Launch of explorASIAN, Asian Heritage Month Celebrations
April 25, 2005
A month-long series of activities in celebration of Asian Heritage Month will be launched on Sunday, May 1, 2005 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lecture Hall of the Richmond Cultural Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate. Mayor Malcolm Brodie will read the City’s Official Proclamation of Asian Heritage Month at 2 p.m., followed by two free and exciting cultural performances.
Starting the festivities is the exciting Steveston Tera Taiko Group, Richmond’s first taiko group and the second youth taiko group in the Vancouver area. This drumming group, under the direction of Doug Masuhara, has been together for 4 years, with members between 13 and 21 years of age. These youth drummers will amaze you and get your heart pumping with the drum.
The second presentation will be a performance and workshop of Odissi, a Classical Indian Dance by Scheherazaad Cooper. Odissi dance is one of the seven classical dance styles of India dating back nearly 2000 years. Scheherazaad will perform a dance and conduct a workshop explaining the complexities of the dance. She has a rare combination of artistic dexterity and creativity combining personal charm and grace with technical brilliance. The secret of Scheherazaad’s magic lies in her ability to completely transform the dance with the use of expression of feeling into an aesthetic experience that bears personal resonance for each and every viewer.
In the Upper Rotunda, there will be an opening of “Collecting Culture: Chinese Tobacco Art” from the personal collection of Mr. De Sheng Li of Richmond. Mr. Li has collected more than 20,000 tobacco paintings since 1966, and has organized them into 12 different categories including Chinese opera, film stars, literature, worldwide scenic spots, rare birds and animals, and special engineering objects. Tobacco paintings started in 1879 by American tobacco companies and were inserted into cigarette packages in China. The original purpose of these paintings was for advertisement and promotion, but found their way into every aspect of daily lives, and influencing popular culture.
For more information download a copy of the Asian Hertiage Month Activities List in PDF format, or contact Suzanne Greening at 604-231-6433.
