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Happy Chinese New
Year!
Vol 9 No 39 - January 15 to February 5, 2008
www.thelasource.com
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Swinging in Lotus
Land
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Canadian Reality Check
By Olga Livshin
The Benefits of Culture Shock
By Shi-Lim
I like to think of myself as a
person who is able to adapt to any
new environment with relative
ease. I definitely never thought
of myself as someone susceptible
to culture shock. However, in
retrospect, I realize that I did
experience culture shock. This
was especially the case when I
moved from Singapore to Canada
during my junior year of high
school. Though I made friends
easily and got used to Canadian
culture and this way of life, I had
to face difficulties in the process
of assimilation into my new
environment.
Firstly, I experienced a language
barrier. Contrary to popular belief,
Singapore’s national language
is not English. At least not the
English that North Americans
are used to. Singaporeans speak
Singlish, the Singaporean version
of English that leaves native
English speakers from the West
thinking that we are speaking a
different language. When I first
arrived in Toronto, no one could
understand me. My Singaporean
pronunciation and accent made
the English I was speaking
sound completely foreign to my
schoolmates. Often, I omitted the
H’s and R’s of words and ended
up pronouncing “three” as “tree”
and “car’ as “cah”. I couldn’t
believe that even when I said “I
want to buy three kilts” to the lady
at my school uniform store, she
replied “tree kilts? Yes, the kilts
are forest green.” It was then that
I recognized the need for me to
change the way I spoke.
Secondly, I discovered how easy
it was to commit cultural faux pas.
Though Singapore prides itself
on being a multicultural country,
Canada is a meeting place for
peoples from all nations and
ethnic backgrounds. A Caucasian
friend of mine had a Taiwanese
boyfriend. I once said casually
to her, “how do you like having
a Chinese boyfriend?” To my
“Verbatim” see page 2
In 2007, Simon Fraser University’s
School
of
Communications
conducted a study of local ethnic
media, resulting in the report
Cultural Diversity and Ethnic
Media in BC. For the purpose of
brevity, we’ll call this document
the Report.
In the course of the study, Dr.
Catherine Murray and her team
examined 144 media outlets
produced in languages other than
English and French. The majority
of those outlets appear in three
language groups: Korean, Chinese,
and Punjabi. They serve the biggest
ethnic communities in the province,
so the Report focused on them.
Frequently, the people speaking
the above-mentioned languages are
referred to as ‘visible minorities’.
In this case, ‘visible minority’ is a
contradiction in terms. According
to the Census 2006, more than
500,000 people in BC list their
mother tongue as either Chinese,
or Punjabi, or Korean. These
people comprise the majority
of the immigrant population in
Vancouver.
What about the real minorities,
which aren’t so visible? What
newspapers do they read? What
news items do they enjoy? Do the
Report’s findings apply to them?
To answer those questions, The
Source conducted its own, smallerscale investigation, involving
newspapers in Polish, Russian,
Dutch, Swedish, and Spanish.
According to the Report, the
editorial mandate of the ethnic
media is to “…serve community
members in their acculturation
process while helping to retain
a cultural link with their ‘home’
country.” All the media outlets
selected by The Source seem to
concur, considering themselves a
bridge between here and there.
On the other hand, on the issue
of competition for the readers, the
opinions are polarized, prompted
by the statistics. For example,
while there are 28 media outlets
in Korean, serving approximately
35,000 people, which obviously
invites fierce competition, there is
only one newspaper in Swedish.
The editor of Swedish Press,
Anders Neumuller, commented
sadly that in 1929, when his
paper was founded, there were
hundreds of Swedish papers
in North America. Now, there
are only two: one in BC and
another in New York. No new
immigrants come from Sweden,
and the second generation all
speaks English, hence no need
for an ethnic newspaper. Gerald
Bonekamp, the editor of the
Dutch newspaper De Hollandse
Krant, agreed with the sentiment.
To find readers, both papers
distribute by subscription, and
many of the subscribers live in
the US.
Content-wise, the Report
noted that there is no ‘generic’
ethnic category, although most
ethnic newspapers profile certain
spheres of interest on their
pages. One common feature is
advertisement. Often, ethnic
“Minority” see page 2
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2
The Source
Vol 9 No 39 - January 15 to February 5, 2008
“Minority” from page 1
By Serge Corbeil
Will 2008 be an
electoral year?
