fall arts preview
Leaving convention on the cutting-edge floor Ballet BC continues to push its boundaries with risky commissions and hot guest choreographers By Kelsey Klassen
I
n dancers’ years, Ballet BC would be on the cusp of its career, just starting to feel the premonitory pains in its knees and pondering the bittersweet future of what it might do next. But instead, at 29, the internationally-acclaimed Vancouver dance company is leaping into its 2014/15 season with more focus and intention than ever. Even the most ardent of fans may have lost count, but over the past five years, Ballet BC has commissioned a staggering 28 world premieres – an accomplishment of exceptional proportions on the Canadian dance front, and part of artistic director Emily Molnar’s much lauded vision to reinvigorate the struggling dance company since joining on in 2009.
Ballet BC 2014/15 season No. 29 • Nov. 6-8 See story.
The Nutcracker • Dec. 12-14 The Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s uniquely Canadian retelling of this holiday classic.
Balanchine • Feb. 19-21 Miami City Ballet in an evening of masterworks by George Balanchine.
Trace • Mar. 26-28 Workwithinwork by William Forsythe; a Walter Matteini world premiere; and the reprisal of Medhi Walerski’s Petite Cérémonie.
RITE • May 7-9 Emily Molnar collaborates with Bocci’s Omer Arbel and Black Mountain’s Jeremy Schmidt. Gustavo Ramirez Sansano reimagines The Rite of Spring.
The last season saw seven entirely new creations unfolding on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, setting up the 2014/15 season opener to contain the timely and celebratory 29th: White Act, a world premiere by fast-rising Spanish choreographer Fernando Hernando Magadan. “We take a tremendous amount of risk putting new works out because it’s the unknown, and we love that,” says Molnar. “And we love that we have an audience who’s willing to go there with us. I cannot imagine a better place [than Vancouver] in the country to be doing what we’re doing.” Inspired by La Sylphide – one of the oldest surviving Romantic ballets – White Act fittingly explores society’s inherent temptation for the unknown and our insatiable desire to find true love, with dramatic consequences. The program also includes a revisiting of 2012’s explosively kinetic A.U.R.A (Anarchist Unit Related to Art) by Italy’s Jacopo Godani, and An Instant, a poignant investigation of Wislawa Szymborska’s poem “Could Have” by Vancouver-born choreographer and dancer Lesley Telford. With each successive season, Molnar has tasked her dancers to create an environment where choreographers can come and conceive exactly the work they would have made if they had their own companies. The risk has paid off, with returning patrons feeling rewarded by the repertoire, and the company reeling back from the brink of bankruptcy to post a $150,000 operating surplus in 2013. Connor Gnam is entering his ninth season with Ballet BC. A fan of Molnar’s from his Arts Umbrella days when he was a student and she was the artist in residence, the hard-working dancer was a natural fit for a company that has been recognized for its versatility around the world. “I have a real passion for doing everything I can to make sure the choreographer gets what they want at the end of the day. We work very short careers, so you can push really hard. Sort of a ‘live for today’ mentality,” says the 27-year-old, who has performed works by William Forsythe, Jorma Elo, Itzik Galili, George Balanchine, Gioconda Barbuto, Medhi Walerski, and Vancouver’s own Crystal Pite – some
Ballet BC’s No. 29. Michael Slobodian photo
of contemporary ballet’s most sought-after choreographers. Gnam was inspired at the age of five to follow in the soft-soled footsteps of his older brother, James, who danced for Ballet BC before founding his own company, Plastic Orchid Factory. “When I was a kid, my parents always joked that I thought my brother lived at the airport because we’d go pick him up there and drop him off there and that’s all I really saw for the first little while,” he recalls with a laugh.
“I grew up watching Ballet BC and I always wanted to work here. When the old director John [Alleyne] was here, I was really inspired by the way that he worked. Then he left, and I couldn’t have been luckier, because I remember when I was younger saying, ‘Man, if only Emily Molnar had a company, I’d love to work for that.’” No. 29 launches Ballet BC’s 2014/15 season Nov. 6-8 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets start at $30; 1-855-985-2787 or Ticketmaster.ca.
