The RED Letter, Apr 2009

GirlCanCreate presents


The RED Letter
April, 2009

www.girlcancreate.com


Table of Contents

  1. Words from Lisa Pijuan-Nomura
  2. An Interview with Tova Kardonne
  3. Feature Dance: Jenn Goodwin and Susie Burpee
  4. Feature Theatre: Madness from the Square
  5. Feature Theatre: Our Lady of Spills
  6. Feature Festival – 2009 De Colores Festival of New Works
  7. Feature Comedy: Brokeback Pontiac
  8. Artist Trading Card Trading Sessions at the Workroom
  9. Creativity Classes and Coaching with GirlCanCreate
  10. Classes, Workshops and Conferences
  11. Read this Book! With Book Lady Sarah Selecky
  12. Calls for Entries
  13. Photography by Dave Pijuan-Nomura
  14. Last Thought

 

1. Words from Lisa Pijuan-Nomura

 

Lisa self-portraitLast month I had the pleasure of sharing a stage with one of the world’s most wonderful storytellers, Hugh Lupton. A tall slim man from the UK, Hugh seems a bit quiet. And then he begins to speak. And suddenly you are standing in the Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood, or alongside faieries in a hay field. Hugh is a magician of sorts who uses words and songs to conjure faraway lands of kings, queens and powerful potions. He is your guide to a journey that is breathtaking. And then, when he is finished, you walk away smiling trying to keep that feeling of wonderment near for as long as you can.

Once, while working in the schools a Grade 5 student wrote this. No one may be good every second, being bad is punished. Being yourself is the goal.”

The past few days there has been a flurry of conversation about Susan Boyle who appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent”. Everyone seem surprised that a frumpy lovely like her self would have such a beautiful voice.

My point? Imagine that everyone in the world had such wisdom, such gifts and magic. Regardless of the icky economy we would all be rich. So my challenge to you is to look around and see the magic in people. Everyday people. Let me know what happens. I would love to hear it.

I am organizing a letter writing campaign called The Kindness of Strangers – Part 2. Basically it’s a call to offer words of kindness and hope to two people close to me during a hard time. Check it all out here.

Continue being amazing, and supporting local art and magic!

Best,
Lisa

 

2. An Interview with Tova Kardonne

( I have known Tova Kardonne for many years and have had the joy of watching her art grow into the brilliance that it is today. Enjoy the interview! – LSPN)

The Thing Is

 

Tell us about THE THING IS

Led by singer/composer Tova Kardonne, THE THING IS is made up of a horn section, a rhythm section, and a voice. We play original music, with original lyrics, that is best described as tipsy, sexy, music for the brave. Most of us met during our studies at Humber College, in the Jazz Performance program, where all kinds of crazy fusions and hybrids also get made, sometimes to the detriment of the actual homework.

Toronto is a great place for fusion bands such as yours. How does Balkan Jazz and Funk come together?

The first song that I wrote for THE THING IS was scrawled in the back of my agenda book while waiting for a drummer in a parking lot. I had just finished my first year of Jazz College, and the compartments in my brain for Bulgarian music, Jazz, Funk, Indian classical music, and Cuban religious drumming, were all uncomfortably full. Alone in that parking lot in a doubtful neighbourhood, I was getting nervous, one might even say scared, and mad at being stranded. My inner soundtrack came to the rescue-- angry, 7-beat funk bass line, bad-ass enough to keep the scaries at bay-- when I suddenly became confused. I had accidentally switched to an Indian classical tal. I yanked myself back: angry, 7-beat, funk. Then I got confused again. It kept happening, I kept putting things together that really had no business meshing perfectly with each other. So I wrote them both down on top of each other to relieve my feelings, and at the end of the long streetcar ride home, it was the seed of a song.

That was a strange and wonderful moment, when those two kinds of music refused to stay apart, refused to remain in the compartments I had put them into. I wouldn’t have had the chutzpah to do it on purpose: students like me who have seen the masters at work don’t tend to mess with traditional forms. But the first drummer who played this music offered to record it, and the first bass player who recorded it, asked to be the bass player “when you start a band”. So of course I had to start a band. And because this music is such a hybrid of a beast, the moment when it ceases to be a bunch of parts and becomes it’s own sound has an element of mystery to it. One moment it doesn’t exist, and then suddenly, THE THING IS, as if it always was.

Indian classical music is as yet an all-too-brief affair compared to my longtime relationship with various Balkan musics. Though that first song was really a hybrid of funk and Indian music, THE THING IS songs sound like a combination of Jazz and Rumanian, funk and afro-cuban and Bulgarian musics. It digs in, it moves you in the spine. It’s the strangest stuff you’ve ever grooved along with.

