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2009 News and Information
Cultural Olympiad 2009’s Seven-Week Celebration of the Arts Kicks off February 1
29 January 2009Some of the world’s best will be in Vancouver to play, dance, sing and create as part of the sprawling artistic showcase known as Cultural Olympiad 2009, presented by Bell. It all starts Sunday, February 1 with a magical sea of lights and lanterns ushering in the Lunar New Year, and a music-fuelled trip through the zodiac following the Chinese New Year Parade.
More than 400 free and ticketed performances and exhibitions will take place from Sunday, February 1 to March 21 at over 70 venues in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia’s Sea to Sky corridor.
The City of Richmond will be hosting the following 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.
The full slate of events is listed in the Cultural Olympiad 2009 Program Guide, distributed as an insert in the local editions of The Globe and Mail and Vancouver Sun newspapers last weekend and available for free at cafés, cultural centres, public libraries and Bell stores throughout the Games region. The program guide, as well as information about tickets, is also available online at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.
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
“We’re partnering with some of the best and brightest in the Canadian creative community to produce an extraordinary festival of arts and popular culture,” said Burke Taylor vice president, culture and celebrations for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “These events are the perfect antidote to long winter days; those who get out to explore these new experiences will be richly rewarded.”
Robert Kerr, program director for the Cultural Olympiad added: “The program spans music, dance, visual arts, literary arts, theatre, film and new media representing Vancouver, British Columbia and Canadian creative communities. But we’ve also reached out to include some of the most exciting artists on five continents.”
The 2009 program also extends the celebration across Canada through the National Presentation and Touring Program and into the digital sphere with a ground-breaking new suite of programs called CODE (the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition). Eighty-five per cent of Cultural Olympiad 2009 content is Canadian — half of which is from British Columbia, the host province of the 2010 Winter Games.
“Bell is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, a celebratory showcase of Canadian and international arts and popular culture,” said Loring Phinney, Bell vice president for corporate and Olympic marketing. “Our support of the Cultural Olympiad will help make it possible for even more Canadians to experience the 2010 Winter Games through the delivery of unique and compelling cultural content.
One of the program highlights is the One-Year Countdown Celebration on February 12, headlined by multiple Grammy and Juno award winner Sarah McLachlan at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. A special Cultural Olympiad collectors’ pin will also be issued and will be available for purchase at the concert in honour of the One-Year Countdown to the 2010 Winter Games.
The first ever “Lantern-A-Mania” — a display of uniquely decorated twinkling lanterns — helps kick off Cultural Olympiad 2009 on February 1. The LunarFest event at the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza is inspired by the ancient traditions of the lunar new year. Another notable event is the Talking Stick Festival, where the artistic wealth of Canada’s First Nations will be honoured. In its eighth year, this week-long event starts February 9 and features over 30 offerings at multiple venues throughout Vancouver.
Other must-sees include: Quebec band Bell Orchestre, featuring members of Arcade Fire, at the Commodore Ballroom on February 19, and the four-night series New Songs, New Voices at the Waterfront Theatre, starting February 25, where the next wave of great Canadian singer-songwriters will be showcased.
Tickets and details about these shows and other Cultural Olympiad events are available at www.vancouver2010.com.