Music & Lyrics By Jonathan Larson
September 26, 27 & 28, 2014 Free arts and culture activities in a community near you! celebrating 5 years and over 5.5 million people’s love affair with culture
Enter the Black Press Culture Shapes Our Community Photo Contest to win prizes. http://bit.ly/culturedays2014
CultureDays.ca Making the Arts More Accessible®
RENT Sing with Soul
Orpheum Annex
2014 October 9 - 11
Director: Craig DeCarlo Music Director: Christopher King Starring: Chelsea Rose Tucker, Hal Wesley Rogers, Imelda Gaborno, Jennifer Suratos, Matt Hume, Nathan Houle, Theo Budd, and Tristan Pearson. Oct. 9, 8 pm Oct 10, 8 pm Oct 11, 2 pm & 8 pm
Orpheum Annex 823 Seymour St, 2nd floor Vancouver
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE AT TICKETS TONIGHT 6
September 11 – 17, 2014
WEVancouver.com
eat & drink
Vancouver’s favourite breakfast destination for over 10 years.
Best Cit y
Nicli’s Next Door GM Anthony Sterne serves up some ricotta gnocchi with San Marzano tomato, grated salted ricotta, and fresh basil, as well as plate of assorted bruschetta. Jennifer Gauthier photos
of the
SILVER WINNER 13th ANNUAL 2010
Breakfast & Lunch | Open Daily 7am – 3 pm 2211 Granville St. @ 6th Ave. 604-737-2857 OPEN M-F ■ 9AM- 4PM ■ APPOINTMENT PREFERRED
ROBSON N MEDICAL Dr. Peter J. Marr
Family Physician + Associates
F AMILIES CHILDREN
Nicli’s Next Door makes simple spectacular The Dish
MEN
By Anya Levykh
WOMEN
NEW PATIENTS WELCOME
SENIORS + PRE-NATAL
200-1525 Robson Street
604 669-5669
■
www.robsonmedicalclinic.com
SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT CEMENTING OILFIELD OPERATORS Apply today to work over the winter months earning great money and benefits! Sanjel – an employee focused, safety first Oilfield Service Company – is looking for experienced Class 1 drivers with clean driver’s abstract.
Sanjel_Seasonal_BC_14-0901
For more information, or to submit resumes and abstracts, e-mail seasonal@sanjel.com or call 1-800-972-6535.
sanjel.com/seasonal
Vancouver’s Largest Indian Buffet Draft Pitchers $9.95 Draft Pints $3.95
W
hen Bill McCaig opened Nicli Antica Pizzeria in Gastown several years ago, it was the first certified Verace Napoletana pizza to be offered in Vancouver. The menu has stayed true to the ethos of Naples’ pizzaioli, offering classic ingredients with few dishes outside of the pie list, meaning if you felt like anything other than pizza, best to go elsewhere. With the opening of Next Door a few months, ago, that limitation is now removed. The space adjacent to Nicli was formerly Vicino Pastaria & Deli, McCaig’s attempt at a resto-deli combination that – in large part thanks to city licensing issues – never got successfully off the ground. No danger of that with Next Door. The licences are in place, the deli counter is gone, and, in its place, a
SPECIALS FOR SEPT. 11-18
ALL YOU CAN EAT...
40 ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM
20% OFF Lunch Buffet: M-F $13.95; Sat & Sun $14.95 Dinner Buffet: Every Day $16.95
*Buffet only. Offer excludes alcohol. Expires October 15, 2014.
22
Draft Beer Pints $3.95 Draft Beer Pitchers $9.95 Large Selection of Wines Banquet Rooms Available New a la Carte Menu
September 11 – 17, 2014
one night, and, while it wasn’t my favourite version of this classic sweet dish, the raspberry and basil granita was lovely, and was nicely set off by a parmesan crisp. Not bad for the place next door. All ratings out of five stars. Food: ★★★★ Service: ★★★★ Ambiance: ★★★ Overall: ★★★★ Nicli’s Next Door | 68 East Cordova | 604-669-6985 | NiclisNextDoor.com Open Wednesday-Saturday, 5pm to late. No reservations. Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook. com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
FREE RUN WHOLE CHICKENS $3.28/lb.
