORY FREE ÄST ZJYLLUPUNZ ^P[O ZWLJPHS N\LZ[Z PUJS\KPUN! Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Alanis Obomsawin, Amanda Strong, Lisa Jackson and more!

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Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St, Vancouver BC presented by:

For more information and to book FREE tickets: JHUHKPHUÄSTKH` JH IL`VUK `LHYZ

30 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS LEAGUE Some of the world’s most daring and innovative improv. Firecracker!

(Wed, 9:15 pm); #NoFilter (Thu, 9:15 pm); Ok Tinder (Fri and Sat, 11:15 pm); Rookie Night (Sun, 7:30 pm); TheatreSports (Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sat, 7:30 pm; Fri and Sat, 9:30 pm). Mar 1-8, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island). Info www.vtsl.com/.

straight choices

2THIS WEEK JIM JEFFERIES Australian standup comedian performs on his Unusual Punishment Tour. Mar 1, 7 pm; Mar 2, 7 pm; Mar 3, 7:30 pm, 10 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe).

Tix for Mar 2 and 3 shows SOLD OUT. Tix for Mar 1 show at www.ticketmaster.ca/. #NOFILTER Interactive improv-comedy show uses live-stream social-media feeds and audience suggestions to drive the action. Mar 2–Jun 30, 9:15 pm, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island).

Tix $7.50, info www.vtsl.com/show/nofilter/.

LITERARY EVENTS 2THIS WEEK ROY HENRY VICKERS Printmaker, painter, carver, and author presents his latest book Peace Dancer. Mar 2, 12-2 pm, UBC First Nations Longhouse (1985 West Mall).

Free admission, info www.sustain.ubc.ca/.

ET CETERA 2THIS WEEK ODYSSEO Cavalia presents a multimedia performance that uses equestrian arts, stage arts, and high-tech theatrical effects to examine the centuries-old relationship between human and horse. To Mar 5, Under the white big top at Olympic Village. Tix $29.50-204.50 (plus service charges and fees), info www.cavalia.net/.

MATERNAL INSTINCTS What happens when a top ballet dancer becomes pregnant? This is the central question in standout Ballet BC dancer Rachel Meyer’s Quartet, a loosely autobiographical work that casts “a past version” of herself with her present, eight-months-pregnant self, and the “unknown self” of her future. In her choreographic debut, Meyer intertwines all these timelines and welcomes former Ballet BC star Makaila Wallace and former Ballet BC apprentice Maya Tenzer on-stage, Thursday and Saturday (March 2 and 4) at Ukrainian Hall. If Meyer’s creative ability is anywhere near as expressive as her dance talent, this is a show to catch.

MUSEUMS

CHUTZPAH FESTIVAL Celebration of THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY Jewish performing arts features dance, theAT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, 604-822atre, comedy, and music by local, Canadian, 5087, www.moa.ubc.ca/. 2LAYERS OF and international artists. To Mar 13, Norman INFLUENCE: UNFOLDING CLOTH ACROSS Rothstein Theatre (950 W. 41st). The event CULTURES (exhibition features more also runs at York Theatre, Scotiabank Dance than 130 diverse cultural garments, from Centre, and Biltmore Cabaret. Tix and info Japanese kimonos, to colourful Indian www.chutzpahfestival.com/. saris, to the elaborate feather cloaks of the Maori people of Aotearoa/New Zealand) to Apr 9 GALLERIES VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, 604-662-4719, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/.

2SUSAN POINT: SPINDLE WHORL (exhibition surveys Point’s entire career through more than a hundred artworks that take the spindle whorl as their starting point) to May 28

TIME OUT ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

MOVIES

Any long-time Vancouverite with a heart

BY AM ANDA S IEB ER T

will have a hard time sitting through On the Farm.

Chilling in its familiarity—from the panoramic shots of downtown Vancouver to the close-ups in East Side alleyways—the film, directed by Rachel Talalay, takes the narrative from one centred on disturbed serial killer Robert William Pickton to one that speaks to the resilience, intelligence, and bravery of the women who were forced by poverty and addiction to silence the fear that they might be next.

For Talalay, an American director and film professor at UBC who moved to Vancouver from Baltimore in 2002, the movie, based on a book by Stevie Cameron with the same name, needed to speak for the side so few knew.

“I was fairly new to Vancouver, but I realized quickly that everyone was a maximum of two to three degrees of separation from the story,” Talalay tells the Straight by phone from England.

Locals will find it hard to forget front pages plastered with the faces of disappeared women, the negligence of the VPD and the RCMP, and the drawn-out time line of events that eventually led to Pickton’s arrest in 2002 and conviction of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007. (He later admitted to an officer that he killed 49 women.)

“The greatest concern that everyone had before becoming involved with the film, from the casting director to the lead actor, was ‘Can we take on this story in a respectful fashion, and not be the exploitive serial-killer story?’

“It’s not an easy picture to watch,” Talalay admits, “but it’s not a movie about Pickton.”

That’s no exaggeration: the actor who plays him, credited simply as “The Farmer”, doesn’t have a single line in the film.

The lead character, Nikki Taylor, played by ElleMáijá Tailfeathers, is a feisty indigenous woman working on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.

Drug-addicted and living in poverty, Taylor and her peers are a tight-knit group of women bound

Stolen sisters not forgotten

Actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers had the improv chops that On the Farm director Rachel Talalay needed to depict a life lived in the Downtown Eastside.

Describing the scene in For anyone with knowledge of the real-life which Taylor is lured to a botched investigation, rage is a normal reaction. false clinic for treatment Talalay is no different, and says she often became and undergoes an excruciat- frustrated when preparing for the film. ing unsupervised detox, she “The biggest take-away is that it hasn’t stopped in Canada,” she says, referring to the Rachel Talalay remained sensitive to First Nations protocols adds, “That’s not something a director dir1,200 missing and murdered indigenous in her film about women living in the midst of a serial killer ects the details of. women across the country. “There’s a closely by their shared struggles as sex workers. I just put her in that environment, and version of this story where the police Check out…

(The characters in the film are fictionalized, but watched her create the scene, which STRAIGHT.COM are paying no attention, or where Taylor is largely based on a stabbing victim who I think is so painful to watch.” women are being exploited in numVisit our website testified against Pickton in 2003.)

Calling the production “more inerous ways, all over the world.” for the latest reviews and local For Talalay, the unpredictability of a life lived tense than anything I’ve ever done”, Thoroughly heart-wrenching and movie news on the DTES required a lead actress who could Talalay says the film required a sensidownright haunting, On the Farm tells confidently stray from the script’s formalities. tivity to certain protocols that she hadn’t of struggles often shrouded in silence.

“I was looking for actors who could improv, experienced before. The film’s First Nations Talalay says that that alone has propelled that would really embody the characters and not guide and liaison, Doreen Manual, brought somepeople who see her film to ask questions and feel like they were acting,” Talalay says. thing to the set that Talalay says helped cast and seek answers.

Tailfeathers, an indigenous actress, film- crew sift through the ugliness of the story’s truths.

“I want people to take away righteous anger. maker, and producer, was the last for audition. “[Manual] was this force for good and san- Whatever the issue—addictions, housing, false Although admittedly terrified that the movie ity, because the intensity of the story and work- clinics, women’s issues—I want people to leave wouldn’t be created with respect for families, ing on it every day required someone to bring feeling activated.” Tailfeathers showed an investment in the role a spiritual nature to it,” she says. “I’ve never that few others did. been on a show where the locations needed to On the Farm plays at the VIFF Vancity Theatre as “She brought an energy and a bravery that was be smudged to free the negative spirits. She part of the Women in Film Festival next Thursday incredible,” Talalay says. brought something that I didn’t know I needed.” (March 9) at 6 p.m.

☞

BREAKING THROUGH THE CE LLU LO ID CE ILING > > >

T

his year’s Vancouver Women in Film Festival runs from Wednesday (March 8) to next Sunday (March 12) at the Vancity Theatre. Here are four films worth watching:

weave together in an inspiring and insightful take on revolution, showing how the hardest part of rebellion is not overthrowing a dictator but managing political and personal relationships in the aftermath. Vancity Theatre, March 11 (12 p.m.)

WHERE TO, MISS? (Germany/

India) The bustling, bumper-tobumper roads of Delhi may seem a world away from Canada, but the lived experiences of the women there depicted in Manuela Bastian’s Where to, Miss? feel uncomfortably close to home. Women are considered inferior to men; the male-dominated streets are branded dangerous, yet it’s the responsibility of women to protect themselves at all costs. So when Devki, a young Indian woman, expresses her interest in becoming a taxi driver—defying the expectations of both her family and community—it’s easy to root for her through the twists and turns. Beautiful cinematography and a booming title track help elevate the film from your run-of-the-mill doc to a deeply affecting display of the courage it takes to chase your dreams—even if it means getting a little lost along the way. Vancity Theatre, March 9 (9 p.m.) > LUCY LAU

by figures such as Françoise Simpère, the so-called high priestess of polyamory, leaves us with an appetite for more—especially given the topic’s taboo nature in mainstream culture.

Vancity Theatre, March 11 (9 p.m.)

> LL

> KATE WILSON

LUTINE (France) Despite its shaky

In Where to, Miss?, a young woman challenges the gender expectations of her own family and community in India when she aspires to become a taxi driver.

A REVOLUTION IN FOUR SEASONS (USA/Tunisia) Focusing

on the parallel lives of two female activists responsible for shaping the future of newly democratic Tunisia, director Jessie Deeter skillfully weighs the opposed views of Emna, a secular woman pushing for a culture like France’s, and Jawhara, a

staunch Muslim who wishes to ally democracy with religion. Capturing each woman’s attempts to balance marriage, motherhood, and politics, Deeter probes at the cultural fabric behind the country’s constitution— one that the government believes will be a model for Arab nations. Newsreels, archive footage, and interviews

camerawork, candid one-on-ones, and general vloglike vibe, Lutine— its name a French synonym for polyamory—is not a documentary.

Rather, a cut-and-splice amalgam of Q & As with Paris’s polyamorous community, tête-à-têtes between director Isabelle Broué and her fictional beau, Gaël (Mathieu Bisson), and reenactments of said chats by Broué and actor Philippe Rebbot forms a sort of docu-comedy that expertly blurs fantasy and reality.