What are some of your favourite places to go in the city?

I love Allan Gardens, especially in the winter. I love the allotment gardens hidden around the city, particularly in the fall, when people are in them harvesting their vegetables. I love watching the glass blowing at the Harbourfront Centre, and all the awesome summer festivals and music that goes on by the water. I also love Pizza Libretto. It’s the real Neapolitan deal. Yum.

 

The Thing Is
8-piece Balkan-Funk Fusion Band, Tipsy, Sexy music for the Brave.
The Trane Studio (964 Bathurst St.)
Sunday May 31, 8 p.m.
$10

 

 

3. Feature Dance: Jenn Goodwin and Susie Burpee

Susie Burpee

Accidents for Every Occasion
and

Mischance and Fair Fortune

 

Accidents for Every Occasion is a playful yet poignant look at the banal, beautiful, and barbaric occurrences and encounters that we have - or don't - that trigger astounding consequences. Perhaps you saved lives today through small and unnoticed actions; maybe a quick glance at strangers at a party stirs you to walk toward one, or away from another, thereby avoiding a new relationship with a tragic ending, or meeting the love of your life. It looks at our fear of failure, attempt to be perfect and avoidance of discomfort, along with the beauty and challenges of lessons learned through accidents and mistakes. With humour, beauty and edgy movement, Jenn Goodwin, and her talented team of collaborators - dancers Valerie Calam (now independent after nine years with Toronto Dance Theatre) and Alicia Grant (IDAC member) and video artist Walter Willems (Amsterdam/Toronto artist) - have created a work that is immediately relevant and highly accessible.

Mischance and Fair Fortune won 2005 Dora Awards for both Outstanding New Choreography and Outstanding Performance for Susie Burpee. This emotionally powerful duet based on Ovid's tale of two lovers who live and die without ever meeting, pairs Burpee with the formidably talented Dan Wild. The original music is by Winnipeg songwriters John K. Samson and Christine Fellows (who was Dora-nominated for composition on another collaboration with Burpee, The Spinster's Almanac) with lighting design by Jean-Philippe Trepanier. Pyramus and Thisbe lived their lives separated by a wall and their plot to meet one night goes horribly wrong. Drawing on the themes of missed opportunity, and the struggle to connect, the work is a powerful emotional journey of love and loss.

 

A Harbourfront NextSteps Series Event
Thursday, April 30 - Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 8pm
Harbourfront Centre's Enwave Theatre
231 Queens Quay West

Tickets: $28 ($18 Students/Senior/ CADA/SCDS)

Box Office: 416-973-4000 or online at
http://www.harbourfrontcentre. com

 

 

 

4. Feature Theatre: Madness from the Square

Marjorie Chan is honestly one of my favourite artists in our city. Not only is she a dynamic performer, writer and director, but she is one of most lovely people ever. Like really. Check out her latest show! – LSPN

The Madness of the Square postcard image

 

Four young friends find themselves thrust into the spotlight as unlikely revolutionaries in the 1989 student demonstrations of Tiananmen Square. The events of this dark chapter of recent history test their beliefs and ultimately, their friendship.

Written by Marjorie Chan
Directed by Ruth Madoc-Jones
With Karl Ang, Ella Chan, Stephanie Jung, Shannon Kook-Chun, John Ng, Siobhan Richardson
Set design by Camellia Koo
Lighting design by Trevor Schwellnus
Costume Design by Jackie Chau
Sound Design by John Gzowski
Projection design by Jamie Nesbitt
Choreography by Viv Moore
Stage Mangagement by Shauna Japp

April 16 - May 3, 2009
OPENS April 21
Tuesday - Saturday @ 8pm
Sunday, April 19 @ 7pm
Sunday, April 26 & May 3 @ 2pm
Box office: 416-504-9971

Online: www.factorytheatre.ca

 

 

5. Feature Theatre: Our Lady of Spills

(You know when you meet someone and you are immediately struck by how graceful, and talented they are, even though you have only spoke with them for a total of 10 minutes? This is how I feel about Edwige Jean-Pierre. We had the loveliest of talks and she told me about this show, which I can’t wait to see. Check it out!)

 

Our Lady of Spills image

Our Lady of Spills is written by emerging Canadian playwright of Haitian and Congolese descent, the very talented Edwige Jean-Pierre.