2008 opened exactly the same way
2007 ended. No, I’m not referring to
the weather, but as to whether or not
there will be a general election in
Canada this year. Once again there
are plenty of political observers
and other types of watchdogs busy
with such matters, studying their
crystal balls, seeking an answer to
a crucial question: will the Harper
government topple in 2008?
According to trend, regardless of
other considerations, it would make
sense to expect an election this year.
Historically, minority governments
in Canada have stayed in power an
average of 24 to 36 months. Come
January 23rd, the Conservative
government will have been in
power 2 years. It’s up to opposition
parties to decide when to call the
next election. And this is where
things get a little complicated. I
believe that the Bloc Québécois and
Jack Layton’s NDP party are ready
to defeat this government at the
drop of the hat. Not surprisingly for
the NDP, as the MP’s there, have,
at this hour, much to gain from
such a move. Leader Jack Layton
is performing well and seems to be
everywhere at once.
It is now mostly up to the Liberal
Party to call the shots. The risk,
however, for Stéphane Dion’s party,
is greater and more complicated.
Disagreements over public policies
between parties aren’t enough to
give good reason to Liberal MP’s to
defeat government.
However, since Stéphane Dion’s
troupes have, to date, shown support
“ Verbatim” from page 1
surprise, she snapped, “He’s
Taiwanese! Not Chinese. You
can’t call the Taiwanese Chinese!
It’s an insult to them.” It seemed
that White Canadians had a more
intimate understanding of Asian
racial identity than I did.
Finally, the greatest factor that
made me realize I’d undergone
culture shock was chewing gum. It
surprised me that almost everyone
I knew in school chewed gum.
I was not used to this liberal
use of gum, as gum is banned in
Singapore. There is no store on
the island city that sells chewing
gum of any kind, and if one does
successfully manage to smuggle
in some from abroad but is caught
spitting out chewed sticky blobs
on the street, he or she will
unfortunately be fined for littering.
When Canadians discover that I
come from Singapore, the very
first thing they would ask me is “I
heard gum is banned in Singapore.
Is it true that if the police catch
someone chewing gum on the
street, the offender gets thrown
in jail?” Chewing gum may be
banned, but it’s not a crime. Still I
was amused to find out that despite
The Source is published by The Source
Forum of Diversity Newspaper Society.
Founding Publisher
Mamadou Gangué
Managing Director
Saeed Dyanatkar
Editor - In - Chief
Mary Chinni
Editor - French Content
Frédéric Van Caenegem
Editor / Copy Editor - English Content
M.R. Bradie
Copy Editor - French Content
Andony Garritz
in matters pertaining to confidence
votes, the circumstances can only
impel the Prime Minister to call for
an election. By the way, the official
opposition’s current strategy has
been keeping many a political
blogger busy, especially among
some Liberal supporters.
As we speak, the Liberal Party
is facing a difficult choice. The
Party could, in order to topple the
government before its next budget,
use a day reserved for opposition
dealings to call for a vote of non
confidence. The Afghani conflict
could be evoked- a bit riskily- or
matters of environment, a dossier
the Liberals handle in ways dearer
to Canadians. This would entail a
general election before April.
There is always the option of
defeating government on budget
alone. But this government is
no dummy, and I bet the budget
will be found copious by many
Canadians. Who would want to
start campaigning after objecting
to, say, tax cuts?
Meanwhile, I believe that the
longer Stephen Harper stays
in power the harder he will be
to dislodge. At this time, polls
indicate that an election would only
bring about another conservative
minority
government.
The
Canadian electorate has, obviously,
taken a certain liking to this type of
government.
For the Conservative troupes, a
minority government is still better
than the opposition bench.
media outlets operate as partial
telephone directories of the
local businesses catering to that
particular
language-speaking
community.
Another common domain is the
‘essential information’ articles
on immigration-related issues.
Almost all the ethnic newspapers
publish legal tips, financial advice,
and health solutions specific to
Canada. But here the similarities
end. The vast linguistic and racial
divides are real and reflected in
the different headlines’ priorities.
Among the Report’s selection,
the dominant news genre is
‘hard news’ – a journalistic term
for the serious, time-sensitive
topics like crime, business,
and politics. Depending on the
cultural traditions, the outlets
show different preferences in
that classification. Punjabi papers
tend to publish local crime news
and pieces on hyphenated IndoCanadian identity. Korean papers
lean towards business. Chinese
papers favor provincial political
events. All the newspapers analyzed
in the Report cover sensational
news, local or international, like
earthquakes or war.