(It is, as Broué describes, a UMO: an “unidentified movie object”.) Things get sticky when life begins to imitate art—or, perhaps more accurately, art begins to imitate art—but there’s a cheeky sense of self-awareness when, in a scene as baffling for viewers as it is for the actors playing actors, Broué quips: “If we think about it, we’re lost.” Though the filmmaker’s antics are amusing, fleeting commentary

UNVEILED: THE KOHISTAN VIDEO SCANDAL (Canada/Pakistan) A

“scandalous” mobile video recording of four young girls and two boys singing and clapping together in a village in Pakistan serves as the catalyst for this compelling doc by B.C. filmmaker Brishkay Ahmed. The grainy footage is exhibited repeatedly—its female subjects now seemingly missing and at the centre of a controversial honour-killing case—as we follow Pakistani journalist Haseeb Khawaja and his efforts in bringing to light an amoral system and the cultural customs that, today, continue to claim the lives of hundreds. The boys’ and girls’ jovial chants echo between interviews with women’s-rights activists and representatives of the local jirga—a quasi-legal council that allegedly ordered the death of the adolescent and preteen girls—becoming a haunting soundtrack to a blistering fight for justice. Vancity Theatre, March 8 (12 p.m.) > LL

MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 31

MOVIES

Documentary offers Inuit view of seal hunt > BY A M A NDA SIEBE R T

S

ince the 1960s, animal-rights activists have proclaimed that Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seal hunt is barbaric, unethical, and unsustainable, without knowing how drastically these notions affect Inuit communities that depend on seals for food, clothing, and oil.

As a result, many have been misled to believe that Arctic seals are endangered or at risk. When the European Union voted to ban the sale of all seal products in 2010, the Inuit communities and their local economies took a major hit.

In Angry Inuk, Inuit filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril discusses the consequences that have come with the huntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s misrepresentation and how those consequences have led to an increase in poverty in a region

that already has the highest poverty and unemployment rates in North Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;particularly in Nunavut, where the film is set. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How does a culture with an understated anger confront a group that is exactly the opposite?â&#x20AC;? Arnaquq-Baril asks early in the film. Though the E.U. ban makes an exception for Inuit and indigenous seal huntersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who deserve to trademark the culinary concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;whole animalâ&#x20AC;? use, as quite literally nothing goes to wasteâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the ban on commercial sales means that skins once sold by Inuit hunters to retailers around the world are no longer in demand. Value has dropped from $100 per skin to just $10.

While activists sell images of cute, furry seal pups and claim that they are the â&#x20AC;&#x153;victims of the largest marine mammal slaughter in the worldâ&#x20AC;?, the Inuit people struggle with the highest

Angry Inuk shows how Inuit people depend heavily upon seal meat.

cost of living in the country, if not the continent: Arnaquq-Baril shows viewers a head of cabbage bearing a $28 price tag, a dozen cans of ginger ale priced at $82, and a jar of Cheez Whiz ringing in at $18, arguing that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s far more affordable for Inuit to live off the land than to purchase groceriesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not

to mention more nutritious. (Seal contains more than 10 times the iron found in beef.)

The film follows Arnaquq-Baril and other Inuit activists to Europe, where they stand up for some 40,000 Inuit to representatives of a population of over 500 million.

While teams of hunters are still able to provide seal meat for entire communities, Arnaquq-Baril and others worry that without the volume of commercial sales, federal authorities will bring underwater seismic testing and drilling to the region to boost the local economy, something that could present a threat to marine life.

Passionately made and thorough in its inclusion of both research and traditional motifs, Angry Inuk challenges the idea that seals should be protected.

The film will screen as part of Beyond 150 Years: An Acknowledgement

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

of Cinematic Territory, an event hosted in partnership with the Vancouver International Film Festival. Highlighting the impact of indigenous stories and the works of filmmakers from the REEL CANADA catalogue, the event leads up to National Canadian Film Day 150.

The event, offering free public screenings, artist talks, and presentations, will bring directors Alanis Obomsawin (Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance), Lisa Jackson (Highway of Tears), Amanda Strong (Four Faces of the Moon), and Arnaquq-Baril to the Vancity Theatre for Q & A events Monday and Tuesday (March 6 and 7). Angry Inuk screens at the VIFF Vancity Theatre on Monday (March 6) at 7 p.m., with the director in attendance.

For more info, visit www.viff.org/ online/beyond150/.

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MOVIES

Wedding guests yak it up a notch at Table 19 RE VIEW S

their little skulls.

And their parents? They can pleasantly zone out and imagine what it would be like to live in fin-de-siècle Paris, sipping pastis on a cobbled street under gaslight.

TABLE 19 Starring Anna Kendrick. Rated PG

An extremely thin notion gets

2 off to a pleasant start, thanks

to an amiable cast. The lightweight movie was written by the writingacting-directing Duplass brothers, Mark and Jay, mumblecore veterans who went on to mainstream fare like HBO’s Togetherness series.

Their reputation must have helped convince busy Anna Kendrick to take on the throwaway role of Eloise, a neurotic with no specified skills or job who reluctantly attends the wedding of an old friend, despite being recently jilted by the woman’s dopey brother (Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn).

Eloise’s precarious association causes her to be seated with the “randoms” at a lakeside-hotel wedding party. Random is right, as the guests appear to be chosen more for acting talent, visual diversity, and availability than any logical connections to the story. Playing an anxious Brit on furlough from jail, Hello Ladies’ Lurch-size Stephen Merchant sits next to The Grand Budapest Hotel’s miniature Tony Revolori, as a horny, socially awkward teen. Across from them are Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow, as a couple going through a bad patch, and Nebraska’s June Squibb, a former nanny to the rich siblings at the sort-of story’s centre. I know why the nanny and Eloise are there, but damned if I can remember why the others are.

Despite being far from the action, or because of it, these losers start yakking it up. Almost half of the 90-minute movie is devoted to free-flowing, playlike banter, and this (plus the inexpensive onemonth shoot, in Georgia) must have attracted Kendrick and company. The table starts collapsing right in the middle, however, when Eloise meets a dashing stranger (Australia’s Thomas Cocquerel), and everyone starts divulging secrets at the top of their lungs. Easyto-please director Jeffrey Blitz, veteran of The Office and of the Oscar-nominated doc Spellbound, doesn’t bother with niceties like having the wedding combo sound like it’s playing in the room. And he asks us to take sudden dramatic turns seriously when the actors were doing pratfalls in the previous scene. Eloise’s first impulse, to stay away, was probably wise.

> JANET SMITH

BITTER HARVEST Starring Max Irons. Rating unavailable

The Holodomor, or mass starimposed by Joseph Stalin on the Ukrainian people, is one of the underrepresented horrors of the 20th century. Could the producers of this stiff, TV-grade effort have chosen a better tour guide for that harsh history than the director of Meatballs III? Sure, but it’s hard to imagine anyone squeezing a decent movie out of the cliché-swamped script by actor turned screenwriter Richard Bachynsky Hoover.

In the first three minutes alone, these lines are uttered by various Ukrainians about to face the wrath of Moscow: “They can hurt our bodies, but they can never break our spirit!” and “This was before I learned that dragons were real and evil roamed the world.” That last gem comes courtesy of Yuri, played by Max Irons—son of Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack, and thus far lacking anything like their charisma.

The lad comes from an agrarian family led by a fierce dad (Barry Pepper, unrecognizable under his ingenious Mohawk-mullet combo) and even fiercer grandpa (Terence Stamp).

Yuri, however, is a more artistic sort, and preoccupied by his lifelong adoration of a neighbour (the equally unengaging Samantha Barks); instead of joining a growing resistance to the collective farming imposed on formerly free(ish) people, he heads off to art school in Kiev, circa 1932. Meanwhile, his best pal (Aneurin Barnard) gets sucked into Soviet politics—for all the good that does him.

The movie’s idea of exposition is to jump to Moscow just in time to hear Stalin (Gary Oliver) declare that “Without its huge mineral wealth and vast harvests of grain, Russia is nothing.” End of exposition. When Ukrainians don’t immediately bow to Moscow’s will, Uncle Joe begins taking their food, and when they fight back, he steals all of it. Peasants drop like flies, but Yuri just wants to get back to his lady love. Cue the orchestra. In reality, more than seven million people likely died on Stalin’s orders. (The final numbers remain unknown.) Don’t they deserve a better epitaph than this?

2 vation

Eloise (Anna Kendrick, second from right) finds herself seated with chatty, random guests at a wedding party in Table 19.

BEFORE I FALL Starring Zoey Deutch. Rating unavailable

Heathers

meets

Groundhog

2 Day in this stylishly shot teen

drama, adapted from Lauren Oliver’s speculative young-adult novel.

The film’s main draw is its star turn by up-and-comer Zoey Deutch, of Beautiful Creatures and Everybody Wants Some!!. The fine-featured youngster plays Samantha Kingston (a classic YA name), whose last day of high school also turns out to be, well, maybe, kind of her last day on Earth.

Sam lives in a super-deluxe home in an unnamed mountain town (actually Squamish, B.C.). She’s rude to her cute little sister (Erica Tremblay, sister of Jacob) and to her parents (Jennifer Beals and Nick Lea, seen briefly), and of course bitchy to her three best friends, led by a head Heather called Lindsay (Halston Sage).

The gals are razzing Sam about the possibility of losing her virginity that night. From what we see of her guyfriend (Kian Lawley), this already looks like a life-altering mistake. But they’re headed for an even more crucial reckoning. A charmingly goofy schoolmate (Logan Miller) with a longstanding crush on Sam invites her to a hey-my-mom’s-out-of-town party. When she gets to his mansion, it’s a raging kegger that must have been planned weeks in advance. Everyone’s there, including the angry, artsy girl (Elena Kampouris) our rat pack has picked on for years. Things don’t go well, they leave early, and let’s just say that ol’ Lindsay is one lousy driver. > KEN EISNER Even so, Sam wakes up the next

morning as if nothing happened.

Nothing has, and she’s allowed to relive that weird day again and again, with the chance to reexamine her own choices. This is where things get somewhat interesting, mainly as a vehicle for Deutch to show off her range of emotions, and wardrobe options.

Director Ry Russo-Young and screenwriter Maria Maggenti are far more interested in surface appearances than substance. Almost everyone here seems obscenely wealthy, but that’s not on the menu for self-examination. No one displays any interests or ambitions outside of the social pecking order, so there’s no moral grounding to Sam’s quest to “get it right” on repetition. And it’s impossible to know what young people are supposed to take away from the thudlike ending, which suggests that the virtues of Christian martyrdom are right up there with being nicer to your mom. > KEN EISNER

BALLERINA Featuring the voice of Elle Fanning.

Rated G

Ballerina would be just another

2 predictable, rags-to-riches, girl-

follows-her-dreams movie if it weren’t for one big factor: it’s set in fin-desiècle Paris.

The lushly animated FranceCanada production has fun bringing the era to life, the cobbled streets lit by gaslight, pink sunsets reflecting off car- and tourist-free Seine bridges, and the Eiffel Tower only onethird built. You feel Félicie’s sense of wonder one night when she stumbles across the home of the grand Paris

Opera Ballet, glowing like some ornate beacon in the night.

When we first meet young Félicie (voiced by Elle Fanning), she’s trying to escape her Oliver Twist–style orphanage. We know she’ll succeed because she has red hair—the cartoon sign of pluck. She dreams of being a dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet, and she flees with her buddy Victor (Dane DeHaan), who wants to be an inventor in Gustave Eiffel’s workshop.