An aged woman, Lillian Holt has been committed to Shady lane manor by her son Charles, who she will never forgive. In her growing dementia, we see all her prejudices manifesting themselves on her Haitian nurse, Sandrine Vincent. In the course of the play, both Sandrine and Lillian triangulate their existence between present day Canada, the home for the aged and the home they miss and yearn for.

Our Lady of Spills features Edwige Jean-Pierre and Lorna Wilson.

Directed by Rhoma Spencer and produced by Gurbeen Bhasin.

Previews April 24, 25, 26. 2009
Opens April 28, runs to May 10
8:00 p.m.

Papermill Theatre
67 Pottery Road

Tickets go on sale from April 1 online at www.meowfilms.com and in person at TO Tix - Dundas Square, Toronto.

General Admission $25. Previews
$10 Matinee PWYC($10 suggested minimum)

For further info: www.theatrearchipelago.ca

 

 

 

6. Feature Festival – 2009 De Colores Festival of New Works

The De Colores Festival of New Works is just around the corner. That means that on April 24 and 25, you, your friends and Alameda Theatre Company are going to crowd Kensington market to hear powerful stories of loss, identity and strength. Mark your calendars! You don't want to miss this!

De Colores logo

2009 De Colores Festival of New Works
Bread & Circus
299 Augusta Ave. (in Kensington Market)

April 24, 2009- 8pm

The Intruder
by Amaranta Leyva
Directed by Guillermo Verdecchia
Dramaturged by Stephen Colella
Featuring: Rosa Laborde, Juan Carlos Velis

Lizardboy
by Victor Gomez
Directed by Ruth Madoc-Jones
Dramaturged by Erica Kopyto
Featuring: Paula Rivera

Musical intermission featuring Jeronimo Acuña

April 25, 2009- 8pm

My Secret Romeo
by Michelle Amaya-Torres
Directed by Bea Pizano
Dramaturged by Erica Kopyto
Featuring: John Blackwood, Carlos Gonzalez-Vio, Anita La Selva

Coyoté
by Emma Ari Béltran & Catherine Hernandez
Directed by Nina Lee-Aquino
Dramaturged by Stephen Colella
Featuring: Alex Castillo-Smith, Jefferson Guzman,
Juan Carlos Velis, Sigrid Velis, Osvaldo Sepulveda

Musical intermission featuring Edgardo Moreno

Cabaret style, cash bar, live music at intermission.

Tickets $12, $10 for Students & Seniors

Call (416) 428-7638 for tickets & information.

www.alamedatheatre.com

 

 

 

7. Feature Comedy: Brokeback Pontiac

(Many of you know Becky Johnson as a clown and improvisor. And some of you might know her through her crafty fame. Either way, you know she’s one of the most exciting artists this city has. Join her for a night of comedy and fun and help her get her tour bus back on the road!)

De Colores logo

Brokeback Pontiac

An evening of performance, art, craft and revelry to raise money to fix a well worn touring vehicle.

If you like to enjoy yourself, then this is what you should be doing with your time.

Hosted by Chris Locke

With performances by: Kathleen Phillips, Zeesy Powers, Iron Cobra, Kurt Smeaton, Alana Johnston & Kayla Lorette, Megan Fraser, Levi MacDougall, Katie Crown, Sara Hennessey & More!

And silent auction items from:
Leah Buckareff, Claire Milne, The Sweetie Pie Press,
WORN Fashion Journal, & More!

Friday April 24
7:00 p.m.

The Comedy Bar
945 Bloor Street West

See a preview of some auction items here:
http://www.sweetiepiepress.com/brokebackpontiac/

 

 

 

8. Artist Trading Card Trading Sessions at the Workroom

(Last month we hosted about 12 people for our Make and Trade at the Workroom! Cards were traded and people were happy! Join us for this awesome time!)

ATC session

What is an ATC? Well, think of a baseball card. Or a playing card. Only, it doesn't have your favourite ball player, it has a one of a kind work of art. Originally these cards were created so that artists who couldn't afford art would swap with their friends. It has grown to become a movement that let's many people create and exchange original art!

The only rules are that it must be 2.5' by 3.5' and it must be traded.

ATC Toronto wants to spread the good word of Artist Trading Cards and is hosting monthly swaps and card making sessions! Exciting news is that we will hosting a regular trade on the last Sunday of each month at the wonderful Workroom!

These cards are for everyone, not only artists!

Join us once a month to make and trade some cards. Or come with your own cards to trade at our monthly session. This is a great way to meet new people, find some creative time and play with crayons, paper, glue, paint and just have time to make art! We will provide the basics such as cards, paints, papers and glue!

