Harbourfront Centre’s NextSteps Season Continues

TORONTO, ON (Jan. 21, 2010) – Harbourfront Centre’s NextSteps 09|10 unrivalled season of globally inspired dance performances continues through May, 2010. Now in its fourth year, NextSteps is without parallel in the city and enables Toronto’s pre-eminent dance companies the opportunity to reflect the diversity of their broad international backgrounds and influences.

NextSteps offers Toronto audiences access to a selection of productions at the forefront of contemporary dance and responds to the creative spirit in Toronto and Canada, with a series of works that cross creative disciplines and boundaries.

From Jan. through May, NextSteps presents 13 companies, with a range of new works and the return of several perennial favourites at Harbourfront Centre’s two world class venues, the Fleck Dance Theatre and Enwave Theatre.

For tickets and information the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps

Harbourfront Centre’s Complete NextSteps 2010 Season Line-Up

Dance Ontario – DanceWeekend 2010
Jan. 22, performances 7 p.m. – 10 p.m., & Jan. 23 - 24, performances 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $10 donation at the door
Hundreds of Toronto’s hottest dancers perform contemporary, b-boy, ballet, bellydance, bharatanatyam, jazz, flamenco, African – and everything in between.
danceontario.ca

Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra – OUM (Mother)
Feb. 11 - 14, 8 p.m. & Feb. 13 - 14, 2 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $15 - $35
Arabesque features live acoustic Arabic music and vocals accompanying 18 dancers performing bellydance, whirling dervish and the ritual arts of the Middle East.
arabesquedance.ca

Toronto Dance Theatre - Pteros Tactics
World Premiere! Feb 16 - 20, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $14 - $38
Toronto Dance Theatre presents 10 extraordinary dancers in Pteros Tactics, a world premiere by Christopher House.
tdt.org

Peggy Baker Dance Projects - confluence
World Premiere! Feb 24 - 27, 8 p.m. & Feb. 28, 4 p.m., Enwave Theatre
Tickets: $25 - $30
Making a long anticipated return to Harbourfront Centre, award winning dancer and choreographer Peggy Baker unveils an evening of premieres with outstanding dancers.
peggybakerdance.com

COBA (Collective of Black Artists) - Diasporic Dimensions
World Premiere! Feb. 26 – 27, 8 p.m. & Feb. 28, 3 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $18 - $32
COBA, now in its 17th season of dance and music, presents four world premieres exploring innovation, spirituality, and legacy.
cobainc.com

DanceWorks DW180: Double Bill
Denise Fujiwara - Lost and Found with Susie Burpee - Fidelity’s Edge
World Premieres! Mar. 4 – 6, 8 p.m., Enwave Theatre
Tickets: $18 – $28
Celebrating her 30th anniversary in dance, Fujiwara performs a world premiere solo informed by butoh and post-modern techniques. Dora Mavor Moore recipient Burpee presents an unflinching and gritty look at the coarse underbelly of an intimate relationship.
danceworks.ca

inDANCE – BOX
March 18 - 20, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre Tickets: $18 – $31
Following its celebrated debut in New York City, inDANCE presents BOX - a provocative global view of contemporary Indian dance.
indance.ca

DanceWorks DW181: Wen Wei Dance - Cock-Pit
Apr. 9 – 10, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $18 - $28
Choreographer Wen Wei Wang's highly kinetic quintet for four men and one woman is inspired by his memories of student days in China.
danceworks.ca

Ballet Creole - Sankofa
Apr. 15 – 17, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $20 – $45
Intimate, poly-rhythmic and gravity-defying, Sankofa sparks emotion, solidifying a new direction while revealing the company’s eclecticism from traditional to contemporary.
balletcreole.org

DanceWorks DW182: Compagnie La Otra Orilla - El 12
April 23 – 24, 8 p.m., Enwave Theatre
Tickets: $18 – $28
Infused with the spirit of Spain’s Andalusia, the highly innovative flamenco company performs El 12, a work that explores the passage of time, waiting and loss.
danceworks.ca

DanceWorks DW 183: Ipsita Nova Dance Projects – Isolated Incidents
May 13 – 15, 8 p.m., Enwave Theatre
Tickets: $18 – $28
Nova Bhattacharya creates a series of solos that explore our understanding of the progression of life.
danceworks.ca

dance Immersion – 2010 Showcase Presentation
May 27 - 29, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre
Tickets: $15 – $30
An evening of expressive and revealing dance featuring works from some of the nation’s foremost up-and-coming dance artists.
danceimmersion.ca

13 teenage actors from Belgium create physical theatre that conveys the calamities and triumphs of adolescence in a frank and brilliant work

TORONTO, ON (Jan. 19, 2010) – Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage 2009-10 season continues with the award winning Once and for all we’re gonna tell who we are so shut up and listen. From Alexander Devriendt, the artistic director of Belgium’s theatre performance group Ontroerend Goed, and co-created by the 13 teenagers who comprise the cast, Once and for all... is an uncompromising performance that surveys the joys and agonies of being an adolescent with gripping results. Once and for all... runs Feb. 16 through Feb. 20 at Harbourfront Centre’s Enwave Theatre.

After taking the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by storm in 2008, Once and for all... has toured extensively around the world, including stops in Australia, Europe and the U.S., to widespread critical and audience acclaim. By combining wild playfulness with the dark and agonizing universalities of adolescence, Once and for all... exposes the vulnerabilities and aggressions – and everything in between – that come with being a teenager. World Stage is thrilled to host the final North American performances by the original cast.

“A lot of people say they long for their teenage years,” said Devriendt in a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. “I think it is very important, as you become older, that you cherish those rebellious periods in your life. The show,” he adds, “is about going too far or not far enough.”

During its creation by the performers there were few rules to follow, no restrictions imposed by linear storytelling or conventions of theatrical narrative. The result is a five minute scene which plays over and over, each movement transforming with increasing weight – including dance, face slaps, making out and water fights.

*Media images and resources: http://media.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage/

New for World Stage 2009-10: Extras. Visit harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage to learn about Harbourfront Centre’s commitment to developing artists and audiences through World Stage initiatives and programmes, such as special events, artist talks and more.

Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen
Ontroerend Goed, Kopergietery and Richard Jordan Productions Ltd (Belgium)
Feb. 16 – 20, 8 p.m.
Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West
Tickets: $30

Credits: Director: Alexander Devriendt
Actors: Charlotte De Bruyne, Edith De Bruyne, Febe De Geest, Jorge De Geest, Aaron De Keyzer, Christophe De Poorter, Edouard Devriendt, Dina Dooreman, Ian Ghysels, Barbara Lefebure, Fée Roels, Koba Ryckewaert, Elies Van Renterghem, Verona Verbakel, Nathalie Verbeke
Text: Joeri Smet, Alexander Devriendt and the actors
Dramaturgy: Mieke Versyp
Scenography & Costumes: Sophie De Somere
Sound Design: Stijn De Gezelle
Lighting Design: Jeroen Doise

Complete information about performance times, single tickets, packages and the Performance Card ($15 tickets for arts workers and students, Tues. – Thurs. performances only) is available through the Harbourfront Centre box office by phone at 416-973-4000, or harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage.

Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage 2009-10 gratefully acknowledges the support of Department of Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and the Westin Harbour Castle, the official hotel of World Stage.

Music with Bite returns to Harbourfront Centre Feb. 14

FREE family concert features trombone quintet “I Tromboni”

TORONTO, ON (Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010) – Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to present the next installment of Music with Bite, our interactive and intimate FREE concert series designed especially for kids ages five to 12.