To join the ballet, our heroine has to impersonate a rich kid, sparking the ire of a mother who’s equal parts Cruella de Vil and Sleeping Beauty stepmonster. On Félicie’s side is an injured ex-dancer who becomes her Mr. Miyagi, teaching her how to jump and ring a courtyard bell without splashing a puddle when she lands. And Félicie has unbridled passion, something her privileged competitors for the role in the next Nutcracker simply don’t have.

You know already how this is going to work out. Along the way there are some at best gentle laughs. A rivalry between Victor and a blond Russian dancer named Rudolph for Félicie’s affections is only mildly amusing. But Ballerina really excels in its dance, the animators basing the ballet moves on real choreography and legit Paris dance stars. The jetés and fouettés have the slightly weird lack of gravity you see in digital animation, but the moves feel like real feats.

So budding ballerinas who know a pirouette from a plié are going to eat this up, even as the messages about following their dreams are being driven home with the force of a pointe shoe being hammered into

> KEN EISNER

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MUSIC

Lyle Lovett must

B Y ALEX ANDER VAR T Y

have a freakishly good memory, for he knows almost to the minute when he first heard his current touring partner, John Hiatt.

“You know, my introduction to John Hiatt was on the 31st of January, 1981, when I went to see Ry Cooder at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, when Ry Cooder was supporting his Borderline album,” the Texas troubadour recalls, calling the Straight while enjoying a day off in Winnipeg. “I’ve always been a big Ry Cooder fan, and my friends in a wonderful group from Austin, Uncle Walt’s Band— my friends Walter Hyatt, David Ball, and Champ Hood, who were all originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina—they were opening the shows.

There were two shows at the Paramount that night; it was a Sunday night, and I drove over from College Station, where I was still in school. I was excited to see Uncle Walt’s Band, and then Ry Cooder, and Ry Cooder’s band for that tour was John Hiatt and John Hiatt’s band. Cooder kept throwing solos to this guy John Hiatt, and so I became a fan immediately, and went out and bought John’s records.”

There is, of course, the possibility that Lovett has recently researched his back story, but we’ll go with the idea that he has a singularly retentive brain. After all, this is a man who can remember what he and Bill Collings had for dinner the day they met back in 1978—egg rolls, served up by the

A musical conversation

Lyle Lovett seems to have an impressive memory, but he doesn’t remember what possessed him to duet with Randy Newman on that Toy Story tune.

night in Fargo, he played an arrangement on ‘Riding With the King’—and that was the first time he Lyle Lovett says even he doesn’t know quite what’s played ‘Riding With the going to happen when he and John Hiatt get on-stage King’ on this whole run, which started in Januesteemed guitar-maker’s wife—and who seems ary—and he played a guitar part that I’d never to recall every minute of every show that he and heard him play before. Not in a different key, but Hiatt have done since first sharing a stage in 1989. with different chord voicings. I tend to not do Those initial performances, he goes on to ex- that. I mean, I play songs the way I made them plain, were songwriters-in-the-round affairs, with up; once I’ve figured out ‘Okay, this is the song,’ kindred spirits Guy Clark and Joe Ely. Time whit- it kind of stays that way. But John will reinterpret tled the foursome down to a pair, with Hiatt and his songs, and I find that really interesting.”

Lovett first playing as a duo after Clark began to Surprisingly, though, Lovett has yet to really figshow symptoms of the lymphoma that eventually ure out what makes Hiatt tick by attempting to write killed him just last year. Their act hasn’t changed a song with him. Part of that’s logistical: the two of much since—yet at the same time, as Lovett ex- them travel in separate vehicles, which has the helpplains, things vary enough from night to night ful side benefit of keeping their public rapport fresh. that neither artist has ever been bored.

“We’re not having a manufactured conversation “It’s just him and me, on-stage together, and we when we go out on-stage,” Lovett says. “It’s genuine, sit there and we take turns playing,” he says. “And and I like that.” Still, he’s keen to find an afternoon we talk to one another. That’s the format. It’s not when the two of them can sit down with their guia structured show; it’s not a show that we plan, tars in the hope that a song will emerge. or even tell each other what we’re going to play.

“We’ve talked about it, and we’ve kind of threatI mean, we’re just sort of in the moment. John ened to do it, but we just haven’t done it.” Lovett usually plays the first song, and my first song, says, a little wistfully. “But I think it’s something then, is influenced by his selection. that we should do, at least once.”

“From the very beginning of the show, there’s As for his own songs, Lovett says that fans can an uncharted quality about it,” Lovett continues. expect to hear excerpts from any of the 11 albums “Over the years, we’ve gotten to know several of in his back catalogue. Just don’t hope to hear anyeach other’s songs well enough to be able to join thing new. That’s not because Lovett hasn’t been in, but I don’t know, from night to night, what he’s writing on his own—he’s almost finished enough going to play. If he plays something that I sort of material for a follow-up to 2012’s cover-heavy Reknow, I’ll sing with him some, or play a little bit. lease Me, he reports—but because cellphone camThat’s how it goes, and it’s great fun.” eras make him nervous.

As a bandleader, especially with his sublime, “Before the digital age, I always played my jazz-inflected Large Band, Lovett is known for new songs, just because it’s fun to play your new demanding perfection, yet in these intimate con- songs,” he explains. “But I have not been doing certs with Hiatt he seems to relish his partner’s that, because I want them to be new when I release unpredictability. The former Cooder sideman them. In this day and time, if you play something doesn’t necessarily belabour his hits—and when once, all of a sudden it’s on YouTube, and it’s out he does, they often appear in transfigured form. there. That’s something that you do have to think “One thing that I find particularly interest- about, unless you want your songs to be that faming about John is that he will, from time to time, iliar when your new record comes out.” completely rearrange his guitar part for any given Lovett fans will just have to hold on to that song,” Lovett relates with evident wonder. “Last promise of a new release—and take advantage

of this opportunity to hear him in the company of an equally accomplished peer. Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Monday (March 6).

in + out

On the benefits of the intimate-and-unplugged format: “There’s something that I’ve always enjoyed about seeing any songwriter solo, because you get a real sense about how a song may have started out, and where an arrangement came from. You know, you get the song in its barest form—and sometimes, I think, in its most expressive form.”

On being stereotyped as a country artist despite his jazz and gospel influences: “It’s interesting. My first three records were released from the Nashville office of MCA Records, and once you’ve established yourself in that way, or once you’re connected to Nashville, people do associate you with country music. I don’t mind that, but I do think… Well, I’ve found over the years that people who don’t listen to my music or aren’t familiar with my music think of me as country, but people who actually listen to my music and know my music don’t think of me as just country.”

On almost 40 years with the same luthier, Bill Collings: “He’s a fascinating character. I met him in 1978, and he showed me every piece of wood he had. He showed me guitars he was working on, he explained how he built them, and by the end of the day I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve gotta have one of these.’ He finished that first guitar for me in 1979; it was the 29th guitar he ever built, and now his shop ships probably 50 or 60 instruments a week.”

TANK GYAL IS A WOMAN O F MANY Q U IRK S >>> Spend a day on the vibrant and dancehall night, the DJ was soon invited to be the first lady of Vancoulike London, England, and you’ll ver’s groundbreaking Lighta! Sound realize that—despite vehement crew. Now with performance credits claims to the contrary—Vancouver all over the world, including Jamaica, isn’t a particularly multicultural city. Mexico, Switzerland, Miami, and Sorry, guys.

Vegas, Tank Gyal is one of the city’s For the last 10 years, Tank Gyal— most in-demand exports. an artist who prefers not to reveal her Hamster enthusiast, mom of one, real name—has nevertheless been and Damian Marley’s Welcome to making sure that Jamaican culture Jamrock Reggae Cruise alumna, gets the representation it deserves. Tank Gyal is, by her own admission, Born to Slovenian immigrants and a woman of many quirks. growing up in Vancouver, the DJ initially discovered reggae in the early BEST GIG EVER and mid-’90s when “Murder She Wrote” by Chaka Demus & Pliers “Bass Coast Festival. I’ve been a perbounced around the airwaves. After former at every one since the beginfirst hearing dancehall played live at a ning, and I have so many great memrave in Stanley Park (yes, you read that ories that it’s nearly impossible to pin right), Tank Gyal decided to dedicate down one. That said, I once did DJ at a herself to a life behind the decks with female-only mud-wrestling competition. I think it was the second or third Shabba Ranks on the turntables.

The mastermind behind Ting, time the festival was being held, when Vancouver’s longest-running reggae it was still in Squamish. They set me

2 streets of cosmopolitan centres

up on a monster truck right next to the mud pit, and I played an all-female badass dancehall set about strong women, while people were fighting in the mud.”

TOP TRACK RIGHT NOW

Lyle Lovett sounds off on the things that enquiring minds want to know.

> BY KATE WILSON

☞

SONG THAT CLEARED THE DANCE FLOOR

makes is right up my alley. He has a very hyphy-ish, bouncy, hip-hoppy sound, and does a lot of tunes that “The first time I performed at have great vocals. He’s very humble Shambhala I was pregnant, so I was and underrated, so I wanted to give playing a slower set of chilled daytime him a shout-out.” reggae. The band that was meant to be playing next came up and started ODDEST REQUEST YOU’VE sound-checking during my set, which EVER RECEIVED was kind of annoying because they weren’t even trying to follow my beat. “I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s pretty And then all of a sudden—I guess the funny when people request an artorganizers gave me the wrong finish ist or a song that I’m actually curtime—they just launched into some rently playing. It’s happened quite a really loud and cheesy progressive few times. People will say ‘Can you trance, just mid-song. I threw up my play some Vybz Kartel?’ and I’m hands, backed away from the mixer, like, ‘Sure—like the song I’m playand gave up. That noise cleared my ing right now?’ I never want to be snobby with people’s requests, but dance floor.” it’s still entertaining.” FAVOURITE VANCOUVER Tank Gyal runs Ting at the Waldorf PRODUCER

“There’s a song that’s just come out called ‘Carnival’ by Randy Valentine, who’s a Jamaican-born reggae artist, and Solis, who’s a Cuban singer. It’s the first single off an album created by an Australian producer called Havana Meets Kingston. Jamaica and Cuba are so close to each other—they’re about 200 miles apart—but there’s really no relation between them. They both have a really rich history of music and dance, but completely different cultures. This Australian guy came up with the brilliant idea to combine the every Thursday, and will open for two together. It’s a very uplifting song that has a lot going on, and the lyrics “Self Evident. I have a very particu- Chronixx at the Commodore on lar taste in music, and every track he March 18. are great.”

MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 35

MUSIC

Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs (left) model the “Maillardville tuxedo”; Mélisande really wants us to notice her ring.