Vancouver’s
selection
of
smaller-scale ethnic newspapers
emphasizes the more up-beat sector
of the media spectrum. Striving for
a positive approach, they publish
mostly ‘soft news’, including art,
entertainment, culture, and items
of curiosity. Although there is
classical news from the countries
of origin and the analysis of news
in the Russian Vancouver Express
and Polish Zycie Takie, most
of the materials concern visual
art, theatre, books, interviews,
culinary recipes, scientific musing,
horoscopes,
and
star-studded
gossip.
Spanish
Spanglish
carries
cultural reports from a number of
the Spanish-speaking countries.
Zycie Takie sometimes offers
religious articles. The New
Hungarian Voice, a rare ethnic
outlet
published
exclusively
in English, is dedicated to the
promotion of Hungarian culture,
history, and language. Besides
traditional journalism, Vancouver
Express, Spanglish, and The
New Hungarian Voice present
occasional poetry, humor, essays,
fiction, and creative non-fiction.
The publisher of Vancouver
Express, Alexander Kulyashov,
probably formulated a common
opinion when he said: “For our
readers, we are not only a link to
their language and culture but also
a relief from the stresses of the
immigrant life. We are a support
structure. We cause smiles, inspire
contemplation, and cultivate pride
in the people’s heritage.”
the efforts of the Singaporean
government to give Singapore a
more international reputation, the
main thing that North American
civilians know about Singapore is
that chewing gum is prohibited.
Though culture shock usually
has a negative connotation, it
may in fact be a good thing to
experience, as it can allow one to
broaden their views on the world.
Through my instances of culture
shock in Canada, I came to realize
that I had been living in a bubble
in Singapore. I once thought
that the English I spoke was
understandable
internationally,
that ethnically Chinese people in
Taiwan and Hong Kong were still
called Chinese, and that Singapore
is well known abroad. Now I know
better. So even though I still retain
Singaporean citizenship, culture
shock has made me understand that
I need to become more of a citizen
of the world and widen my cultural
horizons whenever I can.
By Shi-Lim
Art Editor
Marika Grabowski
Graphic Designers
Laura Copes - French Content
Rashid Ismagilov - English Content
Photography Coordinator
Kristel Wyman
Photography Team
Kristel Wyman
Rod Kay
Marketing Manager
Jaspreet Gill
Editorial Content Advisors
David Reed
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Writers
Melissa Anderson
Nigel Barbour
Alain Blancard
Serge Corbeil
Daniel Dumitrescu
Monique Kroeger
Shi Lim
Olga Livshin
Sarah Massah
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Rob Potts
Ernest Salvat
Webmaster
Yaroslav Pentsarsky
Zeina Barbir
Translation
Monique Kroeger
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Circulation
Christine Barbour
Nigel Barbour
Sepand Dyanatkar
Alexandre Gangué
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3
The Source
Vol 9 No 39 - January 15 to February 5, 2008
By Federico Morales
The Chinese New Year, based
on the lunar calendar, is coming
up on February 7th. In light of its
arrival, I’d like to take this chance
to look back on some of my more
memorable Lunar New Years.
I first tried turtle soup on the
first day of Chinese New Year
celebrations about three years
ago. I had just arrived in Shanghai
to meet my wife’s family. It was
blistering cold and I was fighting
the flu. On top of that I found
Shanghai to be a bit overwhelming,
with the constant traffic, the smog,
and the massive crowds who were
all out celebrating the New Year.
After living in Asia for a year
I found myself missing home,
especially my mother’s cooking,
huge burgers, and cheesy, greasy
pizza. In the middle of that longing
my mother-in-law plopped a bowl
of turtle soup in front of me and
said, “Cha, cha!” My wife told me
that it meant “Eat, eat!” I poked
at the shell with a chopstick; it
bounced off the side of the bowl
then popped back up to the surface.
I nudged my wife with my elbow
and whispered, “You want my
turtle?”
“Eat it or my mother will be
insulted,” she growled back at
me, turtle soup running down her
chin.
I took a deep breath, sighed, and
dug in. It was delicious.
My friend James Lee has nine
fingers. He’s self-conscious about
it. Though he’s a good-looking man,
with a great sense of humour and
a passion for life, when he meets
a girl he instinctively moves his
right hand to his side, blocking the
stub where his pointer finger used
to be. When he knows I’ve seen
him do this he blushes and shrugs.