Satisfy your ears and your taste buds! Music with Bite is a refreshing experience where children can pull up a comfy cushion and sit in front of the stage for an enjoyable, interactive music performance tailored to young audience members. This is a fantastic opportunity to sample music of diverse styles in a friendly, accessible format. All of the artists performing bring an element of interactivity, education and entertainment to their programmes. After the concerts, children can enjoy a complimentary Natrel® milk beverage and cookie. In partnership with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario.

Upcoming Music with Bite concerts include trombone quintet I Tromboni on Feb. 14, cabaret performer Patricia O’Callaghan on April 18, and erhu master George Gao on May 23. Performances take place Sundays at 1 p.m. at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West.

For additional information and complete event listings, the public may visit harbourfrontcentre.com or call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000.

UPCOMING 2010 MUSIC WITH BITE CONCERTS AT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE

I Tromboni
Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010 – 1 p.m. (Enwave Theatre)

Kids can discover the magic of the trombone on a voyage that strays off the beaten path. I Tromboni is compiled of five young trombonists who are ready to entertain and enlighten you! Since forming in 1999, they have worked to break down the myths & stereotypes that have kept trombones in the back row of the band for too long! Nicknamed “Team Canada of Trombones,” this dynamic Vancouver-based quintet incorporates music of many genres including jazz, romantic, popular and original compositions. I Tromboni entertains, educates and brings great music-making to kids of all ages. For more information visit itromboni.com.

Patricia O’Callaghan

Sunday, April 18 – 1 p.m.  (Brigantine Room)

The whole family can enjoy a vocal performance by the most promising cabaret performer of her generation, Canada’s own Patricia O’Callaghan. O’Callaghan has performed her European cabaret show around Europe and North America. She has also toured the Juno Award-winning opera Constantinople. O’Callaghan is no stranger to the camera; she appeared in CBC’s “Youkai Hotel” and the acclaimed series, “Foolish Heart.” For more information visit patricia-ocallaghan.com.

George Gao

Sunday, May 23 – 1 p.m.  (Brigantine Room)

PART OF HARBOURKIDS WEEKEND!

Hailed as one of the most exciting, innovative and respected erhu masters today, the Gemini Award-nominated erhu master George Gao performs at Music with Bite as part of an exciting HarbourKIDS weekend festival. Gao has performed with multiple orchestras around the world including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Billions of people around the world have watched him on CCTV, China's most watched TV station. Gao fuses traditional Chinese music with jazz, Western Classical music, New Age and other ethnic music from different world cultures. For more information visit  georgegao.com.

HarbourKIDS Club Membership

Sign up to be a HarbourKIDS Club Member and receive your very own “Splooshy” tattoo! Pick up a copy of our Kid’s Guide to Harbourfront Centre and explore our site on an interactive discovery walk! If you want, we’ll send you periodic emails to let you know what fun family events are coming up at Harbourfront!

 

ABOUT JEUNESSES MUSICALES ONTARIO

Jeunesses Musicales Ontario is a non-profit arts organization that fosters the careers of outstanding young professional musicians at home and abroad. JMO promotes the development of the arts in Ontario by bringing fine classical music to audiences of all ages. As young artists gain valuable experience and exposure, students, families and the general public enjoy high-quality, affordable, accessible musical entertainment. For more information visit jmontario.ca.

ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE

Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues on a 10-acre site in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront.

A Total of 14 Spectacular Harbourfront Centre March Break Camps for Ages Three to 17 Including Circus, Fashion Design, Pop Star, TheatreKids, Senior Fine Arts, Junior Architects – and more

TORONTO, ON (Jan. 11, 2009) — Keeping the tradition of providing Toronto parents and children with the most diverse selection of day camps, Harbourfront Centre announces its one-of-a-kind March Break Camps 2010 session. At Harbourfront Centre’s beautiful 10-acre waterfront site, campers aged three through 17 can engage in a fully enriched environment with exceptional facilities and the city’s best counsellors.

Harbourfront Centre is expanding on its reputation of providing fun opportunities for skill development and personal growth by offering 14 arts-based programmes. Whether a child is keenly interested in problem-solving and design or craves the spotlight to showcase singing and dancing talents, diverse programmes maximize learning and fun. A complete description of camps and fees is included at the bottom of this release.

Harbourfront Centre March Break Camps take place from Monday, March 15 to Friday, March 19, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. A supervised extended hours programme, perfect for working parents, is available from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at an additional cost of $65. Registration is now underway. To register or for more information, the public can call the Camps office, 416-973-4093 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/camps. Early registration is advised as camps fill up quickly.

MARCH BREAK CAMPS, MARCH 15–19, 2010

Camp by the Water
Ages 3–5, $222
Our highly qualified staff foster a safe and nurturing environment for first-time campers, encouraging new friendships, camper enrichment, creativity and self-expression. Small groups offer a 6:1 camper-to-counsellor ratio, ensuring safe supervision and individual attention while facilitating camper learning and development. Our exemplary staff are selected based on enthusiasm, prior experience and capacity to supervise our youngest campers.

Discovery Day Camp
Ages 6–8, $222
Campers participate in arts and craft projects, drama and active games, science activities, and cooperative programming. Working with skilled staff and specialists, campers explore a world of imagination, creativity and culture.

Circus
Ages 7–13, $263
Circus camp includes juggling, stilt walking, acrobatics and clowning. Equipment is specially designed with youth and safety in mind. Circus professionals work with camp counsellors to maximize safety and allow groups and individuals to move at their own pace in accordance with age and ability. This camp is coordinated by Marsha Kennington, an instructor/trainer with Cirque du Monde – the Social/Action division of Cirque du Soleil. *Please note: due to the cold winter weather this camp will be held in the Brigantine Room and not in a circus tent.

Junior Creative Arts
Ages 6–8, $232
Campers are encouraged to follow their creative instincts and let the imagination reign. Diverse cultural and artistic perspectives are explored through a variety of hands-on activities. Campers learn to appreciate art through lively workshop sessions, with emphasis on personal creativity and technique. Our skilled artist-instructors encourage campers to draw on imagination, creativity and artistic vision.

Intermediate Creative Arts
Ages 9–11, $232
Campers discover art, culture and creativity in this art camp for older campers. Diverse cultural and artistic perspectives are explored through drawing, painting, sculpture and printmaking! Guest artists blend traditional and contemporary art forms, while guiding campers through our galleries and craft studios for context and inspiration.

Fashion Design Camp
Ages 8–12, $232
Under the guidance of our experienced staff, campers learn about the world of fashion. Fundamentals of design provide the basis for campers to create sketches, illustrate, design and execute projects from start to finish. Campers work with raw fabrics, old jeans and shirts to craft their final masterpiece, concluding with a runway show.

Digital Photo Camp
Ages 8–12, $232
Our innovative, hands-on introduction to the creation of images using our new media lab will give campers the opportunity to experiment with contemporary digital photography. Campers learn creative vision and composition and shooting technique through the lens of our Digital Cameras (provided). Campers will have the opportunity to create and edit digital photographs by working on such projects as spoof advertising campaigns, digital photo collages, and self portrait photo projects.

Chess Challenge
Ages 8–12, $222
Chess enthusiasts, from beginner to advanced, enjoy unparalleled instruction in chess strategy. Our skilled instructors will teach campers to "see" the chessboard as tournament professionals do. Campers will be taught elementary techniques such as: how to open a game, defend a piece, mate, avoid stalemate and more.

Junior Authors
Ages 8–12, $227
For aspiring writers, junior authors and avid readers, these campers explore the wonderful world of literature with experienced camp staff and special guest authors. Campers read and discuss the material then participate in creative writing workshops. This camp stimulates creativity and the imaginative spirit of budding young readers and writers, exploring what lies below the surface of children's literature.