Fest goes beyond tradition > B Y TO NY M O NTA G U E

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36 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs and Mélisande perform at Festival du Bois in Mackin Park, Coquitlam, from Friday to Sunday (March 3 to 5).

MARCH 3

ALBUM RELEASE W/ GUESTS

IKEA Coquitlam

Genticorum. “Our intention since the first album, Les Métamorphoses [2014], is to bring together our two worlds,” says Mélisande, reached in Montreal.

“We thought it would be an interesting project to take trad music somewhere else, where it hasn’t been before. It’s based on songs only—no instrumental pieces, unlike with most bands playing Québécois folk, which mix the two.”

Last year, Mélisande obtained an award from the U.S. Library of Congress to search its francophone archives for songs. She and de Grosbois-Garand also did research at the Canadian Museum of History and the archives of Laval University for her second album, released a month ago.

“We had the idea of calling it Les Millésimes [The Vintages], and giving each song the date when the version that inspired us was first sung. Just like great wines, good songs improve with age. Most of the tracks relate to wine, whether the cultivation of the vines or the merrymaking when the bottles are uncorked. When we listened to the songs, Alex and I were looking for natural grooves in the original melodies for ‘electro-trad’ treatment.

Our basis is traditional song, for which Alex writes new music for the various instruments we use, to make it all dance-friendly—and give it a swing.” -

cycling

Maillardville’s Music Festival

raditions are often thought of as things frozen in time and space, but with a living tradition—like FrenchCanadian folk music—that’s never the case. Across the country the old airs and songs are being reshaped in a multitude of ways. That’s definitely the case with two innovative Quebec acts performing at this year’s Festival du Bois: singer Mélisande and her touring quartet, and the trio Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs (the Big Howlers).

“We started our project to make trad music but while venturing beyond the well-beaten tracks,” says Pellerin, calling from Saint-Élie-deCaxton, Quebec. “I’ve been playing folk a long time—I know the sources and the roots. The first stage of renewing or modernizing a genre is to understand it in depth. I was even a purist in the beginning. However, knowing and respecting where the music came from, we gave ourselves freedom to do what we liked with the arrangements.”

Pellerin and the Grands Hurleurs have achieved the rare feat of bagging a Félix award—francophone Canada’s Juno equivalent—for each of their albums. Their latest, ¾ Fort, strikes a fine balance between old and new approaches to tradition.

The brief nonsense-type song “Pis C’était” gets a heavy contemporary

treatment. “We wanted one tune that was electro and a bit trashy, and I thought of that piece with its very repetitive rhythm—sung slowly. In the studio I brought in big garage chains that I dropped, which make the crashing sound, and a metal garbage can with its lid removed and a cymbal placed on top. Tap on the sides and the cymbal shakes and vibrates, which creates a brash, aggressive sound.“ Pellerin isn’t limited to traditions from Quebec, and is inspired by the music of Brittany, western France’s Celtic region. On ¾ Fort, three songs come from there.

“We’ve done tours in Brittany,” Pellerin explains, “and after one show a lady sang me some really beautiful songs I’d never heard.”

They include the galloping, percussive opener, “Entre la Rivière et le Bois”, and the final track, “Fleur de Lison”, which Pellerin has slowed down, highlighting his compelling and penetrating voice. “It was a dance tune, much brisker and lighter. I was having a beer after the show and had my elbow on the bar, when she came up and sang the songs. It was almost surrealistic.”

Singer and guitarist Mélisande comes from a different background— contemporary pop, rock, and French chanson. Her husband and musical partner, Alexandre de GrosboisGarand, is, like Pellerin, steeped in traditional music, and long played f lute and electric bass in the trio

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MUSIC

Daphne Roubini longs to pull a Jimi Hendrix and set her ukulele ablaze while on-stage. Adam Blasberg photo.

Ukulele fest keeps growing Founder Daphne Roubini says the instrument lets everyone be a musician

S

it down with Vancouver have never played the ukulele before Ukulele Festival founder they first came to class. They’d never Daphne Roubini and you played instruments before, and now end up talking about more they’re playing Carmen by [Georges] than the instrument that artists Bizet in five parts. The ukulele is in from Joao Fernandes to Tiny Tim many ways an instrument for adults to Eddie Vedder have all done their who tried music before, but found best to make famous. things like guitar too hard. They’ve Over the course of an endlessly come back and found out that with entertaining hour, the London, Eng- the ukulele they can access music land–raised musician delves into really easily.” everything from the healing power The instrument first brought to of music to Vancouver’s infamous Hawaii in 1879 by Portuguese imreputation as an unfriendly city. migrant Joao Fernandes has indeed The brilliance of the Band’s classic been picked up by plenty of average song “The Weight” pops up out of no- people over the past few years, as well where, as does an equally enthusiastic as some famous ones. Cabaret-pop endorsement of Anton Dvořák’s “New renegade Amanda Palmer started World” Symphony. But the best part using the ukulele for fun in concerts of the interview comes around the in the ’00s, eventually embracing it as 45-minute mark, an invaluable and when I confess to highly portable Roubini that I can songwriting tool. hold my own on the (Check out her Mike Usinger bass, but attempt2010 EP Amanda ing anything other than power chords Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of on the guitar is an endless exercise Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele.) in frustration.

Pearl Jam’s Vedder fired another early Her response is to pull out her shot in what’s become a revival with custom-made ukulele in the middle the 2011 release of his Grammy-winof Trees Organic Coffee on West ning Ukulele Songs. Artists ranging Broadway and launch into a quick from Beirut’s Zach Condon to the rendition of the Rolling Stones’ Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt to “You Can’t Always Get What You She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel have Want”. Firmly of the mind that folks made the ukulele a go-to on-stage and are better off doing than watching, in the studio. And Vancouver isn’t the she then thrusts the instrument into only city with a yearly festival devoted my hands, offers a quick bit of sim- to the instrument: you’ll find similar ple instruction, and then sits back celebrations in Milwaukee, Reno, and and watches. Sure enough, within Washington state’s Port Townsend. seconds I’m doing a passable job of Roubini has a theory about the re-creating the Stones’ 1969 classic, resurgence of interest. moving easily from C to F to D de“In 2008 there was a recession, spite having anything-but-nimble and it’s my theory that people really fingers that look something like went back to being more grassJimmy Dean sausages. roots—less about being moneyMy minitriumph doesn’t shock oriented in their goals,” she opines.

Roubini, who, in addition to hav- “The ukulele really fulfills that ing founded the Vancouver Ukulele grassroots way of thinking. It’s Festival, runs Ruby’s Ukes, a down- not about consuming music, it’s town-Vancouver school that started about creating music. YouTube has out small and grassroots and is now played a big part. A lot of people hailed by Ukulele magazine as the have started out learning playing biggest school outside of Hawaii. by watching YouTube videos.”

If the trained jazz singer and pianRoubini’s embracing of the ukuist has learned anything from years lele happened almost by accident. of teaching Vancouverites, it’s that “In London I sang with a jazz achieving even a mild level of profi- quartet, and then when I came here ciency on the ukulele is nowhere as I wasn’t thinking that I would do difficult as it might seem. that—it wasn’t my focus,” she says.

“I always say to people, ‘How “I started playing the ukulele bemany people in the audience play cause I wanted my nephew to have the ukulele?’ ” Roubini says. “Some music in his life. He was turning people will put up their hands, and two. I bought a ukulele and was gothen I say, ‘Well, for those of you who ing to give it to him for his birthdon’t, I have two words to say: not day. I asked my husband, who’s yet.’ The ukulele allows the average a guitarist, to teach me to play person to be a musician. Before com- ‘Happy Birthday’, and that’s when ing here today, I was wondering how I realized, ‘Hey, I can accompany many students we have, and it’s 340 myself on this without having to this term. The school has a 70-piece work with a pianist or a guitarist.’ orchestra made up of people who And that led me to start exploring

Local Motion

my voice in a different way.”

Since then, Roubini has released the stellar A Ukulele Album as part of the duo Ruby & Smith, and made the instrument part of her repertoire with her throwback jazz band Black Gardenia. But she seems just as proud—if not prouder—of the Vancouver Ukulele Festival.

This year’s eighth edition includes a gala concert at the Rio on Friday (March 3), featuring the duo of San Diego’s Sarah Maisel and Craig Chee, Oregon’s Aaron & Nicole Keim, Detroit’s Gerald Ross, and Vancouver’s own Timothy Tweedale. Performers will be on hand to teach a series of workshops at the Croatian Cultural Centre on Saturday and Sunday (March 4 and 5); expect tips on everything from song structure and soloing to mastering genres like bluegrass and gospel.

“The first festival was one day with 40 people, and it was just local teachers teaching,” she remembers. “I decided at the time that I would just grow it from there. I was like, ‘I’m going to imagine that it’s a garden that’s going to get bigger each year,’ and that’s what’s happened. This year, we’ve got the Croatian Cultural Centre, which is big enough that I can have five workshops on at the same time. The first year, I only had one workshop. Because we’re in a bigger space, the festival has more space to grow. What people will get is a real mixture of education and fun. And talent.”

And the best thing about that talent, Roubini adds, is—like all ukulele players—they’ve embraced the idea that the ukulele is first and foremost an instrument made for having fun.

“The thing with the ukulele is that there’s no egos,” Roubini offers.

“You put a bunch of guitarists in one room and it’s just not the same.”

So even if you show up as a beginner, chances are good you’ll walk away doing a more than passable version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. You won’t be the first on that front, but you will find yourself welcomed by players who now cut across all social and economic boundaries.

“When the school first started, it was all hipsters,” Roubini says. “Then they were more sort of hipster wannabes. Then more like grannies. Now it’s completely a mixture of everyone.

Ukuleles are very mainstream now, even though they are still hip. It’s been very interesting.” The Vancouver Ukulele Festival takes place from Friday to Sunday (March 3 to 5) at various venues.

Go to www.rubysukes.ca/ for full details.

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DOORS 7:00

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MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 37

MUSIC

Maiwah makes its own kind of R&B Groundwerk remixes one of its own; Lee Rosevere watches the skies; Alex Maher sounds like a pro L OCA L D I S C S MAIWAH In Amongst the Ferns (Independent)

Since the Weeknd put Can-

2 adian R&B back on the radio,

Bandcamp has experienced a glut of badly mastered, off-kilter copycat albums. Trust us. We have to listen to most of them.

Very rarely does a local record stick out as a world-class example of the genre—which makes up-andcoming four-piece Maiwah’s debut offering even more remarkable.

A DIY album that sounds anything but, In Amongst the Ferns is immersive. With powerful harmonies, piano swells that pan around the listener, and artfully reverbed guitar bends, first track “All This Distance” introduces the sound palette that defines the record. Seamlessly merging acoustic instruments with choppy synths, the song is poised between decades, blending soft 1960s jazz vocals with modern production techniques.

