City festival draws over 5,000 kids

Lively City column by Dan Hilborn
Published April 2, 2005


The largest multicultural performing arts festival in the province is returning to Burnaby this month when an estimated 5,000 youngsters will fill virtually every stage in the city over the coming three weekends.

The Pacific West Performing Arts Festival of Burnaby is an adjudicated program that features students performing a variety of competitive dances from around the world.

Competitions include ballet, jazz, musical theatre, tap, Chinese, Ukrainian, Highland, Indo-Canadian, Polynesian, First Nations, Metis, Israeli and Middle Eastern belly dancing.

"Our goal is really to get the different cultures to mix with one another," said Harriet Tuey, president of the non-profit society that organizes the event. "We offer a kaleidoscope of wonderful, wonderful entertainment."

"How often does a ballet dancer get to see a Metis dancer?" she asked.

Last year, almost 70 different schools of dance participated in the event, which offered a series of honours ranging from a seal of participation to certificates, medals, trophies, bursaries and scholarships.

Events take place at a variety of venues on different days. The festival opens at Douglas College in New Westminster on April 15 and 16, before moving to the Shadbolt Centre for performances on April 17, 20, 21 and 22.

The finals will be held at the Michael J. Fox Theatre on April 23, 24, 30 and May 1, with a grand finale honour performance for the winners on May 13. The admission price is a mere $2 per day, at the door.

TOP VOICES AT SHADBOLT

Two of the most respected operatic voices in the Lower Mainland will perform at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts when Burnaby Lyric Opera presents the Magic of Spring on Sunday, April 17.

Raphael Wagner, a soprano from the Vancouver Opera Chorus, and Shana White, a mezzo-soprano who has toured and performed across Western Canada, will perform a variety of pieces from Mozart, Bizet, Rossini, Verdi, Humperdinck and many more.

They will be accompanied on the piano by Burnaby native Donna Falconer.

White's most recent roles include Aunt and Our Good Lady in Mariken of Nimmigen for Music in the Morning, Fairy Godmother in The Child, The Book and the Broomstick, Cinderella, Dryad from Ariadne auf Naxos and Maddelena in Rigoletto. In addition to her operatic and symphonic credits, White has toured with Livent's Phantom of the Opera.

Wagner recently appeared in the CBC Radio Debut Series and CBC TV's Opening Night with the Hard Rubber Orchestra. She is a regular soloist with the Vancouver Philharmonic, the Bach Choir, Handel Society and Vancouver Symphony.

The Magic of Spring takes place at 3 p.m. April 17, and tickets are just $10 through 604-205-3000 or at Shadbolt Centre, 6450 Deer Lake Ave.

CROONER COMES OF AGE

It appears that all those wonderful predictions about a glorious career for Burnaby's favourite crooner, Michael Buble, are indeed coming true.

Buble, 28, comes of age with his newest album, It's Time, which rocketed to the top spot on the Canadian record charts for the first three weeks after its release.

This disc features a mix of music that ranges from Engelbert Humperdinck's Quando, Quando, Quando - performed as a duet with Victoria's Nelly Furtado - to a torrid rendition of the old Drifters' classic Save the Last Dance for Me and even one song that Buble helped to write himself - the hit single Home.

Buble's previous album sold three million copies, and all the critics are expecting It's Time to surpass that lofty height.

Buble will play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver on June 15. Buy your tickets soon, because they won't last.