TheatreKids
Ages 8–12, $232
For the budding actor, this camp is created for campers who love being in the spotlight. TheatreKids explores the world of theatre in a relaxed, supportive, hands-on environment. Working together with the director, campers learn aspects of performance and theatre production while rehearsing and preparing for their own show, to be presented to family members and friends at the end of the session. Special guests are brought in when available to showcase aspects of drama or stage production.

NEW! Senior Fine Arts
Ages 12–16, $237
This camp is for the young artist planning to take his/her artistic endeavours to the next level. Campers learn skills of art appreciation and critiquing through engaging workshop sessions, while emphasis is placed on both personal creativity and fine art technique. With the assistance of our qualified instructors and guest artists the campers will continue refining their artistic abilities as they prepare original artwork using artist quality materials.

Dungeons & Dragons
Ages 10–15, $212
In this medieval role-playing game, campers harness their imagination through assumed characters; overcoming obstacles and outwitting opponents. Campers learn cooperation, independence and problem-solving skills while interacting with peers in this well-supervised programme. Suitable for first-time or experienced D&D-ers.

Junior Architects
Ages 8–12, $232
This groundbreaking camp allows campers to explore the world of architecture through design, engineering, and hands-on building and model-making activities. Projects are designed to develop decision making and problem solving skills, while emphasizing cooperation with peers. Workshops led by our skilled staff will provide real-life context to camp components.

Pop Star
Ages 8–12, $232
Campers explore different genres of music and learn to write their own songs as they work on their vocals and choreography with qualified instructors and guest musicians. Campers will then showcase their new learned skills on stage in a concert for their screaming fans!

For more information about registration, fees, policies and financial assistance, the public can call the Harbourfront Centre Camps Office at 416-973-4093 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com/camps for further details.

Harbourfront Centre is a proud member of the Ontario Camps Association.

Free View Points forum series returns to Harbourfront Centre Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 with Inside the Musician’s Studio

Featuring Charles Spearin’s “The Happiness Project”

TORONTO, ON (Monday, Jan. 11, 2010) – Harbourfront Centre’s View Points is a forum series that explores issues in contemporary culture and showcases current culture-makers. The series examines contexts that influence contemporary artists and communities, contexts that shape the ways in which culture is produced, viewed, consumed and discussed. It is timely, responsive and designed to stretch the definition of “culture”.

2010’s four-part View Points series kicks off Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. with Inside the Musician’s Studio featuring Charles Spearin’s “The Happiness Project,” hosted by Stuart Berman. Admission is FREE.

Inside the Musician’s Studio is a unique opportunity for audience members to experience what motivates a body of creative musical work, from inspiration to collaboration and production. It is also a chance to discover new perspectives, whether audience members are established musicians, aspiring artists or just curious observers. It is a tête-à-tête between the audience and the artists. Previous artists have included Final Fantasy and Emily Haines.

Charles Spearin is a multi-instrumentalist who has been an active and influential member of Canada’s indie music community since the mid-90s. He is best known as a founding member of the instrumental post-rock ensemble Do Make Say Think and an original member of the indie-rock collective Broken Social Scene. Spearin’s most recent work, his first solo album entitled “The Happiness Project,” is focused on the natural, unselfconscious ‘music’ of speech. The album is based on recorded conversations with his downtown neighbours about the concept of happiness; he plays with the cadence and melody of the speaking voices as though they were songs. His inspiration was drawn from his great love of music, a fascination with sound, and lifelong studies in Buddhism. By replicating the rise and fall of the recorded voices on different instruments, he succeeds in illuminating some of the hidden beauty of ordinary life. As Spearin says, "All of the melodies on this album are the melodies of every day life."

With “The Happiness Project,” Spearin blurs the line between speaking and singing - life and art - and writes music based on these accidental melodies. With the help of some musical friends, Spearin plays the instruments to match these natural neighbourhood melodies inspired by thoughts of happiness. The end result is a unique and inspiring musical work that speaks to hidden beauty all around us.

For more information about Charles Spearin and “The Happiness Project,” visit happiness-project.ca or myspace.com/charlesspearin.

ABOUT HOST STUART BERMAN

Stuart Berman is Online Editor at Eye Weekly and has been writing about the Toronto music scene for over 10 years. His writing on music and pop culture has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, PitchforkMedia.com, Magnet, The Village Voice, Toro and Azure. He is the author of 2009’s This Book Is Broken: A Broken Social Scene Story and lives in Toronto.

OTHER UPCOMING FREE VIEW POINTS EVENTS:

Inside the City

Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, 7-9 p.m.

This forum event will explore the inner workings of a city, looking to provide audiences with new insights about the urban by tackling issues such as architecture, city life and politics.

Behind the Lens

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 7-9 p.m.

Explore the ever-changing trends in film and culture with this interactive screening and forum event. A current film will be presented followed by a discussion with directors and other insiders.

Inside the Musician’s Studio

Thursday, April 29, 2010, 7-9 p.m.

The 2010 View Points series comes to a close with a second music-based tête-à-tête. Featured artist and host TBA.

All View Points events take place at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. For additional information and complete event listings, the public may visit harbourfrontcentre.com or call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000.

ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE

Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues on a 10-acre site in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront.

Celebrate Black History Month at Harbourfront Centre's 14th Annual Kuumba Festival

Presented by TD

Two jam-packed weekends celebrating the history and the future of black culture

TORONTO, ON (Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010) – Kuumba , Toronto's longest-running and largest Black History Month festival returns to Harbourfront Centre with two jam-packed weekends commemorating both the history and the future of black culture. The first weekend of Kuumba focuses on ideas surrounding Old School and Power of Soul while the second weekend will explore themes of Black to the Future and One Love.

“Kuumba” is the Swahili word for creativity and has become synonymous with showcasing the best local and international artists from the African and Caribbean diaspora each February at Harbourfront Centre. Join us Feb. 6-7 and Feb. 13-14, 2010 for dance workshops, film screenings, music, comedy, family activities, food demos and more. All programming is FREE (except the Valentine’s Day Comedy Clash $10, $15 at the door) and runs each day from 1 p.m. into the evening.

Kuumba, presented by TD, runs Feb. 6-7 and Feb. 13-14, 2010. All events take place at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen’s Quay West). For more information and to purchase tickets for the Valentine’s Day Comedy Clash, the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/kuumba


FESTIVAL DETAILS

MUSIC
SAIDAH BABA TALIBAH
Feb. 6, 8:30-11 p.m.
Saidah Baba Talibah is the daughter of Obie award-winner and Tony- and Grammy-nominated Salome Bey, Canada's Queen of Jazz, Blues and Spirituals, and the niece of Andy Bey, also a Grammy-nominated musician. She offers up a distinct and fluid blend of bluesy rock, deep funk and hot, buttered soul with a voice that can go from a seductive, soft purr to a powerful bellow at the turn of a dime. With special guest DJ L’Oqenz spinning the tunes.

DRUM TILL YOU DROP
Feb. 6 & 7, 1:30 p.m.
Learn to play traditional African drums (djembe, sangban, kensedeni, dununba) with Barrington Hibbert! A limited number of drums are available; participants are asked to bring their own drums.

URBAN X-POSURE: SoWhatChuSayin?
Feb. 13, 2-5 p.m.
This event honours consciousness in hip hop and spoken word (active art forms for social change) and features an artist showcase and cash prize contest for the most talented conscious wordsmith and raptivist rhymer! An open "infotainment" forum will be set up, featuring organizations that marry art with commerce and activism, giving youth the tools to get involved. Representatives from non-profit urban art organizations include: Manifesto, Lost Lyrics, Beatz to Da Streetz, Nia, Stolen From Africa, Young Diplomats, Regent Park Focus, Medina Collective, L.I.F.E. Movement and the Toronto Youth Cabinet.