Carrying only select elements from one song to the next, In Amongst the Ferns is characterized by its versatility. “Frozen Lake”, for instance, is a delightful interplay between Stranger Things-esque ’80s synths and singer Kristie McCracken’s mature lyrics, which, when juxtaposed with the following track, “Blindfold”, reveal the group’s flexibility. Buoyed by big rock choruses, the song lifts the tempo of the album and refocuses its sound on sweeping electric-guitar chords and live drums.

Concluding with “Highest Hill”, a bass-driven tune that leans towards the four-piece’s pop roots, Maiwah’s debut offers a master class in how to fuse electronic, indie, and R&B elements into a cohesive and original sound. > KATE WILSON

IAMFOREST, LUMIERE, DIANA BOSS I M U R—FFL Remix EP (Groundwerk)

Whether it’s a battle of the

2 bands, a freestyle rap clash, or

duelling jazz saxophonists, everybody loves a good musical contest.

Just look at how the weirdly sadistic American Idol managed to stay onair for 15 years.

Recognizing that there’s more to rivalry than a winner-take-all bloodbath where the greatest sob story is the victor, however, the

You might not think a cat really has any business playing keyboards in a pop band, but you haven’t heard the way Miss Fuzzykins rocks a Rhodes.

recently launched Vancouver label Groundwerk appeals to the positive side of competition. Believing that the best music often comes from peers pushing and encouraging each other to work harder, the local collective runs regular remix contests for the city’s producers to rework music from another Vancouver artist.

Taking a shot at local star I M U R’s track “FFL” are iamforest, Lumiere, and Diana Boss: the first three artists to have their winning songs released on the Groundwerk imprint.

Retaining the vibe of the original, iamforest’s approach adds a soft dubstep bass line to underpin the track’s reverbed synths. Warming I M U R’s melancholic vocals with playful melodies and a sunny beat, the artist’s dreamy interpretation reimagines the track’s scolding lyrics in a softer setting.

Taking inspiration from the original’s soft trap hats, Lumiere’s chilled-out remix is built on a downtempo-cum–hip-hop beat, fleshed out by impassioned piano chords and soft synth pads. Propelled by its dynamic contrast, the track oscillates between subtle variations in energy, drawing out the emotion of I M U R’s mix.

Diana Boss, star of Groundwerk’s debut release, steers the track in an entirely new direction. Creating a bouncy, four-on-the-floor rhythm,

2 8 years

MARCH LIVE MUSIC SHOWCASE

THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND 8:00

FRIDAY, MARCH 10TH 7:00

THE NUDE RIOT W/ SEXWEATHER & LANDMARK 20

DOWNTOWN RIOT W/ HONEST & THE CROW

FRIDAY, MARCH 3RD 7:00

SATURDAY, MARCH 18TH 7:00

CURDS & WHEY W/ THE IMAGERS SATURDAY, MARCH 4TH 7:00

WIELER & COMPANY W/ BUFFALO JONES

OUT OF THE NOWHERE W/ THE ESCAPES

SUNDAY, MARCH 19TH 8:00 THE HEELS

SUNDAY, MARCH 5TH 7:00

SATURDAY, MARCH 25TH 8:00

NIKITA AFONSO W/ TITUS CALDERBANK & STETSON ROAD

ROYAL OAK

THURSDAY, MARCH 9TH 8:00

CHEAP THRILLS VOLUME 7: SHAUN VERREAULT

JIM BEAM TALENT SEARCH

music/ timeout

ing music for each of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, releasing it as an album on Bandcamp the next day. How each of the seven tracks relates to its namesake exoplanet is anyone’s guess, but each piece has a discrete musical character. “Planet B”, for example, is a droning ambient CONCERTS < number fit for a Planetarium show; CLUBS & VENUES < “Planet D” is a spare piano number OUT OF TOWN < that sounds a bit like a Music for Airports outtake; “Planet E” splits CONCERTS the difference between new age and chillwave by introducing a drum 2JUST ANNOUNCED machine and shimmering synth ef- PETER BERNSTEIN As part of the jazz scene in New York since the early ’90s, his fects to the proceedings.

Sadly, getting to TRAPPIST-1 swinging effortless guitar sounds have made him one of the most important would take 39 years, if we had the guitarists of his generation. Presented by technology to travel at light speed, Coastal Jazz. Mar 17-18, 8 pm, Frankie’s which we do not. So, don’t expect Jazz Club (765 Beatty). Tix $20, info to leave Earth behind in the hands www.coastaljazz.ca/. of the Trumps and Leitches. If you STEVE KOZAK BAND The Canadian care to fantasize about blasting off to Pacific Blues Society presents local blues Aquarius, though, Rosevere has your guitarist-vocalist, with guests Matt Rogers, Shawn Hall, Jerry Cook, and Dave Vidal. cruising music taken care of.

Mar 19, doors 6 pm, show 7 pm, Rio

THURSDAY, MARCH 30TH 8:00

THROWING THE BEST PARTIES FOR 28 YEARS! 932 GRANVILLE STREET | 604.331.7999 | ROXYVAN.COM | 38 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

ROXYVANCOUVER

the pair transforms the original’s melancholy atmosphere into a fidgety dance track, complete with dramatic strings and Rhodes keys.

Showcasing the up-and-comers of Vancouver’s electronic-music community, Groundwerk’s I M U R—FFL Remix EP proves that local artists should not just be competing with each other, but vying with international producers for the spotlight.

> KATE WILSON

LEE ROSEVERE Trappist-1 (Happy Puppy)

It’s hard these days to refrain obsessing over shitbag right-wing politicians, both south of the 49th parallel (we’re looking at you, Donald Trump) and on this side of it (hi there, Kellie Leitch). However, it pays to look up—way, way up—because other recent news might prove more consequential in the long run.

On February 22, scientists revealed the discovery of four exoplanets around TRAPPIST-1, bringing the total number of terrestrial planets orbiting the ultra-cool dwarf star in the constellation Aquarius to seven. You don’t have to be Neil deGrasse Tyson to know that this is kind of a big deal.

Vancouver musician (and CBC Radio producer and on-air personality) Lee Rosevere seems to think so.

He was so impressed by the discovery that he spent last weekend writ-

2 from

> JOHN LUCAS

ALEX MAHER

Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix $20 at Highlife, Zulu, Beat Merchant, Red Cat Rewww.riotheatretickets.ca/.

SNOOP DOGG American rapper performs on his Wellness Retreat Tour, with guests Cypress Hill, Method Man and Redman, and Berner. Apr 14, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Tix on sale Mar 3, 10 am, $79.50/69.50/49.50/39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

Aether (Independent)

Sometimes the world gets so you just want to kick back at home with a cocktail, fire up a roaster, and chill until it all seems better. Alex Maher seems like KONGOS South African rock band tours the kind of guy who can relate. support of latest release Egomaniac.

The Vancouver music-scene vet- in May 16, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, The eran first surfaced in Flannel Jimmy Imperial (319 Main). Tix on sale Mar 3, 10 in the late ’90s, later forming hip-hop am, $25 (plus service charges and fees) at fusionists DNA6 in the ’00s. Aether www.ticketweb.ca/. showcases his classy rebranding as THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN Scottish a one-man band who performs live rock band tours in support of upcoming over loops and beats with guitar and release Damage and Joy. May 24, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 saxophone.

Granville). Tix on sale Mar 3, 10 am, $52 Considering he’s not exactly new (plus service charges and fees) at Red to the game, it shouldn’t surprise Cat Records and www.ticketfly.com/. that Maher comes off like a polished FATHER JOHN MISTY American indiepro, with “No One Else” made for rock singer-songwriter tours in support of heat-hazed summer sunrises and upcoming album Pure Comedy. May 26, 6 pm, show 7 pm, Deer Lake Park “Say 2.0” giving cheeba-fried jazz doors (6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby). Tix on sale a reggaefied backbeat.

Mar 3, 12 pm, $49.50 (plus service charges Add in the harmony-heavy “The and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

Light” and you’ve got great go-to BRYAN FERRY English pop-rock singermusic for your next road trip down songwriter tours in support of 14th solo the California coast, especially that album Avonmore. Aug 13, doors 6:30 stretch between Westport and Little pm, show 7:30 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix on sale Mar 3, 10 am, River where the Pacific Ocean shines $125/95/65/45 (plus service charges and like an endless sea of diamonds. fees) at www.livenation.com/.

Then again, you could also just stay SYLVAN ESSO American indie-pop home, cue up the smooth-sax jam duo composed of Amelia Meath and “Submarine”, fire up the bong, and Nick Sanborn, with guests Flock of make it a double on the Yellow Bird Dimes. Aug 15, doors 8 pm, show 9:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). front. When the smokey-voiced Ma- Tix on sale Mar 3, 10 am, $30 (plus service her sings “I’ve been hiding from the charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. sky/Staying home and getting high,” 2THIS WEEK you’ll have no trouble relating.

2 overwhelming

> MIKE USINGER

NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED CUISINE

MIKE GARSON David Bowie’s longtime keyboardist performs with the Langley Fine Arts School Orchestra. Mar 2, 7 pm, Chief Sepass Theatre (Langley Fine Arts School, 9096 Trattle St., Fort Langley). Tix at www.brownpapertickets.com/.

VANCOUVER UKULELE FESTIVAL 2017 Ruby’s Ukes presents ukulele workshops as well as music by Sarah Maisel, Craig Chee, Gerald Ross, Aaron and Nicole Keim, Ruby & Smith, Timothy Tweedale, and Michael Rush. Mar 3-5, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). The event also runs at the Croatian Cultural Centre.

Tix $225/25/18, info www.rubysukes.ca/ vancouver-ukulele-festival/.

FESTIVAL DU BOIS Celebrate the francophone culture of B.C. with a contra dance and live music by the Sybaritic String Band, Suroît, Mélisande, Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs, Podorythmie, Zal Sissokho and Buntalo, Jeremiah McLane, and Jocelyn Pettit. Mar 3-5, Mackin Park (1046 Brunette, Coquitlam). Tix $15, info www.festivaldubois.ca/.

FAT TUESDAY!

9

Pasta is $ 95 from 5 till 9 Come down for 1/2 price pasta and free live jazz!

BLUEMARTINIJAZZCAFE.COM 1516 YEW STREET, VANCOUVER, BC | 604 428 2691

THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Blues guitaristvocalist performs alongside his band.

Mar 3, 8 pm, River Rock Show Theatre (River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd.).

Tix $69.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

KIÉRAH The Rogue Folk Club presents the White Rock folk-Celtic fiddler and violinist. Mar 3, 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th). Tix $26, info www.roguefolk.bc.ca/ concerts/ev16112320/.