Of course, he knows it’s not a big
deal for me, since I happened to be
there the day he blew it off.
It was Chinese New Year. I was
fifteen years old. I made my way
to James’ house. James was from
Taiwan, having arrived in Canada
only a few years before. For the
Chinese New Year he invited me
over to his house to eat with his
family. After dinner, feeling ten
pounds heavier, we waddled out
into the cold to blow off some
firecrackers in the park.
The wick on one of the Mighty
Mites packs was shorter than it
looked. Before James had the
chance to throw it far from us it
went off, blackening his hand and
leaving his fingers ravaged. He
hollered in agony and I had to help
him get back home.
To this day we still joke about
how his parents reacted, how they
had made him sit in the bathtub
because they hadn’t wanted any
blood hitting their carpet, and
how his mother still displayed
impeccable manners by offering
me even more food while we waited
for the ambulance to arrive.
I remember the first time I
experienced the Chinese New Year.
I was five years old and had just
arrived in Canada with my family.
I spoke no English and I was still
bewildered by the cold, the days
that turned to night by five p.m.,
and by the multitude of languages I
heard every day on the playground
at recess.
Then one day in February we were
called for another school assembly.
Photo by Richard Eriksson
REVISITING CHINESE NEW YEAR
Are you ready for Chinese New Year?
I sat on the freezing gym floor and
waited, expecting to see the same
ritual of the anthem, some talking,
a song by the chorus, and the filing
out back to our classrooms. Instead
there emerged a loud thump from
a large drum that woke me right
up, followed by the entering of a
dragon that whirled about and spun
all around us. I recall feeling a
strange exhilaration in my stomach
because it was completely new and
unimaginable to a Salvadoran child
of five.
Though my new years since then
have come with blown up fingers
and floating turtles, it’s still one of
the holidays I look forward to the
most. Here’s wishing you and your
family a great new year!
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The Source
Vol 9 No 39 - January 15 to February 5, 2008
Vancouver: City of Jazz
By Melissa Anderson
Jazz is considered to be the
folk music of North America. It
is among one of North America’s
greatest cultural achievements.
This achievement has successfully
transmitted to the world a powerful
voice of human experience. It
was created from a multi-cultural
society. Since its creation, jazz has
united people across the divides
of race, region, and national
boundaries, and has always made
powerful statements of freedom,
creativity and identity. It is a music
which gives people a sense of relief
and happiness. Jazz is a genre of
music, known to many people that
we hear and experience everywhere.
Jazz has such a powerful musical
message, and we need to raise
awareness that Vancouver is a city
with many venues for it’s creative
jazz subculture. Walking down the streets of
Vancouver, one might see coffee
shops, clubs, bars, lounges, and
restaurants hosting a local jazz
artist or jazz group. Some of
my favorites include; The Cellar
Restaurant/ Jazz Club, situated on
West Broadway, The Libra Room
on Commercial Drive, O’Doul’s
Restaurant on Robson, and
Capone’s Restaurant on Hamilton.
The great thing about these four
restaurants is you can look forward
to hearing a local artist play every
night of the week. The ambience
within the restaurants is relaxing
and enjoyable. You can sit down
with your friends, sip a drink, have
an appetizer, and enjoy a night
of soulful jazz tunes. There are
many more fantastic little venues
that support our local freelance
musicians.
Despite, the fact Vancouver is
home to many fine jazz musicians;
it is debatable to whether there has
been growth in Vancouver’s jazz
culture. A couple of nights ago I
went to O’Doul’s to hear Sharon
Minemento play jazz piano. Sharon
is an instructor at the Vancouver
Community College, teaching
private lessons, and classes in jazz
piano. Sharon comments, “It’s hard
to say if there has been growth.
There seems to be fewer venues to
play in, but at the same time, there
seems to be more and more students
enrolling in post-secondary jazz
departments. Maybe we have more
of an educated group of listeners
now with fewer places to listen to
music.”
I am a music teacher, and
I’ve noticed within the public
school system, jazz has become a
major favorite within the student
population in the music programs.
We have many jazz festivals in
which students of any age can
participate. And we all see kids
forming their own bands outside of
school.