Beginners welcome! Please know that this is for everyone! Even if you have never done any sort of art, you are welcome! It’s fun, and addictive, and you can have a great afternoon!

The Workroom banner

Sunday April 26, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
The Workroom

1340 Queen St. W.
www.theworkroom.ca

PWYC

 

9. Creativity Classes with GirlCanCreate

“As a workshop leader, Lisa brings a sense of excitement and passion few can match. Her enthusiasm rubs off on the participants, now co-creators, in a world of movement and creativity carefully explored and unleashed in a safe, fun-filled experience. Lisa is both a masterful facilitator and a catalyst for stepping into the unknown. With such warmth and humour, she truly creates a joyous atmosphere in her classes and workshops.” - Beth Mairs, Director of Wild Woman Expedition

She Can Create banner

She Can Create: Creativity Classes for Women

Join us for an experiential woman's creative group that meets once a week to play and create using a variety of different inspirations. Focusing on self-expression and the desire to bring more art to our lives we will use Collage, Storytelling, Movement, Doll making, Beadwork and Journaling to jumpstart our creativity and help create unique pieces of art and find ways how to continue creating after the classes are finished. Lisa will also talk about the overcoming creative blocks, taking steps to complete projects and letting the world know about your work. A sure fire inspiring workshop, register early to avoid disappointment as there is a limited amount of participants.

Wednesday Nights from 6:30 to 9:30
June 3, 10, 17 and 24
Location: Labspace Studio's at Queen and Pape

Price: $175

To register and place a deposit to hold your spot  please email Lisa at lisa@girlcancreate.com or call 416-516-4925


One on One Creativity Coaching

Do you have a creative dream welling up inside? Or do you feel stuck by anxiety when you take a step towards your creative vision? Perhaps you simply want more art in your life.

As a creativity coach, I am interested in helping people discover their most creative, true and fulfilling selves. I bring over 20 years experience as a performance artist to my work and understand the practice of starting from an idea and moving towards creation. Together with clients, I aim to bring more art to their lives, work towards specific project goals and assist to make their creative dreams a reality. Together we look towards clarity, inspiration and realization in regards to all aspects of their creative life.  Sessions are either in person or on the phone with additional weekly email support.

Rates: Single 1 hour session = $70
Two 1 hour sessions per month = $130
Four 1 hour sessions per month = $250

I am currently accepting new coaching clients. If you are interested in working with me please email me at lisa@girlcancreate.com with a short introduction. I look forward to hearing from you!

About Lisa: For many years Lisa has helped other artists when times were tough. It seemed to be a natural extensions of her work as an artist and curator. Lisa has studied with many great creative minds including author and creativity expert Eric Maisel, Art Therapist Jacqueline Gautier, dancer Lisa Nelson, singer Ysaye Barnwell, musician Babatunde Olatunji, storyteller Judith Black and many others! Lisa has taught at Rio Caliente Wellness Spa, Wild Women Expeditions and as an Artist in Education in the Toronto School Board.   With over 15 years of working as a performance artist, writer and educator, Lisa is especially passionate about bring art, humour and creativity to lives of women, youth and children.

 

 

10. Classes, Workshops and Conferences

Exploring your Choreographic Voice
A creative workshop facilitated by Lucy Rupert

Uncover, challenge and refine your creative process in a no-pressure environment. Lucy offers strategies for energizing creativity through your own voice. Bring a solo or group idea, existing choreography or start fresh. Each participant can dance for other participants as well as exploring their own ideas for a full experience. Each day will consist of an improvisational warm-up to free up the imagination, followed by alternating work on participants’ choreography. Lucy acts as an outside eye, targeting the needs of each individual work and creator. Open to professional and emerging dance artists and dance students in their last two years of a training program.

Lucy Rupert is a dance artist, choreographer and theatre performer with eclectic training in dance, music, visual art and history, and a performing career in theatre, dance and hybrid works. She is the artistic director of Blue Ceiling dance, which focuses on individuality through solo and collaboratively-made work. She works regularly with the experimental theatre company Theatre Rusticle.

Registration and info: email blueceiling@sympatico.ca

Please include a brief description of your activity as a dance artist and your curiosity as a choreographer. If you would like to participate as a dancer only, contact Lucy through email for details.

May 4-8th, 2009 12-4pm
$100

Dovercourt House, 3rd Floor
805 Dovercourt Rd, just north of Bloor St.

www.blueceilingdance.com


Mornings and Evenings of Deep Restoration
Spring Workshop Series

Give yourself the gift of deep relaxation with this three hour workshop that will leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed and restored.
You will learn that deep relaxation is within your reach, and with continued practice, many of the techniques can be applied in everyday life to counterpoise the detrimental effects of stress and the often maniacal pace we keep.