VILLALOBOS BROTHERS Sextet blends the indigenous rhythms and San Jarocho melodies of their native Veracruz with the harmonies of jazz and classical music. Mar 3, 8-10 pm, BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts (2055 Purcell Way). Tix

see next page

HOUSING

KATIE THIROUX Bandleader and recording artist has garnered considerable attention for her bravura bass playing, assured singing, and compelling compositions. Presented

by Coastal Jazz. Mar 3-4, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club (765 Beatty). Tix $15, info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

SHE SAID, SHE SAID An International Women’s Day fundraiser features music by local bands Krystle Dos Santos, the Argyle Embargo, MamaRudeGyal, Hollow Twin, and Red Heartbreaker. Proceeds go to the WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre. Mar 5, 7:30-11 pm, Studio Records (919 Granville). Tix $15, info www.facebook.com/ events/140377459803910/.

LYLE LOVETT AND JOHN HIATT Texas-based Americana singer-songwriter coheadlines with American folk-rock vocalistguitarist. Mar 6, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix $103.95/72.45/61.95/40.05 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

A MONTH OF TUESDAYS Music on Main presents music by vocalist and pianist Gabriel Kahane (Mar 7), Moravian-folk duo Dálava (Mar 14), and Montreal’s Plumes Ensemble (Mar 21). To Mar 21, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Info www.musiconmain.ca/.

on the web!

For up-to-the-minute, searchable Music Time Out listings, visit

www.straight.com

COLIN JAMES Blues-rock singersongwriter performs tunes from his new album Blue Highways, with guest Tami Neilson. Mar 8, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix $85/55/39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

CLUBS & VENUES ALEXANDER GASTOWN 91 Powell, 778-379-0407. 2REVA DEVITO Mar 2 2THEY. Mar 8 2CANADA LOVES DILLA TOUR Mar 9 2VALLIS ALPS Mar 11 2THE MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOUR Mar 16 2XENIA RUBINOS Mar 22 BACKSTAGE LOUNGE Arts Club Theatre, 1585 Johnston, Granville Island, 604-687-1354. 2THAT LOVE, MISSION, EMMA KADE, KAROLYN HAZE Mar 3 2BAD PR Mar 4 2EYE BENDER Mar 12 2WORLDBEAT SESSIONS Mar 18 BILTMORE CABARET 2755 Prince Edward, 604-676-0541. 2TENNIS Mar 1 2COMMON KINGS Mar 4 2SPRING BURLESQUE SHOWCASE Mar 12 2JOSEPH Mar 18 2BLACK ATLASS Mar 20 2PRINCESS NOKIA Mar 23 2JEREMY ALLINGHAM W/ SKYOTE & SOPHIA DANAI Mar 24 2LISA LEBLANC Mar 25 2JAIN Mar 27 2SISTER SHOP: CHARITY CLOTHING AND CRAFT SALE Apr 1 2COLONY HOUSE Apr 1 2MITSKI Apr 7 2JENN GRANT Apr 8 2WHITNEY Apr 10 2SAN FERMIN Apr 20 2THE WEDDING PRESENT Apr 26 2SONDRE LERCHE Apr 28 2POND Apr 29 BIMINI PUBLIC HOUSE 2010 W. 4th, 604-733-7116. Twenty-four taps of rotating and interesting craft beers. Pub trivia Mon; beer club Tue; Wing Wed; dance party FriSat; happy hour 3-6 pm.

BLUE MARTINI JAZZ CAFE 1516 Yew, 604-428-2691. Live jazz, soul, and blues.

COBALT 917 Main, 778-918-3671.

2MOON DUO Mar 4 2FUCKED UP Mar 19 2SUSTO Apr 3 2THE COURTNEYS AND JAY SOM Apr 11 2HOMESHAKE Apr 14 COMMODORE BALLROOM 868 Granville, 604-739-4550.

2THE CADILLAC THREE Mar 8 2BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS Mar 10 2CHRONIXX Mar 18 2JAPANDROIDS Mar 20 2THE AGE OF ELECTRIC Mar 24 2MOTHER MOTHER Mar 25 2THE TEA PARTY Mar 31 2GOOD CHARLOTTE Apr 10 2PROZZAK Apr 14 2THE DAMNED Apr 15 2THE ZOMBIES Apr 21 2THE HARPOONIST & THE AXE MURDERER Apr 22 2DWEEZIL ZAPPA Apr 25 2JIMMY EAT WORLD Apr 26 2DANIEL WESLEY Apr 29 DOOLIN’S IRISH PUB 654 Nelson, 604-605-4343. Live music Sun-Thu, with acoustic soloist or duo SunWed, blues artist Matt Hoyles Thu, DJ Fri-Sat. FORTUNE SOUND CLUB 147 E. Pender, 604-569-1758. 2P.O.S Mar 3 2THE COATHANGERS Mar 18 2ISAIAH RASHAD Mar 22 2DELICATE STEVE Mar 26 2KATE TEMPEST Mar 29 2BLACK JOE LEWIS AND THE HONEYBEARS Apr 7 2WINDHAND Apr 22 FOX CABARET 2321 Main.

2JOEY LANDRETH Mar 3 2ECLECTIC AND ELECTRIC Mar 16 2SHRED KELLY Mar 25 2BLOSSOMS Apr 10 2THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS Apr 21 FRANKIE’S JAZZ CLUB 765 Beatty, 778-727-0337. 2KATIE THIROUX Mar 3 2STRONG WOMEN STRONG MUSIC 2017 Mar 6 2PETER BERNSTEIN Mar 17 2CONNOR STEWART AND THE BON TEMPS Mar 24 2HEATHER KEIZUR & STEVE CHRISTOFFERSON Mar 26 2B3 FOR BUNNY Apr 7 FUNKY WINKER BEANS 37 W. Hastings. Evil Bastard Karaoke Experience Sun-Thurs.

THE IMPERIAL 319 Main, 604-8680494. 2ELEVATE: A RECOVERY LIFE GALA Mar 5 2STOP THE PIPELINES; START THE MUSIC Mar 11 2THE WOOD BROTHERS Mar 12 2THE INTERNET Mar 16 2CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH Mar 18 2STRFKR Mar 22 2AGNES OBEL Mar 25 2ALINA BARAZ Mar 28 2WIRE Apr 7 2JON AND ROY Apr 22 2BETTY WHO Apr 27 2METACOSM Apr 29 IVANHOE PUB 1038 Main, 604-6081444. Pub with live bands on weekends and open jam night Sun from 4 to 8 pm. No cover. 2HARPDOG BROWN Mar 4 ORPHEUM THEATRE 601 Smithe, 604-665-3050. 2COLIN JAMES Mar 8 2PASSENGER Mar 25 2KALEO Apr 4 2TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB Apr 18 2RYAN ADAMS Jun 27 2BRYAN FERRY Aug 13 QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE 650 Hamilton, 604-665-3050. 2LYLE LOVETT AND JOHN HIATT Mar 6 2FISH LEONG Mar 20 2THE LAST WALTZ REMEMBERED Apr 4 2CITY AND COLOUR Apr 6 2BRIAN WILSON Apr 8 2THE FLAMING LIPS May 15 2BONNIE RAITT Jun 19 REPUBLIC 958 Granville, 604-6693214. House, hip-hop, EDM, chart, and reggae. Open nightly from 10 pm to 3 am.

RICKSHAW THEATRE 254 E. Hastings, 604-681-8915. 2THE REAL MCKENZIES Mar 4 2BLACK MOON OVER ROSS BAY Mar 12 2DIRTWIRE Mar 15 2THE DREADNOUGHTS Mar 17 2TRUCKFIGHTERS Mar 21 2TEENAGE FANCLUB Mar 25 2KREATOR Mar 29 2D.O.A.: ROCK THE VOTE Apr 1 2AMORPHIS Apr 3 2ELECTRIC SIX Apr 5

EXCLUSIVE LISTING EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE LISTING LISTING

2VANCOUVER WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL Apr 7 2SOHN Apr 8 2HINDS AND TWIN PEAKS Apr 9 2REAL ESTATE Apr 18 2MYKE BOGAN Apr 20 2D.R.I. Apr 26 2ASPHYX Apr 30

RIVER ROCK SHOW THEATRE 8811 River Rd., 604-247-8900. 2THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Mar 3 2ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK Mar 10 2ABBAMANIA Mar 18 ROGERS ARENA 800 Griffiths Way, 604-899-7400. 2RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Mar 18 2ARIANA GRANDE Mar 24 2CHRIS STAPLETON Mar 27 2SNOOP DOGG Apr 14 2JOHN MAYER Apr 19 2THE WEEKND Apr 25 2LIONEL RICHIE Apr 27 2JOHN LEGEND Jun 1 2DEF LEPPARD Jun 6 2FUTURE Jun 9 2QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT Jul 2 2J. COLE Jul 18 2NEIL DIAMOND Jul 24 2BRUNO MARS Jul 26 2LADY GAGA Aug 1 2TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Aug 17 2ONEREPUBLIC Aug 21 2NICKELBACK Oct 1 2ROGER WATERS Oct 28 THE ROXY 932 Granville, 604-3317999. House band Tattoo Alibi Sat & Mon; country band Locked & Loaded Sun; the Bulge and DJ Joe Pound Tue; Troys ‘R Us WedThu. 2JIM BEAM MAKE HISTORY TALENT SEARCH Mar 9 ST. JAMES HALL 3214 W. 10th, 604-736-3022. 2KIÉRAH Mar 3 2CHRISTINE TASSAN ET LES IMPOSTEURES Mar 9 2SHARON SHANNON Mar 12 2MARTYN JOSEPH Mar 17 2DAVE GUNNING Mar 25 2KAREN SAVOCA AND PETE HEINTZMAN Apr 8 2THE SMALL GLORIES Apr 14 2A MIGHTY STRING THING Apr 22 VENUE 881 Granville, 604-6460064. 2TRENTEMOLLER Mar 10 2SAVE FERRIS Mar 18 2WHY? Mar 25 2ASIA ON TOUR Apr 1 2KATATONIA Apr 5 2KATATONIA Apr 5 VOGUE THEATRE 918 Granville, 604-569-1144. 2BLACK MOUNTAIN Mar 10 2MØ Mar 17 2ZUCCHERO Mar 22 2CLUB ESKIMO IN VANCOUVER Mar 23 2DAN + SHAY Mar 25 2BIFFY CLYRO Mar 31 2BILL AND JOEL PLASKETT Apr 1 2THE ZOLAS Apr 6 2NF Apr 8 2REGGIE WATTS Apr 9 2KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD Apr 10 2NICHOLAS JAAR Apr 11 2MAYDAY PARADE Apr 13 2LAURA MARLING Apr 26 2SAID THE WHALE Apr 29 WISE HALL 1882 Adanac, 604-2545858. 2UPSTREAM VOICES: STOP PETRONAS LNG! DEFEND WILD SALMON! Mar 7 2LIVE AT THE WISE Mar 11 2ROSE COUSINS Mar 19 2DANIEL CHAMPAGNE Apr 6 2BLUE LODGE SOCIETY Apr 14

OUT OF TOWN 2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS

Burnaby residents petition city hall for extra density

C

ondo developers are sometimes de- this town centre. It’s bordered by Boundary Road spised, especially in long-established and Central Park to the west, Royal Oak Avenue neighbourhoods mostly made up of to the east, Imperial Street to the south, and Bond single-family homes. This is typical in and Dover streets to the north.