In addition to our local jazz
venues, Vancouver hosts many
festivals every year where
hundred’s upon thousands of people
gather around to listen to local
artists, and international artists
find their groove up on the stage. A
big event that shouldn’t be missed
is the Vancouver International
Jazz Festival, which is held in late
Photo: Travis F. Smith
June of every year. It is a nonprofit service, so you will see a
bigger turn-out of people attending
each performance. Sharon adds,
“Musically speaking, there are
many talented musicians here [in
Vancouver] that play everything
from Dixieland to straight ahead
jazz to improvised and electronic
music, so there is a wide spectrum
when going out to hear bands. In
any major city, people realize that
it’s part of going out to hear live
music. It’s the same as going to
a movie or a sporting event- you
don’t necessarily know exactly
what you’re going to get, but you
might have a general idea about
the genre of music you’ll hear.”
So get out there and listen! Other
worthwhile
festivals
include
Folkfest, CelticFest, and Festival
Vancouver.
All in all, we have many fantastic
jazz events that we can enjoy in
Vancouver. So next time you are
at home and you feel the need for
something to do, walk over to one
of these venues and enjoy a night
of powerful, meaningful, and
energized music!
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The Source
Vol 9 No 39 - January 15 to February 5, 2008
Growing Up First-Generation Canadian:
One Nationality, Two Realities
By Daniel Dumitrescu
Reminiscing about my life in
Vancouver, I inevitably arrive
at the multicultural factors
surrounding me. Although I was
born and raised in Canada, I too
faced issues felt by all walks of
life in this country. My family is of
Eastern European origin and since
my parents emigrated from their
respective countries, my brother
and I were the first to incorporate
western culture into the family.
Now, by western culture I don’t
mean tradition, I am speaking
more of a way of life.
My youth comprised of two
realities; the one at home, and the
one outside home. Although this
transition was made easier by a
childhood split between parents,
contemplation of this topic struck
me as I walked out the door every
morning. I often thought about
how sacred my parents viewed
our home and, therefore, how unsacred other (perceivably more
westernized homes) must be. My
friends were never allowed inside
my refrigerator, but I was allowed
in theirs’. My friends were never
allowed to enter my house without
being invited in, but I was able
to let myself in to theirs’. While
ultimately small issues to keep
in mind, their power in numbers
routinely became overwhelming
in all aspects of my life. In my
younger years I was plagued with
the troubles any child faces, from
bad marks in school to acne. I,
however, had a host of other issues
to face that seemed even more
unfair because I did not witness
other children dealing with the
same things. I was made to play
the piano for instance and loathed
it, instead of appreciating it at the
time.
Perhaps the area most affected
was my social life, given that
was the major area requiring
acceptance of others and their
differences. To say the least,
for more than a decade I had no
social life. While my peers would
meet for sleepovers and movies
I would stay at home to practice
piano. This situation enabled
introspection and escape. Half
of my time was spent forgetting
the troubles of not fitting in, and
the other half spent analyzing the
situation. I would say this aided
me greatly to piece together my
view of the world. I was never
made to believe in Santa, the
Easter Bunny, and Thanksgiving
was about the turkey, not the
thanks. I was always able to
empathize with others as equals,
and quickly learned that the grass
indeed appears greener on the
other side.
My home life was rich with
European tradition, values, and
food.
At every multi-lingual
birthday, multi-lingual caroling at
Christmas, and church, there was
out-of-this-world food. I have
visited Europe and seen one of my
countries of origin. All throughout
my life, the company my family
kept involved a language barrier.
Whether in Canada or visiting
other countries, I found it difficult
to relate to those near me. While
I speak English (Germanic) and
mediocre French (Latin), nothing
replaces knowing the language in
question; so I was never able to
get to know my grandparents and
those relatives still in my countries
of origin. In the end, this string of
situations creating my childhood
has made for a varied ride of sorts.
I feel that much can be gained
from the realization that teachers
are all around us, should we take Practicing piano instead of playing hockey
the time to notice. I feel that
every stranger is an acquaintance
SPENCIE’S
you haven’t met, and I feel that
variety is the spice of life, these
dual realities that have been my
childhood.
VIEW
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6
The Source
Vol 9 No 39 - January 15 to February 5, 2008
By M.R. Bradie
The Sisters of No Mercy
CulturaLCalendar
(Postcards from Ireland)
Vancouverites who spend their
winter vacations in tropical pleasure
zones like Maui or the Mexican
Riviera are savvy, sophisticated
people who are unashamed to
pamper themselves. But that’s not
us. No, we have decided to spend
the holidays at my sister’s home in
Ireland where it’s just as dark and a
good bit stormier than Van’s wintery
nocturnal rainforest.