We will gently move through guided relaxations, simple and supported (mostly reclining) yoga positions, and easy breathing exercises that together become a long guided meditation. No previous experience with yoga or meditation is necessary.

This workshop is suitable for anyone, and is an especially good antidote for stress, or just a really special way to spend a quiet Sunday morning on your own, with a friend, or your partner.

To encourage continued practice, you will receive a CD with three guided relaxations (5, 10 and 20-minute lengths respectively) to help you to begin your own practice at home.

 

AN EVENING OF DEEP RESTORATION:
Tuesday, April 28 ~ 7pm-10pm
Tuesday, May 26 ~ 7pm-10pm

A MORNING OF DEEP RESTORATION:
Sunday, June 14 ~ 11am-1pm

Small class-size
$55 per workshop | $90 for two | $120 for all three
Includes guided relaxation CD

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED
To register, visit the following link to login to Tiina's e-calendar:
www.mybookingcalendar.com/tiinaveer
Go to "Classes & Workshops" and click to appropriate month

INQUIRIES:
Contact Tiina
tiinaveer@gmail.com
www.halcyonhealth.ca
(416) 530-9613

 TIINA VEER RMT | YOGA INSTRUCTOR | WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

Tiina is a long-time student of the 'embodied experience,' beginning with the western tradition of massage therapy right across its continuum of modalities and philosophies from scientific and evidence-based to intuitive and esoteric, and from the intrinsically holistic eastern traditions of zen shiatsu, yoga and Ayurveda. All of these explorations keep bringing her back to the same fundamental conclusion: we are living at a pace and with stress that our nervous systems were not designed for, manifesting in a multitude of symptoms that can touch all aspects of our existence (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual). Tiina believes we could all use more tools for coping with the challenges of our fast-paced existence.


Yoga for Round Bodies
Spring Session

May 2, 16, 30 & June 13
10:00AM - 11:45AM

This introductory yoga class series is offered specifically with the round body in mind. Yoga is in itself a very flexible art and science, and is intended to be modified to the practitioner. In this series, not only will you have the opportunity to explore yoga in a way that suits your constitution/anatomy best, you will also have the opportunity to practice and explore in a comfor-table, non-competitive environment in a small group, at a cozy private studio. Classes will include restoration (deep relaxation) practices, gentle yoga and mindful movement.

Absolute beginners welcome along with any other "level." Any size is welcome. This exploration is not about how big, or not big, or how advanced or not advanced, how flexible, or how strong. Nor is it about weight loss. It is simply an opportunity to come and begin from where you are, to move your body and quiet your mind in a comfortable, supportive environment, to tend to your well-being and experience your body, just as it is right now.

May 2, 16, 30 and June 13
Saturdays 10:00am - 11:45am bi-weekly

$120 for all four classes

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED
To register, visit the following link to login to Tiina's e-calendar:
www.mybookingcalendar.com/tiinaveer
Go to "Classes & Workshops" and click to May 2009

TIINA VEER RMT | YOGA INSTRUCTOR | WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

Inspired by her own experience living and practicing yoga in a round body, Tiina hopes to teach and share yoga in a way that is accessible, beneficial and safe for the 'Rubenesque student,' while practicing and exploring in a supportive environment.

Contact Tiina:
tiinaveer@gmail.com www.halcyonhealth.ca
(416) 530-9613


Biodanza: The Art of Vivencia
Biodance Introductory Workshop

Faciliated by Maira Martinez

What is Biodanza?
Biodanza means Dance of Life. It is a system of human development that integrates the therapeutic power of music, mindful movement and interaction with others to provide experiences of being fully alive in the here-and-now. These experiences are known as “vivencias”(from the Spanish vivir, to live). They are doors to primal emotions and to the deep experience of True Self. Vivencias follow the organic movements of Life—its biological rhythms, the pulse of the heart, and the impulse to connect with others. This workshop is an invitation to dance and weave our colours together, and reclaim the joy of really Living.

April 17th 8-10:30pm (discovery evening) $20
April 18th 2-9pm $120
April 19th 10-5pm

Bavia Arts Studio
898B St. Clair Avenue West
(between Oakwood and Bathurst)

Full workshop (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) $240

www.biodanza.ca
www.biodanza.us

Please contact Joana Calcada at 416-570-1480 or
joana.calcada@uhn.on.ca for more info.


