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2008 News and Information
Cultural Olympiad 2009: Where the World Comes to Play
05 November 2008Gravity defying dance, rousing music and a new spin on graffiti art gave a taste of the more than 400 free and ticketed performances and exhibitions audiences will enjoy as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2009 program.
The complete program was announced by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Program highlights include a one-year countdown concert on February 12, 2009, headlined by multiple Grammy and Juno award winner Sarah McLachlan, the introduction of a ground-breaking new suite of digital programs that extends the celebration of Canadian culture online, and myriad other performances and exhibitions spanning music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film. Cultural Olympiad 2009 will run from February 1 to March 21, 2009, with events to be held in more than 70 venues throughout the Games region.
“The Cultural Olympiad will engage audiences with cultural experiences that intrigue, inspire and celebrate creativity in the 21st century,” said Burke Taylor, VANOC vice president, Culture and Celebrations. “Cultural Olympiad 2009 takes this promise to the next step, expanding the scope of our programs in our build-up to 2010.”
With more than 100 projects, 97 of which are presented in partnership with 70 arts and culture organizations, Cultural Olympiad 2009 showcases the vitality and breadth of Canada’s creative community. The 2009 festival builds on the success of the 2008 program, expanding its scope, scale and diversity through greater participation by national and international artists. With 85 percent Canadian content – half from across Canada and half from BC – artists from every province and territory of Canada are featured alongside artists from five continents, bringing the world together through creativity and imagination.
The 2009 program also extends the celebration across Canada through the National Presentation and Touring Program and into the digital sphere with the introduction of CODE (the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition).
Unique Programming
From productions that meld divergent perspectives to emerging talents re-inventing the voice of contemporary Canada, Cultural Olympiad 2009 features music, dance, theatre, visual arts, film, outdoor spectaculars and digital media experiences. Streets will buzz with digital graffiti, fire artists, high-tech face painters as well as an inaugural Lunar Festival at the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza.
This year’s music program dives into a wide range of music styles, from Australian cult band The Necks, to a rare performance of Steve Reich’s mesmerizing Drumming by a who’s who of Vancouver percussionists, to the Vancouver premiere of the legendary Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra.
Theatre productions will include new and old world puppetry with the latest creation from Canada’s genius of puppet theatre, the masterful Ronnie Burkett, and the classical form of Japan’s Awaji Puppet Theatre. Skydive provides an uplifting window into of the power of the imagination, while East of Berlin takes a provocative look at history’s psychological legacies.
The visual arts programs on offer roam and explore the underworld of China’s outlaw performance art scene and revel in the magic of Canada’s finest ice carvers. Closer to home, a tribute to Stan Douglas and the seminal roots of the Vancouver School reveals an intriguing snapshot of the Vancouver’s arts scene in the 1980s. Cinephiles can enjoy historical and new films screened in novel settings, such as snow banks and shipping containers. Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company, Quebec’s Marie Brassard and Spain’s flamenco master Maria Juncal provide a glimpse of some of the most exciting dance marking today’s world stages.
“As we build to the extraordinary Games-time program of 2010 the constant for the Cultural Olympiad is our commitment to the vibrancy of our regional and national arts and cultural scene,” said Robert Kerr, VANOC’s program director, Cultural Olympiad. “Partnering with arts and cultural organizations is fundamental to creating a successful program that truly engages our community, celebrates its creativity and leads to legacies lasting long past 2010.”
The City of Richmond will be hosting visual arts and theatre performances during Cultural Olympiad 2009.
Event Name: 2009 Olympic Ice Art Exhibit Date: Saturday, February 14 - Sunday, February 15, 2009 Time: 3:00 – 10:00 p.m. Location: Richmond Olympic Oval, 6111 River Road Admission: Free Details: The Richmond Olympic Oval will dramatically transform into a stunning gallery, becoming the wintry backdrop for creations by some of the most celebrated ice sculptors from across the country, engaging our ongoing fascination with ephemeral blocks of ice that morph into translucent masterpieces.
Event Name: Summer of My Amazing Luck Date: Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 14, 2009
8:00 p.m.
No performance Sunday, March 8, 2009Additional Show Times: Saturday, March 7, 2009 @ 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 @ 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 14, 2009 @ 2:00 p.m.Location: Gateway Theatre, Studio B, 6500 Gilbert Road Admission: Adult/senior tickets = $26
Student tickets = $20
eyeGO tickets = $5 (high school students with ID)
Call the Gateway Theatre Box Office at 604-270-1812 or visit www.gatewaytheatre.comDetails: Two single moms break free of the endless red tape and confines of their subsidized housing to find love and life on the road. A joyful, exuberant take on navigating life through Canada’s welfare system, based on Canadian author Miriam Toews’s (A Complicated Kindness) novel by the same name. Directed by Natasha Nadir, with Sarah Rodgers, Sasa Brown and Daniel Arnold
About the Cultural Olympiad
The Cultural Olympiad is a series of multi-disciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, this multi-year celebration features an expanded program in 2009 (February 1 to March 21, 2009). The program culminates with the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22 to March 21, 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
For a complete list of Cultural Olympiad 2009 events, visit www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.