Our flight is cancelled. The first
lesson of our journey is at least
one wicked witch works at the Air
Canada counter in YVR. Her evil
intent is foreshadowed by the fact
that she keeps her nametag covered
at all times. “Don’t even waste your
time on standby,” she says to us of
the only other flight, causing our
heads to droop in disappointment
at the prospect of a completely
cancelled trip. She even lets us
walk away. After talking to another
airline agent, we learn that she is
just being difficult; something Air
Canada agents are notorious for. An
hour later we’re on a direct flight to
London.
All of the New Ireland’s modernity
drops away as we pass from County
Cork to County Tipperary. By time
we reach Clogheen, the road has
narrowed into two lanes, barely
wide enough for the tiny euro-cars
to scrape past one another. This
is the village where my sister has
settled with her Irish husband, a
well renowned chef. Here they are
living the Irish Dream in a renovated
convent, which serves as a restaurant
and B&B (www.theoldconvent.ie).
Village Clogheen’s single street
boasts a hardware store, a market
and two pubs, in one of which my
sister tells me the bartender is a
twelve year old kid. We agree to go
to the other one, where the bartender
is at least 15.
The Old Convent is a big old
stone building that used to be home
to the Sisters of Mercy, an order of
Catholic nuns. The Sisters have since
moved to a newer home directly
next door, and often stop by for tea
with my sister in the afternoon. On
this stormy Boxing Day, they’ve
insisted that our family come over
for Christmas pudding. My parents,
wife, sister and brother-in-law are
all go over to take them up on the
invitation. Secretly terrified of nuns,
I stay behind to take a shower, read
and relax in our deluxe honeymoon
suite. I can’t help but acknowledge
the irony of a honeymoon suite that
used to be a nun’s quarters.
When everyone returns some
hours later, mother and brother-inlaw are pie-eyed drunk. It’s strange
because neither of them are big
drinkers. My father’s sober eyes
are wide with shock and my sister
is downright angry. “Those nuns,”
she hisses. “They’re kitchen table
was loaded with booze!” As it turns
out, one of the Sisters who likes to
drink drafted my brother-in-law as
her partner, pouring him tumbler
after tumbler of dangerous Irish
whiskey. My mother, dutifully
trying to bail out my brother-inlaw, drank as much as she could to
save him the trouble. By time they
got home, the two were stumbling
between a stagger and a jig. Then
brother-in-law deals our poker
cards face up, and sister sends him
off to bed. “Alcohol is the curse of
the Irish,” she says. It reminds me
of the old W.C. Fields quote, “Work
is the curse of the drinking class.”
We meet up with the nuns for
lunch the following day. Sister
Claire sits next to me in the car and
asks, “And just where were you
Michael, yesterday when the family
came for puddin’?”
Her tone sends a shiver down my
back. “I had to take a shower,” I
reply nervously.
Sister Anja looks back from the
front seat with suspicion, “A two
and a half hour shower?”
“I was really dirty,” I stammer.
“I’ll say you were,” says Sister
Claire.
By Sarah Massah
Asian Studies Day
January 16 – 10:00 am
– 4:30 pm
Langara College
604.323.5037
[email protected]
The college is hosting a day
devoted to the continent of
Asia and will include food
from Indonesia, Japan and
Thailand. There will also be
a roundtable for a discussion concerning the crisis in
Burma (Myanmar).
Italian Girls! – Opera
Speaks Series
January 16 – 7:30 pm – 9:30
pm
Vancouver Public Library
– Central Branch
www.vancouveropera.ca
This public forum is hosted
by the Vancouver Opera
and the Vancouver Public
Library and includes discussions regarding the themes
and issues from the operas
of the season.
Dual Eclipse: Orchestras
Canada, My India!
Norman Rothstein Theatre February 10, 2008
950 West 41 Avenue
Doors: 6:00 pm
(at Oak)
Show: 7:00 pm
Canada, My India! explores
Greater Vancouver’s ethnic
diversity. This musical is
about the nostalgic memories
of an immigrant woman who
misses her motherland yet finds
connections and similarities in
her everyday life to India. Each
of her neighbours embodies
characteristics of different
South Asian music and dance.