Summer Aboriginal Dance Training Intensive

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre is pleased to announce the inaugural Summer Aboriginal Dance Training Intensive held at Canada's National Ballet School studios in Toronto, Ontario.

August 9-15, 2009 Week 1
August 16-23, 2009 Week 2

Canada's only Aboriginal Dance intensive including full days of training in ballet, Contemporary Aboriginal, traditional Aboriginal and Contemporary dance. This program offers intensive physical training for individuals pursuing or considering a professional career in contemporary and/or Aboriginal dance.

Artistic Faculty:
Santee Smith (Mohawk), Artistic Director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
Michel Faigaux (Ballet)
Louis Laberge-Côté (Contemporary)
Traditional Aboriginal taught by Guest Aboriginal Instructors
including: Halau I Ka Wekiu* of Hawaii among others

Special seminar: The Viewpoints by Michael Greyeyes (Cree)
Dancer/Choreographer/Actor

Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis applicants particularly encouraged.

Early bird deadline is April 30.
Regular deadline is May 31.

More information and to register visit
http://www.kahawida nce.org/training


Compose As You Play:
a series of drop-in Improv Performance skills workshops.

Each session will include a warm-up and a few skills leading into scores.

Led by Meagan O'Shea at Hub 14, 14 Markham Street

Sunday April 19, 1 - 3:30
Friday April 24, 1:30 - 4
Saturday April 25, 1 - 4
Wednesday April 29, 6 - 8:30
Tuesday May 12, 1 - 3:30
Thursday May 14, 1 - 3:30
Tuesday May 19, 1 - 3:30
Thursday May 21, 1 - 3:30
Tuesday May 26, 12:30 - 2:30
Thursday May 28, 1 - 3:30

Sliding Scale $ 10 - $ 15 each

For more info contact: omeagan@gmail.com


Contact Improvisation Dance Classes – Embodied Physics

Fridays, Starting April 3rd
6pm - 8pm

Dovercourt House, 1st floor
805 Dovercourt Street (one block north of Bloor)
$15 per class drop-in price
$60 for five classes
$100 for ten classes

For more info and registration contact Yves Candau, ycandau@hotmail.com

I see contact improvisation as a form of embodied physics. We explore movement as conscious beings and cultivate mindfulness as we dance. At the same time, as our physical bodies move through space, they are subjected to the same laws of physics that determine the movements of everything else in the world.

We will explore a number of principles to support our dances:

- Sensation, intention and action.

- Observation of our mental and physical states.

- The inner dance: skeletal support, flow of muscular tone, integration into lines of force and energy in the body.

- The inner dance as a foundation to our dances through space.

- Exploring movement pathways to find more ease, stability and efficiency.

- How we rise and fall from the ground, how we go in and out of contact with a partner, and the kinaesthetic communication that takes place while we are in contact.

Yves Candau was doing a PhD in Cognitive Sciences when he discovered dance. Gradually his interest shifted from the abstract to a more embodied research, which he has been passionately pursuing ever since. Yves has taught Contact Improvisation since 2001, giving classes and workshops in France , Italy , Germany and Canada . His teaching has also been influenced by his study of Aikido and Alexander Technique.


Solo Show Intensive with Anne Marie Scheffler
3 day workshop with Anne Marie Scheffler

Friday May 1st,, 8 to 10pm,
Saturday May 2, 1:30 to 5:30pm
and Sunday May 3rd 1:30 to 4:30pm
with an 8pm performance Sunday May 3rd.

The best way to get work, is to make work. Create your own show that will showcase you. Act in a piece that means the world to you- a piece you wrote. You have a story to tell, now create a show to tell it! By the end of the weekend, you will have a stand- alone piece that you can perform on stage anywhere, any time. This workshop will take you from “I should” to “I have.”

In 3 days, you will uncover your show, find your character, decide your title, workshop it on your feet, and perform it on Sunday night for your friends and family. You will also get the resources for where to take your solo show once you are ready to perform to sold out crowds.

Study from the queen of solo performances: Anne Marie Scheffler. Anne Marie has been writing and performing her one woman shows since 1994. She has sold out her shows all over North America, including Edmonton and San Francisco. Her shows include Situation: NORMA, Watch… Norma’s Back!, Leaving Norma, Dating Myself, Not Getting It and Got it Good. Anne Marie is currently writing her 7th one woman show: Suddenly Mommy! which will debut at The Winnipeg Fringe Festival in July 2009. Her 5th show, Not Getting It, was turned into a 1 hour TV special for CTV and The Comedy Network, and was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award.