Co-produced with UMAC, The Urban Music Association of Canada

DJ SKATE NIGHTS
(The Real) Soul on Ice: Feb. 6, 8-11 p.m.
DJs Carl Allen and Kwame Younge spin the best in soul, funk, house & reggae!

SALSA 101 FOR DUMMIES
Feb. 6 & 7, 4-5 p.m.
A live music and dance class with Cuban musician extraordinaire Roberto Linares Brown and dance instructor Vladimir Aranda.


FOOD DEMONSTRATIONS

Enjoy traditional Caribbean cuisine prepared by La-toya Fagon of Twist Catering and Ras Iville & Ikeila Wright from One Love Corn! Patricia J. hosts.
- Stew Chicken with Rice and Peas (Feb. 6, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
- Jamaica’s National Dish: Ackee & Saltfish with Fried Dumplings (Feb. 7, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
- Coconut Rice & Peas, Fried Cornmeal Dumplings & Cocoa Tea (Feb. 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
- Callaloo Soup (Feb. 13, 5-6 p.m.)

FILM SCREENINGS & PANEL DISCUSSIONS

“Soul Power!”
Feb. 6, 6:30-8 p.m. & Feb. 7, 1-3:30 p.m.
In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. Included are performances by James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and many others.

“Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae”
Feb. 7, 4:30-6 p.m.
The remaining great singers and musicians of Jamaica's Golden Age of music, Rocksteady, come together after 40 years to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform together again at a reunion concert in Kingston, and to tell their story. Features many reggae icons including The Tamlins, Stranger Cole, Dawn Penn, Derrick Morgan, Ernest Ranglin, Judy Mowatt and more.

“Good Hair”
Feb. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (PANEL) & Feb. 14, 1-2:30 p.m. (NO PANEL)
An exposé of comic proportions that only comedian/actor Chris Rock could pull off, “Good Hair” visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships and self esteem in the black community.
POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION PANEL : Featuring black hair experts Ruth Smith (Strictly Roots), Buster Berkley (Amorphous Group), and Asha McLeod (Jazma).

“Rastafari Then and Now: A Message From Jamaica”
Feb. 14, 6-7 p.m. (followed by short film preview & panel discussion)
Nation Cheong, a Rastafarian community youth worker and African drummer is concerned about youth violence and wonders if the principles and values of Rastafari could benefit today’s youth. He gathers a group of black youth and takes them on a journey of discovery into Toronto’s Rastafarian community. Along the way, he re-connects with some of his elders which eventually leads him to travel to Jamaica, the birthplace of Rastafari, for the very first time.

“In Search of Rastafari: A Soul’s Journey” (special seven-minute preview)
Bob Marley, a Rasta Prophet, and music icon of the 20th century, almost singlehandedly spread Rastafari to the rest of the world through his powerful lyrics and music. Now, 27 years after Marley’s untimely death, his granddaughter, Donisha Prendergast, 24, embarks on an epic journey of faith and self discovery as both a Rastafarian and a daughter of the Marley dynasty. Along the way she will explore the roots of Rastafari and its links to our cultures.
POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION PANEL : Immediately following these two films, there will be drumming and a discussion panel with Nation Cheong, Doctor Patrick Taylor, and Ras Iville.

COMEDY

VALENTINE’S DAY COMEDY CLASH: One Love (or Diasporic Disharmony?)
**Special Ticketed Event** ($10 in advance / $15 at the door)
Feb. 13, 8:30-11 p.m.
Comedians from the U.S., Jamaica, Africa and Trinidad vie for Afrocentric supremacy and regale us with tales on how (and how not) to love the black man and woman. No subject is off limits to Jay Martin, Marc Trinidad, Dwayne Landry, Arthur Simeon!

DANCE

DANCE WORKSHOPS
Led by some of the city’s finest dance instructors (including Jade “Hollywood” Anderson, and Vladimir Aranda), workshops will include:
- “Thriller” Music Video Choreography (Feb. 6, 2:30-3:30 p.m.)
- Salsa 101 for Dummies (Feb. 6 & 7, 4-5 p.m.)
- Voguing & Old School House Dancing (Feb. 7, 2:30-3:30 p.m.)

NORTHBUCK ENTERTAINMENT KRUMPING PERFORMANCE & WORKSHOP
Feb. 13, 1-2 p.m. & Feb. 14, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Krumping, an expressive and high energy form of hip hop dance, originated in the streets of South Central Los Angeles and has quickly evolved into a global phenomenon. Northbuck is an organization of Toronto krumpers from diverse backgrounds who each faced hardships; krump was their escape. Northbuck's long-term goals are to spread the movement nationwide along with its message of positive, violence-free living.

RISE UP: YOUTH DANCE CREW COMPETITION
Feb. 13, 4-5:30 p.m.
Toronto’s best young dance crews battle for bragging rights and a cash prize of $500.

FAMILY

MICHEZO (“games” in Swahili)
Feb. 6 & 7, 1-5 p.m.
Kobèna Aquaa-Harrison hosts an interactive celebration of the art and genius of traditional African childhood games.

LEGGO MY LEGO®
Feb. 6-7 & 13-14, 1-6 p.m.
Let your imagination run wild in a room full of Lego® blocks!

CREATE YOUR OWN SUPERHEROES OF THE WORLD
Feb. 13 & 14, 1-6 p.m.
Super Heroes Unite is an art project created by two Canadian artists, Mark Williams and Joe Bonsu. It involves the creation of super heroes from around the world, placing each super hero in a different country and emphasizing the importance of unity through diversity in their artwork.

ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE
Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues on a 10-acre site in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront.

Harbourfront Centre’s HATCH: emerging performance projects 2010 Season Opens with the First of Five Residencies

TORONTO, ON (Jan. 7, 2010) – Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to launch the seventh season of HATCH: emerging performance projects with an imaginative and bold new performance by one of Toronto’s most original artists. Everything I’ve Got is Jess Dobkin’s latest performance art work in progress – a raw and poignant examination of creativity and temporality where the artist offers up the entirety of her collection of artistic ideas. With a distinctive visual language and cunning sex politics, Dobkin scrutinizes her art practice as she candidly confronts her own mortality.

Dobkin weaves an intimate autobiographic narrative through language, gesture and technology in a multidisciplinary practice that intersects performance art, theatre and installation. Using her body as map and material, she presents objects and ideas in surprising and unconventional ways. Whether perched atop a steamer trunk covered in tiny mirrors, positioned upside down with a mannequin head animated between her legs, or covering her naked body in paint, Dobkin becomes a human canvas, blurring the lines between performer and performance, between an idea and its staging. She is not out to shock or alienate her audience, but is instead inspired by the possibility of intimate engagement. Dobkin is driven to connect and communicate with an audience through the performance of her own vulnerability.

“HATCH is providing me the opportunity to take even more risks in my work,” said Dobkin. “With an outstanding team of artistic collaborators and creative use of technology, I am taking my practice to whole new level. My work has always been about taking risks and pushing boundaries, but this project goes so much further.”

Harbourfront Centre is pleased to present Everything I’ve Got, by Jess Dobkin in the Studio Theatre on Jan. 31, 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 or $10 for students, seniors and arts workers and are available by phone at 416-973-4000 or through www.harbourfrontcentre.com/hatch. The performance will be followed by an artist Q & A and reception.

Everything I’ve Got was first workshopped at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in Toronto and again at Dixon Place in New York City. With support from Harbourfront Centre’s HATCH residency program and the Canada Council, the project has advanced to a longer format production with an accomplished team of creative collaborators, including Stephen Lawson of 2boys.tv, Sherri Hay, Richard Feren and Laird MacDonald. The HATCH presentation offers a special opportunity to experience the work in development and participate in a Q & A that includes the collaborative team.

