Spotlight dancers at the QE

Lively City column by Dan Hilborn
Published Dec. 14, 2005


A total of five young women from Burnaby's Spotlight Dance Centre will be on stage with Ballet B.C. and Alberta Ballet this month in the family holiday classic The Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.

Marianna Hodanic, Hilary Romans, Lenaya Faustman, Sarah Corrigan and Katherine Nakui will perform in the delightful 19th century German fairy tale that features Clara and her brother Fritz visiting the Land of Snow where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Mouse King and the Nutcracker Prince.

The Nutcracker features choreography by Mikko Nissinen, current artistic director of the Boston Ballet, with the musical accompaniment of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Peter Dala.

"The magic of The Nutcracker is the perfect holiday gift for everyone, thanks to a supremely melodic score coupled with an idealized celebration of childhood Christmases past," said Ballet B.C. artistic director John Alleyne.

The show runs from Dec. 28 to 31. Ticket holders to the final day's matinee performance will also have the opportunity to buy tickets to a private pre-show reception to meet the performers.

Tickets to The Nutcracker are available from Ticketmaster and can be included in a three-ballet pack along with future Ballet B.C. productions of Company B in February, The Messiah in March and A Streetcar Named Desire in April.

LANE PRICE TO SING

The vocal jazz quintet Soli, featuring Burnaby's own Lane Price, will be on stage with guitarist Bill Coon at the Royal City Community Church on Dec. 21.

Soli takes its name from the Latin word for 'one per part,' said Price, a founding member of the quintet which originally met when its members were studying jazz at Capilano College. The other singers are Carlos Arias, Bess Durey, Debbie Low and Carman J. Price. Coon is an instructor at the college, and one of the most respected guitar players in the Lower Mainland.

"I've always been attracted to vocal harmonies and although I have a lot of choral experience, having a quintet is something I've always dreamed of," Price said. "We're basically always singing five-part harmony, which I love."

This is also the first time that Price has produced his own show. An accomplished composer and actor, Price was recently on stage with the Applause! Musical productions of Saturday Night and On The Town.

Soli and Bill Coon will be on stage at the church, 601 Eighth Ave., New Westminster, at 8 p.m., Dec. 21. Tickets are $15 and $12 and available from 604-868-5750.

PETER PAN: THE MUSICAL

Tickets are now on sale for the Royal City Musical Theatre Company's 2006 production of Peter Pan: The Musical, taking place at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey next spring.

This classic fantasy will feature Amy Wallis in the title role, James Fagan Tait as Hook, Aidan Drummond as Wendy, and Reece Roway and Kzumi Evans as her two brothers. The show features the same 'Flying by Foy' technology that was used in the original Broadway production that will send the children flying over the audience's heads.

Peter Pan: The Musical runs April 20 to May 7, 2006 at the Bell Centre in Surrey, and tickets range from $27 to $37 through Ticketmaster by phone at 604-280-4444 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.

GUITARISTS GET SILVER

Kudos to Eric Wan and Jeff Wang, two young men from Burnaby who attend the Mozart School of Music and recently received silver medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music for their outstanding guitar performances.

The pair both study under Mark Richardson, who had to coax the two young guitarists to enter the competition.

BWS POETRY WINNERS

In the category of 'better late than never,' are the winners of the 2005 Burnaby Writers Society Poetry contest.

The top prize went to Susan McCaslin of Langley for her piece Faith is the Evidence, which was described as "breathless, spiritual but not religious," by judge Hanna J. Main-van der Kamp, the poetry editor of B.C. Bookworld.

The other prize winners were all from Vancouver, including Kerry Liggett for The Ladle, Barbara Wild for Raccoon in the City and Irene Livingston for Drink Me.

Other finalists included Burnaby poets Kersti Cull for her pieces About the Pear and Death of a Baby Crow, Gayle Marie Fugere Dowle for Blue, and Caroline Wong for Offerings and Hands.

The contest, which has been running since 1967, is open to all B.C. residents. For more information, check out the Burnaby Writers' Society website at www.bws.bc.ca.