At The S.P.A.C.E., 1324 Danforth Avenue, (at Greenwood subway)

$300. ($150 deposit to reserve your spot.
Class limit 10 students).
To register: email amscheffler@rogers.com

For more info see
www.annemariescheffler.com

 

11. Read this Book! With Book Lady Sarah Selecky

Necklace of Kisses coverNecklace of Kisses
Francesca Lia Block

I should say right off the bat: this book is probably not for everyone. But there are people out there who should Read This Book, and this is a call out for them. How do you know if you’re one of those special people? For your convenience, I’ve put together a short questionnaire that should give you an indication. Please take a moment to read the following ten questions. Please be honest when answering your questions. Remember that first thoughts are often best thoughts, but in all cases, let your answers come from your heart. Tally your scores at the end.

Please answer true or false:

1. You believe in magic. You believe that wishes can come true; that there are dimensions in which angels, fairies and mermaids do exist; that sometimes these dimensions cross over into our world, and we see and hear things we can’t always explain.

2. You love dressing up. You make your own clothes out of vintage scarves and silk flowers and don’t feel right in a jacket until you’ve cut the sleeves or pinned it with a flashy patch or an appliquéd star. You name your outfits – the really important ones – and your favourite clothes go with you everywhere, like friends.

3. You know how it feels to kiss a boy and lose yourself in the kiss, moving through time and space.

4. You know how it feels to kiss a girl and lose yourself in the kiss, moving through time and space.

5. Sometimes you fantasize about packing up and moving to a fancy pink hotel in California, where you can sleep in crisp white sheets and take a bubble bath every day, sit by a pool under palm trees with a glass of champagne, and not answer the phone anymore.

6. Poverty, violence and cruelty make you so sad, sometimes you wake up in pain.

7. When pressed, you’ll admit that you like to believe in gods and goddesses.

8. The following words give you pleasure, even just to look at them: sparkle, silky, roses, butterfly, whisper, numinous, bubble, heaven, gold, frisky, rhinestone, kiss, intoxicate, kimono, freesia, effervescent, fishes.

9. You understand that the following things are essential to a dynamic and happy life: love, food, music, sex.

10. You knew Weetzie Bat, the heroine of this novel, back in the 90s when Francesca Lia Block’s first books came out. As a young adult you stayed up late reading her L.A. punk fairy tales one after another, again and again, because the characters conjured so much magic, a balm in your angst-filled life. They provided a glimpse of what love could look like in a magical counterculture, where wishes come true and families aren’t always dysfunctional and nuclear and what you wear is as important as the art you make.
Welcome back, my loves. Weetzie Bat is now 40 years old.

How to read your score:
If you answered “true” to five or more of the questions above, I really think you should read this book.

 

To get news about Sarah Selecky's upcoming writing classes and workshops, sign up for her mailing list.

 

 

 

12. Calls for Entries

Hysteria: A Festival of Women:
the largest multi-disciplinary showcase of its kind in North America.

Hysteria is a vital forum for presentation, dicussion and exchange unlike any other in the country. Moynan King, Festival Director, is seeking submissions for the 5th incarnation of this international showcase of female talent from the worlds of theatre, dance, film, music and visual and performance art.

For HYSTERIA submission guidelines and application, visit us online.

For inquiries contact Moynan King,
Festival Director 416-975-9130 x27 moynan@artsexy.ca

Deadline: May 1, 2009


Get Lit! Competition

Torontonians of all ages are invited to get creative and submit their
Toronto-inspired works to the first-ever Get Lit! Competition.

Celebrate creativity and share your stories in the Get Lit! Competition.

Get Lit! invites submissions in any creative form as long as the
final work includes a literary element.
All entries will be a part of a special exhibition -so enter now!

For full contest details and prizes visit:
www.torontoarts.org/GetLit.pdf


Lab Sessions 5.0: Keep It In The Family

The Lab Sessions are a series of themed interactive art parties hosted and curated by Labspace Studio. Labspace Studio is looking for artists to present their work(s) for the fifth installment of The Lab Sessions.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
"Keep It In The Family" is a show that explores family dynamics, personal histories, memories and shared experiences. We're looking for completed works or proposals for collaborative projects that involve an artist working directly with a family member. Submissions should include a family member who is not simply the content of the piece, but who is a key collaborator in the production of the work. (Family members do not have to be artists
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:
Painting, Collage, Photography, Drawing
Video, New Media
Writing, Spoken Word, Text
Performance
Dance
Installation
Music, Sound

Work will be displayed at Labspace Studio on the
night of July 25, 2009.