It is cultural diversity and
acceptance in Vancouver that
ignites the spirits of all residents,
building bridges between one
of our largest ethnic groups
and other cultures. Performed
in English, Canada, My India!
highlights the commonalities
between various Indian arts
and Western cultures and
features artists who are among
the finest in North America.
Canada, My India! is the first
locally produced, professional
show encompassing South
Asian classical, folk, and fusion
arts with the very best that
Vancouver has to offer.
The
performances
include
Delhi2Dublin, an electro-acoustic
collaboration
between
five
established world fusion artists,
blending the traditional sounds
of North India and Ireland with
cutting edge dance rhythms and
DJ aesthetics; Entouraas, a dance
troupe specializing in the Gujarati
folk dance form called dandiya/
raas; FootEdge Dance Company,
formed by five women with dance
backgrounds in bhangra, bolly,
jazz, modern, Indian classical,
and other folk dances, these ladies
explore South Asian dance in a
challenging and ingenious way;
Neelamjit Dhillon, a professional
musician equally versed in Eastern
and Western traditions, with
the tabla, saxophone, and sitar
being his instruments of choice;
Paromita Naidu, trained in ballet
and bharat natyam, combines
in her art the culture of India,
where she was born, and the art
forms of Canada, where she grew
up; United Bhangra, one of the
most entertaining and explosive
‘Live’ bhangra teams in the Lower
SHUBERTIAD! A Viennese Song Circle
January 25 – 8:00 pm
– 10:00 pm
Ryerson United Church
604.738.6822
The Vancouver Chamber Choir presents Franz
Shubert’s collection of songs
performed by the Vancouver
Chamber Choir with Linda
Lee Thomas at the piano.
Vancouver Opera: The
Italian Girl in Algiers
January 26 – February 2
– 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
21st Century Flea Market 604.638.0222
January 20 – 10:00 am
www.vancouveropera.ca
– 3:00 pm
Croatian Cultural Centre
604.980.3159
[email protected]
Treasure hunt at the Croatian Cultural Centre amidst
collectibles from the 50’s
to the 90’s such as dolls,
jewelry, china and records or
if you have your own items
bring them for appraisal!
in association with
Vancouver, British Columbia
of Two Worlds
January 20 – 7:30 pm – 9:30
pm
The Chan Centre at UBC
604.605.8284
www.turningpointensemble.
ca
www.pushfestival.ca
One of the amazing performances featured in the PuSh
Festival, Turning Point and
Gamelan Gita Asmara come
together to perform new and
classical music from Bali and
Canada. There will be live
dancing, video projection and
Balinese drumming throughout the program.
Mainland and in North America,
they don’t dance to recorded
music, but rather create their
own; UBC Girlz, a dynamic,
high-energy, all-female bhangra
team comprised of a talented
group of dancers who have proven
that bhangra is not only for men;
Tarun Nayer, a tabla player,
DJ and producer with the Beats
Without Borders Collective; and
Trisha Rampersad, a classical
kathak dancer with a 19-year
dance background, all of it in
Indian dance forms.
Canada, My India! is part of
the 2008 Cultural Olympiad.
Tickets available at Tickets
Tonight,
604.231.7535,
ticketstonight.ca and also at
Kamal’s Video Palace, Main
Video, Zulu Records, Highlife
Records.
For more information please
contact: O’Day Productions Ellie O’Day
604.731.3339, [email protected]
The Vancouver Opera presents Rossini’s opera on a
beautifully designed set that is
sure to keep audiences laughing and entertained. Mezzosoprano Allyson McHardy
makes her debut alongside
lyric tenor, John Tessier.
World Poetry: Gung Haggist Fat Choy Gala
January 28 – 7:30 pm – 9:30
pm
Vancouver Public Library
– Central Branch
604.331.4044
An interesting mix when
Chinese and Scottish traditions are celebrated with a
Canadian twist. This tribute
to Robbie Burns Day and the
Chinese New Year with include poets and performers.
Discover Dance! Compaigni V’ni Dansi
January 31 – 12:00 pm – 1:00
pm
Scotia Dance Centre
604.606.6400
www.thedancecentre.ca
Enjoy the noon hour series
that features champion jigger Yvonne Chartrand as she
leads Metis dance companies
Compaigni V’ni Dansi and the
Louis Riel Metis Dancers.