Vancouver, where residents fight developers and In their petition, the Dow Avenue residents city hall over plans to rezone properties and con- said Imperial Street would look like an “outdated struct high-rise residential buildings. old town” if properties are not redeveloped. “It It’s a different situation in one Burnaby neigh- would make Metrotown Downtown not as modbourhood that is already packed to begin with. ern as the plan designs to be,” they wrote.

A number of residents in According to a city neighthe Maywood area want tallbourhood profile, Maywood er and bigger developments, is densely packed. Ninetyand they’ve petitioned the Carlito Pablo nine percent of homes are city to make it happen. In high- and low-rise apartment their letter, the residents, who describe them- buildings and townhouses. Maywood is boundselves as property owners, suggested changing ed by Boundary Road to the west, Nelson Avthe land-use designation of the north side of enue and Bennett and Bonsor streets to the east, Imperial Street—between Willingdon Avenue Grange Street and Kingsway to the north, and to the west and Nelson Avenue to the east—from Imperial Street to the south. medium density to high density. According to them, this will allow “more growth and more THE REDEVELOPMENT of properties near the commercial opportunity along Imperial Street”. Langara–49th Avenue station of the Canada The north side of Imperial Street between Wil- Line has started.

A plan has been submitted to the city for a lingdon and Nelson Avenues is mostly low-rise apartment buildings of four storeys. On the south 10-storey rental building adjacent to and north of the station in the South Cambie neighbourof the street are mainly single-family homes.

The residents stated in their petition that hood of Vancouver.

Hotson Architecture is asking city hall to buildings are “old and outdated” on the north side of Imperial Street. “The costs of maintenance rezone the single-family properties at 478–496 are too high for the owners to bear,” they wrote. West 48th Avenue and Cambie Street for the “The owners cannot afford the costs of building housing project with retail on the ground level.

The proposed development could be the forerenovation or re-development.”

According to them, developers cannot make runner for others in the immediate vicinity of an offer to property owners unless the land-use the station. The submission by Hotson indicated that other single-family homes on West 48th designation in the area is changed.

Curiously, all 17 signatories to the petition and West 49th avenues to the east of the station indicated Dow Avenue, which is several blocks and its proposed building have the potential for east of Willingdon Avenue, as their address. three- and four-storey projects. To the north of Based on copies of the petition included in the the project, on Cambie Street, are single-family February 28 city-council agenda, none of the pe- properties that may be developed into six- to titioners live on the north side of Imperial Street. eight-storey buildings, according to the company.

Hotson also projected that the single-family The Dow Avenue petitioners also told the city that the redevelopment of the north side of Im- lots across from the Canada Line station and perial Street is necessary for the future of Metro- the proposed project on Cambie Street may town. They are referring to a plan approved by later become eight- to 10-storey buildings.

An open house for the project at 478–496 city council in May 2016 to establish Metrotown West 48th Avenue will be held on Tuesday as the “true downtown” of Burnaby.

The City of Burnaby is updating the commun- (March 7) from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Peretz Centre ity plan for Metrotown as part of transforming for Secular Jewish Culture (6184 Ash Street). -

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MARCH 2 2 –– 9 9 // 2017 2017 THE THE GEORGIA GEORGIA STRAIGHT STRAIGHT 39 39 MARCH MARCH MARCH22––99//2017 2017 THE THEGEORGIA GEORGIASTRAIGHT STRAIGHT 39

straight stars

> BY ROSE MARCUS

March 2 to 8, 2017

Tuesday, set a productive backdrop self into action. Tuesday’s emotions for communication, commerce, and run the gamut. hursday brings the second connecting the dots.

CANCER installment of Jupiter’s opARIES June 21–July 22 position to Uranus. Jupiter March 20–April 20 Jupiter’s opposition to in Libra increases the search Every eight years, Venus Uranus on Thursday continues for a better equilibrium. We all want more money, more love, more hap- takes a retrograde tour through your to keep you stretched and on piness, and more consideration, sign. If you can track back, you may an uncertain tightrope regarding cooperation, and validation. The op- see a pattern of repeating themes re- home life, finances, and career matposition to Uranus in Aries keeps us garding your relationship to money, ters. So much is riding on so much challenged to come up with a new and your social world, another, and your- else. Venus retrograde, starting updated version regarding all of the self. The current transit marks an Saturday, buys you extra time above. Uranus desires the freedom important regroup, heating-up, and to sort it out or to get better preto be openly and uniquely me, to be raise-the-bar cycle. A major reality pared for the inevitable. Sunday self-honouring and therefore other- shift is closer than you know. This and Tuesday are your best days honouring, too. This transit keeps next week keeps you fully submerged. for action. key issues regarding our personal and TAURUS LEO social reinvention on the front burner April 20–May 21 July 22–August 23 through the end of September.

Venus retrograde will now Mars and Uranus in Aries As of Saturday, Venus in Aries begins a six-week retrograde cycle. Venus take you into the deeper waters of a has been keeping the action and retrograde happens every 18 months; heart journey and/or a powwow with your hot-stuff self going strong.

Venus retrograde in Aries happens your soul. The transit is well used for Thursday’s Jupiter/Uranus can send once every eight years. When the plan- creativity, spiritual sojourns, short- it/you over the top. Too much et of net worth and self-worth reverses term projects or involvements, and of a good thing? Hitting you all direction, a more insistent voice from time off or away. Thursday/Friday at once? As of Saturday, Venus retroare good power days for you. Sunday grade calls for you to put the brakes deep within gains attention.

What’s new with you? Feeling a to Tuesday are optimized for talks, on the overgrowth. Your best racemore urgent need to put me first? paperwork, and taking care of busi- horse becomes more obvious. SunDoes an inner conflict rage? Have ness. Significant strides can be made. day to Tuesday, the time is right. you lost your mojo? Are you at war or GEMINI VIRGO are you at one? While in Aries, Venus May 21–June 21 August 23–September 23 retrograde aims to put you better in Through Saturday, let it Whether you have sometouch with self. This intensified selfdiscovery process aims to bring it up flow or let it go. Don’t force your- thing or someone to pin it on, or it’s an to better speed. It will infuse fresh self out the door unless you are in inner consciousness on brew, Uranus life and energy into that which holds the mood for it. Wherever you go, has been forcing the envelope for some good promise, and it will cut to the be there full-heartedly. Venus calls time now. More recently, Mars has sped chase regarding that which does not. for a revision of goals and priorities. up the action. As of Thursday, Jupiter/ breaks you through Saturday, hang loose, wander, let Saturday could be something of a Uranus the day unfold. As of Sunday, you can write-off, but Sunday/Monday are to the next level up. Sunday to plug yourself back in. Sunday through optimum for putting your dynamo Tuesday, say, do, and gain. Venus

T

‫ﺎ‬

‫ﺏ‬

‫ﺐ‬

‫ﺑ‬

‫ﺒ‬

‫ﺓ‬

retrograde helps you to get a better at. Only the best/your best will do. handle on it.

Sunday/Monday, get it going.

‫ﺔ‬

LIBRA

September 23–October 23

Playing for high stakes, Jupiter retrograde in Libra strikes flint with Uranus on Thursday. Opportunity serves the brave of heart. This breakthrough or break-free alignment will continue to accelerate the redesign of your inner and outer reality through September. Me-first Venus retrograde helps you to show up for yourself better and to keep intact while you reinvent.

Monday/Tuesday, make your pitch.

‫ﺕ‬

SCORPIO

October 23–November 22

Thursday can fast-track the work, the healing, or the process. Saturday, let the day find its own watermark. Rest up; conjure; dream; enjoy the fantasy; let the creative muses play. Use Sunday through Tuesday to connect the dots, make your case, and navigate your way. One way or another, Venus retrograde puts you back to work. To the plus, there’s always room for improvement.

‫ﺖ‬

SAGITTARIUS

November 22–December 21

‫ﺊ‬

CAPRICORN

December 21–January 20

Jump on it quick or back out on Thursday. Instincts serve you well. Jupiter/Uranus can cut to the chase before you do. They can override your selection process and light a spark. Venus retrograde, starting Saturday, extends a time line, calls for more evaluation. Sunday/Monday, resume talks; give it another try.

‫ﺋ‬

AQUARIUS

January 20–February 18

Thursday’s news, sudden clarity, purchase, expense, special event, or action-taking can be a game changer. Saturday’s Venus retrograde launches a key check-in-with-yourself-and-refresh-it cycle. Take time to feel your way along a change of mind, opinion, or heart. A reconnection can cover new ground and advance the karma.

‫ﺌ‬

PISCES

February 18–March 20

Jupiter/Uranus could spark a surprise expense, profit, or cash-in on Thursday. Don’t expect things to go as planned. Someone could back out of a promise, reroute you, or spark something fresh. Saturday, you can get lost in it or them. What do you want; what do you need? Venus retrograde takes you deeper into a soul-searching cycle. -

Opportunity strikes on Thursday. Take your best shot; it’ll get you someplace good. Jupiter/Uranus can let you off the hook, set you free, spark a major breakthrough or great connection. Venus retrograde can see you repeat a success or reconnect with someone special. Regarding involvements and investments, Book a reading with Rose Marcus quality over quantity is where it’s at www.rosemarcus.com/astrolink/.

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redhotdateline.com 18+ 42 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017

INTERVIEWS DAILY C OV E RGI R LE S C ORT S .C OM

savage love Fortyish, straight white dude

here. I have this weird (possibly misogynistic) belief that when it comes to sex, I can’t win. Actually, I think men in general can’t win. Thoughtful, wellmeaning men, at least. It comes down to this: during sex, if the man doesn’t come, it’s the man’s fault because he clearly has problems with his dick and is barely even a man and should be ashamed of himself. If the woman doesn’t come, it’s also the man’s fault, because he’s clearly bad at sex and doesn’t even care and is barely even a man and should be ashamed of himself. So am I a misogynist or just a guy with issues? Any advice for me moving forward? > YEAH, I GOT ISSUES

If you’ve been with women who blamed you when you didn’t come, YIGI, and then turned around and blamed you when they didn’t come, well, that had to be annoying. Or maybe you’re referring to something in the ether and not to any inability-to-climax/inability-toinduce-climax shaming you’ve actually come in for. (Have you been with women who shamed you like this? If so, and again, that had to be annoying. Have you been with any women at all? If not, it’s possible your letter is an MRA setup and/or you’re a misogynist with issues.)