All artists are expected to financially support their projects. We will facilitate required technologies and assist in the installation process to the best of our ability. Keep in mind that The Lab Sessions is a party environment! Artwork may need to be tailored to suit the atmosphere.

To submit your work please email a brief description of your proposed piece(s) along with supporting/portfoli o material of the described work or other work recently completed in a similar media to info@labspacestudio .com .

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 15th, 2009

For more details or to submit contact:
2A Pape Ave., Toronto, ON
info@labspacestudio .com
http://www.labspace studio.com


Hotshot | Open Space

Hotshot is looking for proposals for unique activities/shows for our new Open Space series.

Open Space will be a series of activities/events/shows which are pre-developed and pre-planned but spontaneous and elastic in schedule.

We sometimes have days or weeks in between shows when the space is empty and full of opportunity. Help us create something fun, interactive and informal - we welcome bright new ideas that challenge and play with the conventional ideas of art shows and exhibitions.

Here are some of the ideal qualities we are looking
for in your proposal

* Easy to setup and breakdown
* Works as an activity/event/performance and finished product
for exhibit
* Encourages people to get involved, have fun, participate and
play

Submission Requirements

* Full name
* Low res jpgs of your work (Maximum 4 images) / URL's with
your work/Description and photos (if available) of past activities
and events
* Contact details (Phone number required)
* Any special requirements if applicable
*There is no deadline for Open Space proposals, but please send in your ideas ASAP we're looking forward to hearing from you!

Please email required information to proposal@hotshotkensington.com

Visit our website:
http://www.HotshotKensington.com


Day of Delight - Call for Submissions

The 7th annual Day of Delight - a celebration of love, courtship and desire - is set to lustfully unfold at Dufferin Grove Park on the afternoon of Sunday June 14, 2009. We are seeking sexy collaborators of all artistic disciplines to contribute works on themes of Love, Courtship and Desire, within the context and tradition of outdoor performance in public space. This includes theatre, music, dance, spectacle, poetry, installation, puppetry... we dare you to surprise us!
Offerings can be large or small, new or old - but must be focused on themes of love, courtship and desire. Works of about 15 minutes in length seem to work best. Dialogue-driven works of a realistic nature seem to work the least. A modest honorarium will be offered to all participating individuals or groups. Please note that you are responsible for providing all requirements for your production, ie: cast, director, set pieces, etc., although we will provide whatever support we can.

Deadline for Submissions: APRIL 25, 2009.
Those accepted will be notified by April 30.

Please submit your proposal to clayandpaper@sympatico.ca. The proposal can be in whatever form you think best describes your project and ability to carry it out; this can include an artist statement, script, photographs, video, audio, participant CVs, etc.

If you want to do things old-school, you can mail your proposal to Clay & Paper Theatre, 163 Concord Ave. Toronto, ON M6H 2P2. Feel free to email or call if you need more information: (416) 537-9105.


Artsweek Peterborough
September 19 – 27, 2009

The City of Peterborough’s fifth annual Artsweek is extending a call for submissions for its 2009 programming schedule from individual artists, curators, organizations and/or collectives. Artists at all stages in their career are eligible to apply, and applications are not limited to artists within the Peterborough area. Preference will be given to projects that are created specifically for Artsweek and have not been previously presented. Proposals are sought for Artsweek’s three programming categories:

BLINK: site-specific installation projects displayed for the duration of Artsweek. Artists proposing an installation should consider the public visibility, function and security of the work for the duration of the exhibition. All media will be considered.

SCENE: interdisciplinary, contemporary, live performance projects, including but not limited to theatre, dance and performance art.

FLICKER: film/video/media art screenings. Projects could include projections, outdoor screenings, curated programming, shorts or collaborative pieces with recorded or live music.

Other project proposals that do not fall within these categories are welcome. A jury of peers will review all proposals. Selected artists will receive an honorarium of up to $700.00 (depending on project requirements) inclusive of all project expenses, rental fees and travel.

Application deadline: 5pm Monday, June 1, 2009.

Application forms with complete details are available at www.artsweekpeterborough.com/apply.

For further information, visit us online or contact April Steele,
 Artsweek Coordinator, at coordinator@artsweekpeterborough.com
or (705) 772-5191.

www.artsweekpeterborough.com

 

 

13. Photography by Dave Pijuan-Nomura


Photograph by Dave Pijuan-Nomura .

Dave specializes in macro and live event photography.
Contact dave@nomuraphotography for more info.

 

14. Last Thought

As artists our job is to keep the faith and help humankind to remember beauty and thus the promise of happiness. Our work defends hope, the most precious homeland for any soul.
- Todd Plough