Jess Dobkin’s performances, artist’s talks and workshops are presented at museums, galleries, theatres and universities around the world. Her work has toured internationally, and she has performed, lectured and conducted performance art workshops in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Belgium, and the U.K. Her Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar received international audience and media acclaim and was named in the “Top 10 Performances of 2006” by NOW Magazine. She was named “Best Performance Artist” by both NOW Magazine and Xtra Magazine. She teaches Performance Art at the Ontario College of Art & Design and serves on the University of Toronto/Sheridan College Art and Art History Program Advisory Committee.

Everything I’ve Got will next be presented at the Rhubarb Festival in February 2010 and at the Edgy Women Festival in Montreal in March 2010. For more information about Jess Dobkin, visit www.jessdobkin.com

Everything I’ve Got
A Performance by Jess Dobkin
Created in collaboration with Stephen Lawson, Director; Laura Baxter, Production Manager; Sherri Hay, Production Designer; Richard Feren, Composition and Sound Designer; and Laird MacDonald, Lighting Designer.

About HATCH: emerging performance projects at Harbourfront Centre
Entering its seventh year, the HATCH residency and mentorship programme is a key initiative in Harbourfront Centre’s mission to develop local artists and their unique practices.

The HATCH mentorship provides resources and professional assistance to a new generation of engaging and innovative contemporary artists to reach their next career stage with a comprehensive understanding of process and challenges that artists must embrace.

The HATCH residency package includes one week rent-free in the Studio Theatre, technical and production assistance, box office backing and administrative assistance, marketing and media relations support and workshops, and professional development assistance.

For more information please visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com/hatch

HarbourKIDS: SK8 - A fun and free weekend winter festival for kids ages five to 12

PARTICIP8, ACCELER8, CRE8 & CELEBR8 SKATE CULTURE!
Free family fun both inside & out at Harbourfront Centre!
December 5-6, 2009
11 a.m.-5 p.m.

TORONTO, ON, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 – Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to present the second annual HarbourKIDS: SK8 – an exciting winter weekend of FREE family activities celebrating the fun of skate culture. HarbourKIDS is Harbourfront Centre’s free family programme designed for kids from five to 12 years old. Each festival centres around a “Big Idea”. For this special first weekend of December, the Big Idea for HarbourKIDS is “SK8”.

HarbourKIDS: SK8 celebrates skate culture in all its forms. Featuring ice skating on the Natrel® Rink and the brand new synthetic Natrel® Kinder Rink, skateboarding at the Natrel® Indoor Skate Park, break dancing and DJ workshops, winter games, activities and crafts, and cool interactive music and ice shows, HarbourKIDS: SK8 keeps kids moving, thinking, creating, and having TONS of FUN!

For complete event details and full schedule, visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com/harbourkids.

Highlights of HarbourKIDS: SK8
Harbourkids: SK8 provides a fun platform for kids to explore and enjoy skating and all the culture that surrounds it. Here's what we’ll be exploring via our programming:

PARTICIP8
It’s time to feel the rhythm! From popping and locking with Street Dance Academy to learning to DJ with the Scratch Lab DJ Institute, kids will have a blast getting directly involved in these events.

Street Dance Academy
Performances: Saturday at 12 p.m. & 3 p.m.; Sunday at 12 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. (Studio Theatre)
Workshops: Saturday at 1:30 p.m. & 4 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. & 4 p.m. (Brigantine Room)
Scratch Lab DJ Institute Workshops
Saturday & Sunday, 12-5 p.m. (Marilyn Brewer Community Space)

ACCELER8
Full steam ahead! Kids' abilities will accelerate at this festival whether they're on deck or on ice. How fast can they go on the Natrel® indoor park and outdoor rink? How much speed is needed to send a curling stone down the ice? To improve their skills, kids will also have access to professional skateboarders, as well as curling and skating coaches who will hold free clinics throughout the weekend.

Skateboarding at the Natrel® Indoor Skate Park
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Lakeside Terrace)
Ice Skating on the Natrel® Rink
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Curling on the Natrel® Rink
Saturday & Sunday at 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 2-2:30 p.m. & 4-5 p.m.

CRE8
Express your creativity and bring home the Gold! Kids can custom-design a national hockey mask based on the country of their choice, learn some skateboarding lingo while stencilling graffiti, and create cool winter buttons. They can also envision themselves as athletes or architects as we create LEGO®-sized versions of a winter wonderland.

What’s Your Lingo?
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Lakeside Terrace)
LEGO® Winter Village
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Miss Lou’s Room)
Go Team Go! Hockey Masks
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (West Arcade)
Get Your Buttons On!
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (West Arcade)

CELEBR8
Kids can let loose and indulge their eyes and ears through a variety of special presentations, including another exciting installation of our Music With Bite series for young music lovers, kid-friendly DJ Andrew Allsgood, and Montreal’s Le Patin Libre, an amazing ice show where Ice Capades meets Cirque du Soleil. HarbourKIDS: SK8 is also the perfect way to remind kids of the diversity and beauty of the winter season.

Music With Bite: Orfea and the Golden Harp
(a co-production with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario)
Sunday, 1 p.m. (Brigantine Room)
Kids Skate with DJ Andrew Allsgood
Saturday & Sunday, 4 p.m.-5 p.m. (The Natrel® Rink)
Le Patin Libre
Saturday & Sunday, 12-12:45 p.m. & 2:30-3:15 p.m. (The Natrel® Rink)

HarbourKIDS: SK8 ICE HOST
Ryan Gladstone will be your “Ice Host” for the weekend, making sure everyone on the ice knows what’s going on inside, giving directions around the site, helping to make sure your rink experience is UNFORGETTABLE and that everyone has TONS of FUN!

THE NATREL® RINK
Every year approximately 150,000 people glide their skates across The Natrel® Rink at Harbourfront Centre, which is one of Toronto’s largest and most beautiful outdoor rinks! Bordering the shoreline of Lake Ontario, The Natrel® Rink provides skate rentals, lockers and a family-friendly environment that celebrates our country's national winter pastime seven days a week. Controlled fireplaces will be set up around the ice to keep all our HarbourKIDS warm! For more information, visit harbourfrontcentre.com/skating.

THE NATREL® KINDER RINK
New this fall! Made of synthetic, eco-friendly materials, this alternative rink surface from AGL (Artificial Grass & Landscaping) is the perfect skating venue for beginners. Works with regular skates!

Come and enjoy its GRAND OPENING at HarbourKIDS: SK8!
THE NATREL® INDOOR SKATE PARK
Skateboarding experts will be ready and waiting at a mobile skate park geared towards the amateur rider.

Kids and beginners will be monitored for safety and will be given pointers to improve their technique. The park can accommodate up to 15 skaters — 12 active and a few waiting to take their turn — and 12 skateboards and helmets will be available for those that don't own their own equipment. (Helmets are mandatory.) The park includes a quarter pipe, launch ramp, flat bank, grind box, two grind rails and a three-piece fly box.

VISUAL ARTS & CRAFT at YORK QUAY CENTRE: Homegrown Skateboards
Part of the winter Visual Arts & Craft exhibitions, this is an installation from LaHave, Nova Scotia featuring homemade skateboards by artist, craftsperson and entrepreneur Jesse Watson.

COURSES & WORKSHOPS: Candy Making for Families
Saturday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

*Pre-registration required - $40 (one adult and one child), $10 each additional child*
Before hitting the HarbourKIDS activities, spend some quality family time making tasty treats for the holidays! You and your kids will make a variety of treats to enjoy this holiday season. This workshop is suitable for children ages five and up, accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
HarbourKIDS Club Membership

Sign up to be a HarbourKIDS Club Member and receive your very own “Splooshy” tattoo! Pick up a copy of our Kid’s Guide to Harbourfront Centre and explore our site on an interactive discovery walk! If you want, we’ll send you periodic emails to let you know about fun upcoming family events at Harbourfront!