BUFFET AND RESTAURANT
Anytime with this coupon. Buffet only.*
• • • • •
rustic bar and ceiling-height wine wall stands ready. The room is not as sleek as its big sister, but with high ceilings and warm wood, it’s a comfortable, cozy spot to enjoy drinks and bites while waiting for a table, or settle into for a more substantial evening. GM Anthony Sterne runs a great front-of-house crew, so service is excellent; knowledgeable, friendly and the up-selling is kept to a minimum. It makes for a perfect match to chef Keev Mah’s excellent renditions of the small but well-chosen menu. Cocktails like the Girl Next Door ($12) are spoton. Broker’s gin with basil, honey, lime, and egg white make for a frothy, refreshing beverage that pairs well with the chilled sweet pea soup (now a tomato version in keeping with what’s in season). At $3, it’s the per-
fect first bite (or sip), served in a small shot glass with a deep plate of crème fraiche mousse, parmesan and basil oil. Pour the chilled liquid over top and it’s a bright, happy palate freshener. An Italian take on a Scotch egg ($5) is fantastic. Italian sausage surrounds fior di latte and a runny egg yolk just waiting for you to poke it free (how this is achieved is a mystery), while a smoked egg white aioli offers a pleasant sharp contrast to the almost-overwhelming richness of the dish. None of the dishes run more than $12, so your wallet won’t take a beating, even for a full meal. Definitely save a few dollars for the ricotta gnocchi, served with smoked porchetta, chanterelles and chestnuts. A special one night of deepfried and ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossoms is beautiful, while braised crispy pork belly is nicely balanced with sautéed kale. I tried the white chocolate panna cotta for dessert
805 W. Broadway @ Willow • 604.874.5800 3 blocks west of the Canada Line Cambie Station
FREE PARKING weekends & after 6pm weeknights
GOURMET
SUNDRIED TOMATO & BASIL PORK CHOPS
865 Denman St.
AAA PEPPERCORN BASBALL CUT SIRLOINS
meats
604.681.2121
TRY A PULLED PORK SANDWICH, MADE IN HOUSE ONLY $4.98 EACH
$2.98 each
$7.48 each
MONTREAL SMOKED MEAT $1.98/100gr.
For more info visit our website TangosGourmetMeats.com
WEVancouver.com
out after dark
opinion
rant/rave email: rantrave@wevancouver.com
Lighten up!
Fibre Artist Sola Fiedler presents her Vancouver Tapestry at grunt gallery’s 30th Anniversary Party on Aug. 28. Inspired by Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the tapestry took the 78-year-old more than 5,000 hours to weave, beginning in May 2009. OUT AFTER DARK is a weekly feature highlighting social and cultural events around Vancouver. Got an upcoming event? Email us at OutAfterDark@WEVancouver.com.
Preventing gang activity in BC ▾ MYTH: Once kids join a gang there’s no hope for them: Reality: With quick family, school, and police intervention, a youth can leave the gang without any serious consequences. The key is a coordinated and collaborative intervention as soon as some of the warning signs appear. Better yet, everyone needs to work together to prevent youth and young adults from joining gangs.
Read more by downloading your copy of the CFSEU-BC Community Report at www.cfseu.bc.ca and on your Black Press website at: bc-anti-gang.com
BC’s ng n A ti-liGcae Po Report: mmunity 2014 Co n
io Prevent gement lic Enga and Pub
Re: Rants/Raves, Sept. 4 This rant is in response to the two people that wrote in about the pig slicing itself. Oh my word! Can we lighten up just a tiny bit? And may I also suggest that before you press ‘Send’ on your funky little laptop whilst you sit in some bland coffee house feeling ‘oh-so-superior’ because you’re probably drinking ‘fair-trade’ coffee, that you may actually consider rereading your trite message, instead of caving in to your sudden elitist indignation. Quite simply, poor grammar is sloppy (as sloppy as, shall we say, a pig slicing itself?), and it poorly detracts from whatever half-assed message you are vaguely trying to comment on. And I quote: “...you published a picture of a pig slicing himself (by the way, we don’t know it’s gender) to promote the Vancouver chili and barbecue festival, it was revolting and unethical.” Take out the comma and continue with your thought as a comma suggests a pause in your thinking. A period after that sentence would’ve been in order. If you were daring, you might have used a semicolon but I’m guessing that skill is beyond you. Perhaps in your caffeinated hyperworld, you may think that editing, re-reading, grammar, etc... are not needed to get your point across. However, it actually makes you sound very much like an idiot thus detracting considerably from whatever pseudo-important message you were trying to impart. As for the issue at hand, all grammar aside: Lighten the fuck up. It’s a silly little cartoon and I doubt that actual pigs go about slicing themselves up at random just as I would hazard a very good guess that not
All rants are the opinion of the individual and do not reflect the opinions of WE. The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity and brevity, so please keep it short and (bitter)sweet.