If this has actually happened to you, YIGI, chalk it up to “some people are awful; women are people; some women are awful” and let it go. And remember this about men: sometimes we come during sex and sometimes we don’t; the number of times we don’t increases with age. Focus more

on intimacy, connection, and mutual pleasure, YIGI, and less on spooging all over everything—and seek partners with the same focus.

As for women: you do know that dick alone isn’t gonna do it for most women, right? Only a small percentage of women can come from PIV intercourse alone. (If you didn’t know, you know now, and you’re welcome.)

And you’re familiar with the clitoris, right? (If you weren’t, google it, and you’re welcome.) But if you find yourself in bed with a woman and you’re having difficulty helping her come (you’re there to help, not make), ask her if she can make herself come. If she can’t, odds are you won’t be able to help her come either—not you, not anyone else. If she can make herself come, ask her to masturbate to climax while you watch. Make a close study of what works for her. If she touches herself in a certain way, learn to touch her in that way. If she busts out a vibrator, use that vibrator before, during, and after PIV or instead of PIV. Good luck.

I’m a fan from way back. A therapist told me to go out and have some fun—I’m a married woman with teen boys and feeling a bit lonely— but I’m not looking to have an affair.

I just want a spanking now and then.

I found the one kink club I visited in New York to be kind of depressing, and my spanking friends are more of a social group who hang out on the weekends. I just need a little recreation—some good, clean spanking fun. Would love your advice. > SEEKS PADDLING AND NEEDS KNOW-HOW

> BY DAN SAVAGE Kink enthusiasts, like dentists and accountants and troglodytes (hey there, CPAC), have conventions, SPANK, where like-minded/employed/aroused folks meet and socialize before heading up to their hotel rooms for some good, clean kinky fun. I think you should get your ass to one of the many spanking conventions out there—and so does Jillian Keenan, journalist and author of Sex With Shakespeare, a memoir about your shared kink (spanking) and how Shakespeare’s plays helped Keenan discover and accept herself as a human being and as a kinkster.

(It sounds like a stretch, I realize, but do yourself a favour and read Sex With Shakespeare—it’s a funny, moving read, and it’s packed with fresh and convincing kinky reads on Shakespeare’s plays.)

“National parties are a great way to get safe, fun, no-sex spankings and meet other people in the scene in a low-pressure environment,” said Keenan, who sent along a list of events all over the country: Shadow Lane (Las Vegas), Boardwalk Badness Weekend (Atlantic City), Crimson Moon (Chicago), Spanking Club of New York (New York City), Texas All State Spanking Party (Dallas), and Lone Star Spanking Party (Houston).

“There are some parties I’ve chosen not to attend for political reasons,” Keenan said. “The spanking community isn’t immune to heteronormative bullshit, unfortunately, and some parties explicitly prohibit M/m play. Any party for sexual minorities that prohibits expressions of other

minority sexual identities doesn’t by “this is BS” is that she loves you too but had to call it off to go fuck deserve our time or our money!” some other guy and you still might Someone asked me to pee on have a shot with her, please disthem and offered to pay me. I didn’t abuse yourself of that belief. know what to do. They weren’t unNow, in answer to your question, attractive. Would you pee on some- MORE, you’re not weird. I don’t one for money? think your reaction is typical, but > PERPLEXED EUROPEAN variance is the norm when it comes ENQUIRES to human sexuality. It’s high time we all embraced this bit of cognitive I’m not ready to go pro at this stage dissonance: everyone is weird, so no in my career. one is weird.

If you and your ex are still speakI’m a straight man who was ing/texting, and you think you may recently dumped over text by a be on potential future-FWB terms, woman after we dated for about MORE, you could go for broke and four months. I thought we were tell her about your weird-but-notin love, but she said she doesn’t weird (and unexpected) reaction to have room for a relationship in her the thought of her with this other life right now. I know this is BS. guy. If your convos gravitate toward I think she dumped me so that she sex or sexy memories—mutually—let could sleep with another guy. In her know you’re up for either a FWB/ fact, I think I know who the guy MMF threesome sometime or some is. Anyways, I recently had some cuckolding-themed dirty texting. She rebound sex (it was awesome), and may be game, she may not be—but the whole time during it, all I could nothing ventured, nothing gained. think about was my ex-girl sleeping with this other guy, and it kind of ITMFA! Let people know you want turned me on. Am I weird? to impeach the motherfucker al> MOVING ON, REMEMBERING EX ready! Get ITMFA buttons, T-shirts, hats, mugs, lapel pins, and more at When you say you know “this is ITMFA.org. All proceeds benefit the BS,” MORE, I trust you’re refer- ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the ring to the text she sent when she International Refugee Assistance dumped you—“I don’t have room Project. for a relationship right now”—because that is definitely bullshit. On the Lovecast , dating someone People say that to be kind, and it’s with borderline personality disorour job to hear what they’re really der—it ain’t pretty: savagelovecast. saying: “I’m not interested in be- c o m . E m a i l : m a i l @ s a va g e l ov e. ing in a relationship with you, right net. Follow Dan Savage on Twitter now or ever.” But if what you mean @fakedansavage.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 25, 2017 WHERE: Bathroom Line at SweetP

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> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message <

I spaced on the opportunity to have a magical group bathroom sesh with you and your friends. Then never got a proper chat after either, pesky dance floor politics.

Your outfit had daisies on it and you said your name was common. I was pastel pink and worked in the forest.

Wish those laughs lasted longer, another time?

RENT CHEQUE BLONDIE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 24, 2017 WHERE: Astoria I was the “green cricket t-shirt” South African standing next to you most of the night at Rent Cheque. You’re blonde, collar tattoo ~ with your Asian friend. I think you’re amazing.

Odds you see this: 0%

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 14, 2017 WHERE: Peoples Prom Hey, you have a nice smile and you dance cute. Thanks for hanging out and being a sweet surprise Valentine's date. I’m sorry I put your number in my phone wrong. Hope to run into you again.

WINKING AND DRIVING

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 24, 2017 WHERE: Along the Kingsway Your navy coloured vehicle’s license plate started DXO and you kept pace with me along the Kingsway for something like 20 blocks. All the while flirting, smiling and waving at every red light. At one point you motioned for me to join you at the roadside. I had to get to work, and did not. What if?

BLONDE AUSSIE AT THE NAAM

WICKED GAME

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ICE CREAM DELIVERY DUDE AT PEOPLES PROM

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 25, 2017 WHERE: Princeton Pub

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 23, 2017 WHERE: The Naam, Kits

Our eyes caught a few times, the last time as you crammed into a cab with all your friends, some Sunday a few months back. You were wearing a red shirt I think. I can’t remember what I sang, probably Heart.

Keep thinking about you.

You’re kind of scruffy, it’s just right. You sang Wicked Game, it was dreamy.

A fateful encounter at the Naam. You, blond in red with a leather jacket, were with your two friends. I mistook you for a fellow Kiwi but it’s possible that I used that just to say hi, ha ha. Caught eyes as you were leaving and am annoyed at myself for not giving you my number. Grab a drink sometime?

TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME LULULEMON DT QT

CUTIE ON AN MEC BIKE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 25, 2017 WHERE: Lululemon Downtown To the tall, dark haired guy working at the checkout counter at the Lululemon downtown today (Saturday), you are super handsome! Great eyebrows and a sweet smile. We locked eyes a few times as I was strolling through the store - I had a brown leather bag, dark grey coat, and long, dark brown hair. I think that you were wearing plaid? Just thought that someone should tell you that you’re very attractive and seem like a good person, too :)

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 21, 2017 WHERE: Main/Union I see you every now and then around town on the bike routes. You: Short black hair, super cute, and sexy calves. You ride a MEC bike with black paniers and white helmet. Me: Tall, dark, and handsome with glasses riding a bike with a black bike and yellow pedals. We smiled at each other at Main/Union the other day while going in opposite directions. Oh how I wished I turned around and chased you. I’d love to cruise the seawall with you...

SMART DUDE AT PHYSICS SEMINAR

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 23, 2017 WHERE: High School in Port Moody I saw you at a Physics seminar at a local high school in Port Moody. You were sitting next to me while watching the Physicist James Siu from NASA give a presentation on torque. We struck a great conversation and both seemed to share a passion for Physics. You mentioned that you go to Simon Fraser University in Kelowna but I didn’t manage to get your number. Hopefully we can hang out and talk about some more Physics and discuss Dynamics, Vectors, Gravitational Waves and much more.

MAGIC MIKE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 20, 2017 WHERE: 2nd and Manitoba I was sitting on the sidewalk, my spare wheel laying beside me staring at my flat tire when you appeared out of the dark, a knight in shining rip stop nylon outer apparel. Asking if I could use your help, I felt a surge of rejoice as my long day of work was making it a monumental task to just change my flat. You were kind and funny, so incredibly sexy and your accent Mmmm, as you helped me figure out the complicated workings of fine European design of my Audi’s wheel changing apparatus. I was smitten and undressing you with my eyes. Mike, we successfully changed a flat together imagine what else we could accomplish!!! I gave you a juice from the place I work, come see me there :)

HELD THE DOOR FOR YOU

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 22, 2017 WHERE: London Drugs at Bute and Robson Held the door for you at the London Drugs on Robson, exchanged a few glances while we stood in the same isle a few feet from each other! I’m such an idiot for not introducing myself! You had the most gorgeous lipstick on!

HOTTIE IN DODGE 2500 ON SWARTZ TO TSAWWASSEN FERRY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 21, 2017 WHERE: Swartz Bay Ferry to Tsawwassen I’ve never done anything like this before, but I feel like an idiot for not trying to chat with you. 7pm ferry, you were beside me in the lineup. We smiled at each other a few times... Lost each other when unloading, and I could be wrong but I swear I saw you pull off on Marine Drive in Vancouver.

You’re crazy handsome, and hopefully you see this.

If so, let me know what I was driving and what color my hair is.

I’D LOVE TO SEE THAT SMILE AGAIN!

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 21, 2017 WHERE: New West Station You were coming up the moving walkway from the parkade at New West stn as I was going down--you have long, light brown hair and were wearing jeans, long sleeves and earth toned vest. I was the ginger wearing the grey toque and Paul Frank looking cardigan. I saw you before you saw me and thought “wow!” Then you looked up, met my eyes and smiled and I was smitten! I managed to smile back and then glanced back as you got off. Grab a beer or coffee sometime?

THE YALE SATURDAY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 18, 2017 WHERE: The Yale To the god of a man overshadowing every guy in the room with his height and amazing tall athletic body, I was way too shy to approach you but I’d absolutely love to get your number. I think you were wearing a dark shirt with little (red?) speckles on it. You’ve also got dark hair. I doubt you noticed me but I was wearing a blue dress and I have long blonde hair.

This guy didn’t strike me as the type of person to read these but if you know anyone that matches the description feel free to help a girl out.

Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _ MARCH 2 – 9 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 43

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44 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 / 2017