HATCH: emerging performance projects, 2010 Season Announced

Realizing Ideas, Revealing Potential: Harbourfront Centre's Unique Residency and Mentorship Programme Returns with Five Contemporary Performance Projects

TORONTO, ON (Nov. 5, 2009) – Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to announce five works for the seventh season of HATCH: emerging performance projects, January through April, 2010. One of the city's most unique development opportunities, HATCH offers promising local talent professional support during the cultivation of their work from proposal to realization, culminating in a one-week residency and public presentation at Harbourfront Centre's Studio Theatre. The mentorship from Harbourfront Centre is available to HATCH artists from September 2009 through May 2010.

Five projects were selected from 56 submitted proposals to participate in HATCH for 2010, demonstrating the crucial role the programme plays for Toronto's ever-burgeoning performance community. HATCH is an excellent opportunity for both nascent artists and those who have presented works previously to develop a project through its crucial stages. Audiences have the opportunity to be the first to view these works in their initial stages and to be a part of the continuing development of the project, and the artists involved, through their participation and feedback.

Tickets for all HATCH performances are on sale Dec. 15 through the Harbourfront Centre box office. Prices are $12 or $10 for Students/Seniors/Arts Workers. Tickets are available by phone at 416-973-4000 or through www.harbourfrontcentre.com/hatch

2010 Season Schedule – HATCH: emerging performance projects
*PLEASE NOTE: All performances take place in Harbourfront Centre's Studio Theatre

Everything I've Got
Jess Dobkin
January 31, 4 p.m.
Jess Dobkin offers her newest performance art piece in progress – a raw and intimate examination of creativity and mortality where the artist offers up the entirety of her collection of artistic ideas. NOW Magazine's Best Performance Artist of 2006, Dobkin is well known for her previous performances Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar and Fee For Service.

Body Cartography
Cara Spooner and Alicia Grant
February 25 & 27, 8 p.m.
Created in collaboration with visual artist Simon Rabyniuk, as well as urban theorist Alex Marques, Body Cartography emphasizes and distorts the idea of a city within a city. A performance that mixes disparate details of balancing on rooftops, walking home alone at night, raiding secret swimming pools and feeling too close to strangers – employing installation, dance and question and answer periods.

Section 98
Praxis Theatre
March 13, 8 p.m.
The award-winning indie theatre company behind Stranger, Dyad, Steel and The Master and Margarita presents an open-sourced, interactive, work-in-progress that uses performance and technology to explore and debate individual and civil rights in Canada. The production invites the audience to participate in the production with their cell phone or PDA during the presentation, and online before or afterwards.

The Physical Ramifications of Attempted Global Domination
Birdtown and Swanville
April 17, 8 p.m. & April 18, 2:30 p.m.
This play explores the mysterious and bountiful medical ailments suffered by many of history's most aggressive dictators. With animal balloons, clogged intestinal tracts, and power hungry autocrats, this investigation uses debate, dance and melodrama to understand the consequences that the perpetration of mass violence creates. The group recently made waves with their 2009 Fringe hit, 36 Little Plays About Hopeless Girls.

Red Machine: Under the Knife
The Room
April 24, 8 p.m. & April 25, 4 p.m.
From this newly formed theatre company that NOW Magazine called the "indie theatre version of Broken Social Scene" comes Red Machine: Under the Knife – the latest phase of their continuing work-in-progress. A theatrical journey into the meat of the human mind, The Room presents four abstractions of a single event as interpreted by four distinct physical areas of the brain. Be prepared for a virtual dissection, revealing how movement, sight, sound, and ecstasy can each have their own story to tell.

ABOUT HATCH: emerging performance projects at Harbourfront Centre

Entering its seventh year, HATCH is a key initiative in Harbourfront Centre's mission to develop local artists and their unique practices. The HATCH mentorship provides resources and professional assistance to a new generation of engaging and innovative contemporary artists to reach the next career stage with a comprehensive understanding of process and challenges that artists must embrace.

The HATCH residency package includes one week rent-free in the Studio Theatre, technical and production assistance, box office backing and administrative assistance, marketing and media relations support and workshops, and professional development assistance.

'Clowning Around' at the Harbourfront Centre

Toronto – Jasp arrives for her first day at a new school. Morro, the local bully, decides that Jasp is the perfect new target and things go from bad to worse.

Combining Forum Theatre and Theatre in the Round, loveable and laughable clowns Morro and Jasp along with young bystander, Wit Ness invite kids to get involved and suggest their own approaches for dealing with bullies.

The Bully Show: Clown in the Round kicks off the season in Hamilton elementary schools, followed by free performances at HarbourKIDS: Respect, a 3-day festival for kids October 10 – 12.

The interactive play will then tour to elementary schools across Toronto, empowering kids to stand up for themselves and for those around them who just might need a helping hand.

WHAT: The Bully Show: Clown in the Round, a new interactive anti-bullying performance for kids
WHERE: Harbourfront Centre - Lakeside Terrace - York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto

WHEN: Saturday, October 10 - 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Sunday, October 11 - 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Monday, October 12 - 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: All performances are FREE. Additional information is available at http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/harbourkids/events.cfm?id=1757.

To learn more about The Bully Show: Clown in the Round and Mixed Company Theatre’s Educational Tour, additional information is available at www.mixedcompanytheatre.com or by calling 416 515 8080.

Harbourfront Centre launches its spectacular summer season, as scheduled!

WHAT: Harbourfront Centre launches its spectacular summer season, as scheduled! Harbourfront Centre is not affected by the current City of Toronto strike. All of Harbourfront Centre's incredible events and programmes are taking place as scheduled. This summer, visitors are invited to travel the globe as part of the exciting Summer Festivals taking place every weekend; catch their favourite film under the stars with the Free Flicks series; register their child in the excellent summer day camp programme that features over 35 camps and busing from 37 locations; take in one of the 10th anniversary performances of the Summer Music in the Garden series at the Toronto Music Garden; check out the unparalleled outdoor photo exhibition RESPECT: A Photo Odyssey Celebrating Canada's Boreal Forest; and more! Harbourfront Centre is the perfect downtown summer getaway! Most programmes are free. Check out Harbourfront Centre's exciting summer season at harbourfrontcentre.com or call 416-973-4000.

WHY: Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization. It is not part of the City of Toronto operations.

WHO: Harbourfront Centre provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront.

WHEN: Harbourfront Centre presents incredible programming all summer long!

WHERE: Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West at the heart of Toronto's waterfront and accessible via the TTC.

Art at the Harbourfront Centre

Nine spectacular visual arts exhibitions set to open at Harbourfront Centre, June 27-September 13

This summer, Harbourfront Centre is excited to showcase an array of visual arts exhibitions. Highlights include the unparalleled outdoor photo exhibition RESPECT: A Photo Odyssey Celebrating Canada's Boreal Forest; exhibitions that are part of World Routes 09 presented by RBC feature works by Canadian and international contemporary Aboriginal artists, along with the work of a Taiwanese artist; and new works by Craft Studio artists-in residence.

The public opening reception takes place on Friday, June 26, 6-10pm at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Admission to the reception and the exhibitions is free. Exhibitions run from June 27-September 13. Exhibition hours for main gallery: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, noon-6pm; Friday and Saturday, noon-8pm; closed Monday except holiday Mondays, noon-6pm; Regular hours for the Craft Studio: Monday to Saturday, 10am-6pm; Sunday, 10am-6pm. For information, the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/yorkquaycentre.cfm

Planet IndigenUs Exhibitions
Visual arts exhibitions form part of Harbourfront Centre's Planet IndigenUs festival, August 14-16 and 21-23, which explores contemporary expressions of world indigenous cultures. Planet IndigenUs is co-produced with Woodland Cultural Centre, Brandford ON, and generously supported by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund.