many people who are ‘fence-sitting’ on the issue of carnivore vs. herbivore would be really impacted by this image at all! I rarely read the WE anymore but I happened to see this and simply could not help commenting on the utter lack of proper usage of the English-fucking-language. Please go back to grade school and enjoy a round of baby-back ribs on me while you’re at it! There is a divine smokehouse on W. Broadway – Memphis Blues – and I’m sure they’d love to accommodate you. Now do excuse me while I tuck into some delicious barbecued pork chops. –G Pick
Rude people get what they deserve Re: Rants/Raves, Sept. 4 Besides the rude comments you got, you missed the opportunity to emphatically state that in this day and age it’s totally unacceptable to hold the door for any stranger to your place of work or dwelling, and that if the rude piece of garbage does not have a so-called friend in the building, the police will be called. Nobody should be offended if they are not trying to con their way in to a building to cause more harm to others. Harm reduction can be a useful term in this case which is wrongly used by politicians and bureaucrats. –Jeff
Still good people out there Thank you to the thoughtful person who recently left me a note of apology to explain their hungry dog. The dog was tied up to a bike rack at Hillcrest Community Centre (Nat Bailey). The dog chewed on two loaves of bread I had inside my bike bags. This kind person also left me $5.00 to pur-
DON’T MISS
chase replacement bread. There still are good and considerate people. –TJL
Get over yourself! Re: Belle Gelateria eyes global expansion with new shop, Aug. 28 Get over yourself! The Bella Gelateria owner says, “At my level of being a World Champion, everything has to be perfect”. He then goes on to say “I don’t fit in... I stand out”. Enough said. –P.Taff
Police need to stop cell drivers Distracted drivers are causing a lot more accidents as you see them driving with spaces between cars as their attention is on their texting or cell phone But lets put the blame where it really belongs, on a lack of police enforcement of the traffic laws. When you see a driver on their cell phone and they don’t try to hide the fact that they are using their phone, and with a police office watching but they do nothing you know drivers aren’t afraid of being caught. It is time to get the police out of the coffee shops, off their fat asses, and do some traffic enforcement. Vancouver Police are paid to do law enforcement, so why aren’t they doing it? Also the Mayor is the chairman of the Vancouver Police Board and it is his responsibility to see laws are enforced, not to be encouraging citizens to break the law. Why is there no leadership at the top? If I see at least 30 to 35 drivers a day on their cellphones you would think and entire police force would see one or two. –John Adamson
Your city, your stories. Since 1949.
March 27-April 2, 2014 | WEVancouver.com
FREE
OUR UPCOMING
MAIN STREET
IT ENT UN FORCEM IAL EN ES SPEC D FORC COMBINE
MBIA SH COLU - BRITI
COMBINED FORCES SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT UNIT - BRITISH COLUMBIA 26
September 11 – 17, 2014
September 25 issue:
VANCOUVER’S EASTSIDE
MAIN STREET There’s more to the story, including a Main Street round table and chat with Slickity Jim’s 7-14 Is graffiti trending? 4
Heritage home at risk 5
Reel People: the Harmons 21
Pappas Furs closing 24
Mike Zalman of Slickity Jim’s. Rob Newell photo
WEVancouver.com
30
September 11 – 17, 2014
WEVancouver.com