ALTERNATION: Terrance Houle, Hannah Claus, Tom Jones, Mark Igloliorte, George Littlechild, Jewel Shaw
Curator Ryan Rice has brought together artists from across Canada and the US to explore the day-to-day shifts in traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultures and societies in photography, video and mixed media installations. It is about reaction and distraction, oppression and sovereignty, and absence and presence. Each Indigenous artist represents their relationship to their nation, through alter-nations and sub-cultures that define their multi-centered selves as ever-changing sites to a global/local environment of expansion and contraction/integration and segregation, that is public and/or private. Issues of land, personality/identity, integrity, hybridity, erasure, preservation, community, peace and love are a continuum of tradition; a paradox between transitions and consistency are explored within the exhibition.

Shaping Stories: Michael D. Massie
This exhibition highlights the artist's work in stone and metal. Massie's work is a reflection of his mixed Inuit, Métis and Scottish heritage. In it, he investigates both traditional and contemporary themes. This fusion of ideas, techniques and traditions is a hallmark of Massie's work. He has achieved renown for his innovative teapots that express his sublime skill at amalgamating powerful imagery and stories from his Inuit heritage with a contemporary European aesthetic. The tea ceremony, ritualized around the world and the teapot, an iconic form used by many craft artists is a signature image for Massie. His intimate portrayals of the teapot celebrate and pay homage to his grandmother. This exhibition is co-presented with Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver BC.

Flight to the moon: Keesic Douglas
Douglas explores issues surrounding First Nations issues from an insider's perspective through his own Indigenous lens of being an Ojibway artist. Selections from Keesic Douglas' still photography and video work The Vanishing Trace—winner of Best Short Documentary at the 2007 imagineNATIVE Film Festival, Toronto as well as Landscapes are installed within York Quay Centre and on its façade.

maang (message stick): r e a
r e a (Aboriginal, Australia) presents a three channel video with sound entitled, maang (message stick), 2007, as part of a larger body of work where the artist works exclusively within the parameters of Indigenous language as comment on loss of land and language, but also the possibility of renaissance, revitalization and regeneration of people, land, language and culture.

Communities II: Frank Shebageget
Communities II—the exhibition at Service Canada at Harbourfront Centre—is an ongoing art piece. A large tarpaper surface (9 x 16 feet) contains the written names of 688 Aboriginal, Inuit, and Metis reserves, communities and bands. The drawing is completed on tarpaper, because the current list is temporary, and will always need continuous updating.

TELUS TAIWANfest: A New Journey Exhibition
Mother Nature: Chen Shu-yen
Mother Nature is a fibre-based installation by Chen Shu-yen, using the indigenous techniques and materials of Taiwan. Chen also presents Soul House, a larger site specific work during Planet IndigenUs and TELUS TAIWANfest: A New Journey, which takes place August 28-30.

Craft Studio Exhibition
2 X 6: Lizz Aston, Deborah Freeman, Shuyu Lu, Adriana McNeely, Meredith Robb, Rachel Robichaud
Harbourfront Centre presents possibility. This exhibition introduces the work of recent additions to the Craft Artist-in-Residency programme. It showcases new work in metal, jewellery, glass and ceramics.

RESPECT: A Photo Odyssey Celebrating Canada's Boreal Forest
Harbourfront Centre is proud to present the remarkable outdoor photo exhibition RESPECT: A Photo Odyssey Celebrating Canada's Boreal Forest. More than 70 giant-sized aerial photographs of Canada's boreal forest will occupy the grounds of Harbourfront Centre through October 12. The exhibition is open to the public seven days a week, 24 hours a day. This impressive exploration of one of Canada's most important natural resources is presented in partnership with Montréal-based Boreal Communications and SAJO.

RESPECT is the result of a journey that began in 2006 to document and capture the quintessence of Canada's boreal forest in order to raise awareness for the preservation of our natural environment, and promote the boreal region as one of the Earth's most crucial resources. Outstanding works from a team of nine renowned photographers demonstrate the complexity and beauty of the boreal region. The exhibition at Harbourfront Centre features exclusive, never-before-seen photographs of the Far North of Ontario taken between October, 2008 and June, 2009.

RESPECT is curated by Louise Larivière. Prominent photojournalists Allen McInnis, Kazuyoshi Ehara, Jim Ross, John Woods, Todd Korol, Dan Riedlhuber, Jeff Bassett, Chris Young and Andy Clark are the lens through which the public will see the boreal region of Canada. For information and bios about the team and the story behind RESPECT, visit harbourfrontcentre.com and www.borealcommunications.com. RESPECT is generously supported by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Natural Resources Canada.

People We Met Along the Way: a photo essay on the boreal forest of Canada and those who live there
Part of RESPECT on exhibition through September 13
Photographer Chris Young provides intimate portraits of the unique communities who live in this region. Also included is the short documentary Take me to the River. This video loop is a journey through the seasons as the Albany River and Ontario north unfold their secrets. It is an exceptional aspect of the RESPECT project which highlights the immensity of this land mass north of the 50th parallel in Ontario. Take me to the River premieres at the opening reception from 7-9 pm (Studio Theatre). Curator Louise Larivière will also be on hand to introduce the film.

FOCUS: Shift

Harbourfront Centre wants you to shift gears.

What does it mean to change your perspectives on idea, explore new ways of approaching an old notion or to literally shift gears? From June to September, Harbourfront Centre explores the idea of "shift" throughout its programming. How does an ever-changing culture influence the lives and experiences of artists? What happens when we view the world from a different vantage point? What can be learned from migration, relocation and transformation?

Harbourfront Centre: Change perspectives.

SHIFT is part of an ongoing focus in programming. Our Lens. Your View.

Aché Brasil heats up Harbourfront Centre with Afro-Brazilian rhythms on Sunday, February 15 in a free family performance!

Aché Brasil heats up Harbourfront Centre with Afro-Brazilian rhythms on Sunday, February 15 in a free family performance!




TORONTO, Thursday, January 22, 2009 — A true visual feast, Aché Brasil fuses Afro-Brazilian music, dance, martial arts and acrobatics into a dynamic, high energy performance that makes it thrilling to watch, fun to dance to, and impossible to stand still. An explosion of colour, energy and music awaits families at this exciting Music with Bite family performance. Aché Brasil performs on Sunday, February 15, at 1 p.m., as part of Kuumba Black History Month celebrations at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Music with Bite is a co-production with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario. Admission is free. For information, the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com.





Aché Brasil represents the culture: traditions, beliefs, music and movement of the people of Brazil. Equal parts dance, music and spectacle, the group's performances include the samba and capoeira, the famous Brazilian dance, martial arts style combining acrobatics performed to the rhythm of the berimbau (a bow like instrument). The performers of Aché Brasil exhibit a rare combination of authenticity and excellence in their work, which is presently unmatched in North America. The word "aché" stems from Yoruba, meaning, "all things positive," and it is with this spirit in mind that Aché Brasil is proud to bring the culture of the Brazilian people to Canadian audiences.





Mestre Eclilson de Jesus, Aché Brasil's Brazilian-born founder, artistic director, choreographer and percussionist, is also a master of capoeira with over 20 years of experience. Eclilson de Jesus was influenced at an early age by the folkloric musical atmosphere of his birthplace, Recife. Known for his sinuous agility and breathtaking acrobatics, Eclilson de Jesus was invited to perform for children's festivals throughout North America in 1990, and decided to make Vancouver his new home. He runs a capoeira academy with two schools in Canada, plus six in his native Brazil, and regularly conducts workshops and master classes.





Music with Bite is a refreshing experience where children can pull up a comfy cushion and sit in front of the stage for an enjoyable, interactive music performance tailored for the youngest audience members. After the concert, children can enjoy a complimentary Natrel milk beverage and cookies. Concerts take place on select Sundays at 1 p.m. Music with Bite is a co-production with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario, which is affiliated with Jeunesses Musicales of Canada, who since 1949 has dedicated its work to musical excellence and the promotion of young artists and music for young people. Jeunesses Musicales of Canada is a member of Jeunesses Musicales International.





Music with Bite is produced with the support of the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and Desjardins.




FOCUS: Pause



Harbourfront Centre wants you. to. slow. down. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information and images, what happens when someone really takes the time to reflect? Through May, Harbourfront Centre wants you to pause and make a connection to art, recreation, the world. Find time for yourself by taking one of our Courses and Workshops; reflect while you wait for the World Stage curtain to rise; enjoy while you skate on the Natrel Rink. Harbourfront Centre—time well spent.

Aluna Theatre to Open HATCH Season with Nohayquiensepa (Nooneknows)

TORONTO, ON (January 8, 2009) - Aluna Theatre, as part of Harbourfront Centre's HATCH: emerging performance projects, explores how we deal with the death of strangers in a multidisciplinary workshop presentation inspired by events in a Colombian river town on the fringe of great violence; to be followed by a Q&A and facilitated discussion about evolving methods and media in theatre and dance creation. Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. at Harbourfront Centre's Studio Theatre.



The piece has grown from a concern with human rights in Colombia, and a fascination with how people cope and live with them. Puerto Berrio is a town in a "hot zone" of the armed conflict in that country. Along the riverbank, human scavengers often discover mutilated bodies that have floated down from some point further south. When a body is found and cannot be identified it is adopted by a local resident, cared for, and interred at a special mausoleum dedicated to the N.N.'s: the No Names. The N.N.'s return the favour: one man was inspired by his N.N. to choose the winning numbers of the local lottery.



Two-time Dora Award-winner Trevor Schwellnus, in conjunction with choreographer Olga Barrios, is adapting a Colombian approach to collaborative creation to explore innovative video techniques, including targeted projections, live drawing, and the use of video as dynamic lighting in the creation of new environments for performers. To bring these ideas to the stage, Aluna Theatre is exploring a movement and design dramaturgy based on their recent artistic exchange in Colombia with theatre makers Patricia Ariza, Carlos Satizabal, and Santiago Garcia.



Nohayquiensepa (Nooneknows)

Aluna Theatre

Sunday, February 1 at 2:30 p.m.

Studio Theatre at Harbourfront Centre's York Quay Centre

235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario

Tickets are $12.00, $10.00 for Students/Seniors/Arts Workers or $30.00 for a HATCHpass for all four projects in the HATCH 2009 season, available by phone at 416-973-4000 or through www.harbourfrontcentre.com/hatch



Collaborators:

Designer / lead artist: Trevor Schwellnus

Choreographer: Olga Barrios

Sound Designer: Thomas Ryder Payne

Performers and collaborating artists: Vanessa Cuervo, Natasha Greenblatt, Carlos Gonzalez-

Vio, Ravi Jain, Natalia Naranjo, Beatriz Pizano, Snjezana Pruginic, Mayahuel Tecozautla



Aluna Theatre's goal is to create original plays that deal with pressing social issues and inspire social change. We believe in a theatre committed to reflecting the many aspects of the Canadian multicultural experience by including diverse cultural expressions and stories – in a way that comes together to form a distinct language of theatrical (re)presentation. Our past projects include: ArmAndo / Entrada (2008, an international artistic exchange), Madre (2008, 2 Dora Awards), Rap Opera (ongoing), Capturing Freedom (2005, co-production), For Sale (2003, 2 Dora Awards), and meeting playce (2003).



Learn more about the company and their work at www.alunatheatre.ca

Harbourfront Centre Courses & Workshops

Make time for you! A world of contemporary culture is waiting for you at Harbourfront Centre's Courses & Workshops!



TORONTO, Monday, December 22, 2008 — Travel to Harbourfront Centre, the most memorable and economical destination ever, to escape the winter cold and uncrate the spring sun with the city's best Courses & Workshops! Harbourfront Centre is pleased to offer a diverse and exciting line-up of contemporary culture courses throughout the winter and spring months. Adults can learn to paint; create their own website; explore the world of circus arts; tour the city's culinary neighbourhoods; go gallery hopping; make delicious candies and chocolates just in time for Valentine's Day; attend tea socials; join a book club; take a glass blowing course; and much more! Harbourfront Centre's Courses & Workshops are affordable and provide a perfect environment for adults to learn or improve skills, and expand their social circle with like-minded individuals at Toronto's leading arts and cultural centre.



Courses & Workshops begin on January 18, 2009 at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Register early as class size is limited. To register or for more information, the public can call 416-973-4093, e-mail learning@harbourfrontcentre.com or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/learn.



Winter/Spring 2009 Courses & Workshops



Visual Arts & Design

•Expressive Arts (Sunday, January 18)

•Drawing for Fashion Design (5 Mondays, January 19 to February 16)

•Introduction to Botanical Drawing (5 Mondays, January 19 to February 16)

•Sewing 101 (5 Mondays, January 19 to February 16)

•Fashion 101 (5 Tuesdays, January 20 to February 17)

•Painting (6 Tuesdays, January 20 to February 24)

•Parent Workshop: Engaging Kids with Contemporary Arts (Saturday, May 9)

•Toronto Island Watercolour Sketchbook (4 Sundays, May 24 to June 14)



Media Studies

•Creating your own Website (6 Mondays, January 19 to February 23)

•Demystifying the Digital Camera (Sunday, January 25)

•Digital Photography Manipulation (Saturday & Sunday, February 21 & 22)



Performing Arts

•Djembe Drumming (4 Thursdays, February 5 to 26)

•Circus (6 Mondays, Session 1: May 25 to June 29; Session 2:6 Wednesdays, May 27 to July 8)



Seasonal

•Candy-Making Workshop (Sunday, February 1)

•From Beer to There (3 Thursdays, April 16 to 30)



Literary Arts

•Authors at Harbourfront Centre Book Club (Ongoing, 3rd Tuesday of every month)



Urban & Cultural Studies

•Film & Food Club (3 Fridays, February 6 to 20)

•Tea 101 (4 Saturdays, February 21 to March 14)

•Gallery Hopping (6 Wednesdays, April 21 to May 25)

•Urban Portraiture (6 Tuesdays, April 21 to May 25)

•Artistic Architecture in the Public Space (6 Wednesdays, April 22 to May 26)

•Explore Toronto's Culinary Neighbourhoods (Saturday, April 25: Little India; Saturday, May 2: Kensington; Saturday, May 9: Chinatown;

Saturday, May 16: Little Italy)



Craft Studio Courses

•Glass Blowing (Runs through May)

•Ceramics (Runs year-round)

•Introduction to Jewellery (Runs year-round)

•Intermediate Jewellery (Runs year-round)

•Textiles (Runs year-round)



FOCUS: Pause

Harbourfront Centre wants you. to. slow. down. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information and images, what happens when someone really takes the time to reflect? Through May, Harbourfront Centre wants you to pause and make a connection to art, recreation, the world. Find time for yourself by taking one of our Courses and Workshops; reflect while you wait for the World Stage curtain to rise; enjoy while you skate on the Natrel Rink. Harbourfront Centre—time well spent.