Monthly Archives: March 2011

Marty Chan visits Kogawa House with Forbidden Phoenix costume designer

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Marty Chan visits Kogawa House with Forbidden Phoenix costume designer

Playwright Marty Chan came to a special evening reception at Historic Joy Kogawa House on March 30, to discuss his new play The Forbidden Phoenix, currently being produced by Gateway Theatre in Richmond.

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“They are the best costumes” that Marty Chan has seen, of the three different productions for The Forbidden Phoenix.  Marty Chan and Todd Wong are impressed with the “Phoenix” costume for the musical play “The Forbidden Phoenix” written by playwright Marty Chan. They both love Chinese Canadian history, and Chan has written a fascinating father and son story, while incorporating both the story of Chinese building the railway in Canada, and a visit from The Monkey King to Canada.

Todd, president of Historic Joy Kogawa House, facilitated the evening's
fascinating conversation, and drew out the importance of the Monkey
King's famed “Journey to the West”, as actually visiting not North
America, but to go West from China to India.  Monkey King is credited
with “discovering Buddhism” and bringing it back to China.  But in North
American culture, we think of “The West” as Western Canada and the USA,
where many Chinese pioneers came to seek gold in “Gum San” or “Gold
Mountain”.  In a wonderful turn of Chinese North American Identity, Todd
and Marty discussed the graphic novel American Born Chinese, which interweaves 3 different stories and incorporates The Monkey King.

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Todd Wong and Marty Chan “ham it up” by standing behind the wonderful costumes created for “The Forbidden Phoenix”.  Todd stands behind the Monkey King costume and Marty is behind the Phoenix costume.

Last May 2010, Todd Wong, as vice-president for Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, presented Marty Chan with the ACWW Community Builder's Award, recognizing his work for plays, television and children's novels.  Wong first met Chan in 1986 during the first production of “Mom, Dad, I'm Living With a White Girl” was first produced at Firehall Arts Centre.  Wong wrote this article for the Peak Student Newspaper at Simon Fraser University: http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/96-1/issue7/chan.html

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Here is the brilliant costume designer

More pictures here on Flickr

Marty Chan is coming to Kogawa House Wednesday – special price tickets for The Forbidden Phoenix

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Special Marty Chan Reception at Historic Joy Kogawa House
on Wednesday March 30th

The Forbidden Phoenix

Playwright Marty Chan (Mom, Dad, I'm Living With A White Girl) is coming to Historic Joy Kogawa House.

This is a special reception, hosted by Kogawa House Society.  Marty is coming, and so is the costume designer.  They will talk about this new exciting play about the Chinese immigration to Canada, and how Monkey King is involved.

The evening is moderated by Todd Wong, creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, and who is active on the executive boards of Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, Historic Joy Kogawa House Society and The Land Conservancy of BC.  Todd loves is a 5th generation Chinese Canadian, and loves Monkey King stories and Asian Canadian history.

Wednesday, March 30th.  7:30 to 9pm

Discount tickets to Marty Chan's
The Forbidden Phoenix
Mon, 2011-03-28 07:47 — Ann-Marie Metten
Marty Chan's The Forbidden
Phoenix opens next month at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond. Become a
member of the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society and get the discount
ticket price.

Bonus: Meet the playwright this Wednesday, March 30, 7:30 to
9pm,
at Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver.

Cost:
$25 = Tax-deductible one-year membership in Historic Joy Kogawa House
Society

$39 = One ticket to any production of The Forbidden Phoenix,
running April 7 to 23 at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond

$64 total

This event is a fundraiser for our writer-in-residence program at
Historic Joy Kogawa House, which September 15, 2011, to April 15, 2012.

For tickets, email email kogawahouse@yahoo.ca

About the play
The Forbidden Phoenix, combines adventure and martial arts to
present an eye-popping musical that tells the story of a father who
comes to Canada looking for a better life. High drama and visual
spectacle combine for a unique evening of family entertainment.
Performed in English with Chinese surtitles. The play runs April 7 to 23
at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond.

About the event
On Wednesday, March 30, please join us in the living room of Historic
Joy Kogawa House, childhood home of the author Joy Kogawa, for a rare
opportunity to sit with this master author, hear him read from the
playscript, and discuss the issues of history and mythology he raises in
his work.

About the playwright
Marty Chan explores the tensions between opposing forces of assimilation
and the search for heritage and cultural roots.

Marty Chan is an award-winning playwright. His Mom, Dad, I’m Living
with a White Girl won the Sterling Award for Best New Play and Best
Sound Design, and Harvard University’s A.C.T. Award. The Forbidden
Phoenix won the Alberta Literary Awards Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award
for Drama in 2004.

For tickets, email email kogawahouse@yahoo.ca

Gung Haggis dragon boat team 1st practice is this Sunday March 27th

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Gung Haggis dragon boat team starts practice this Sunday, March 27

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Gung Haggis dragon boat team at
Rio Tinto Alcan Festival – a mix of veteran and novice paddlers that
proudly made it to Rec B medal finals!

We start paddling this Sunday – March 27th 11am
Dragon
Zone / South East False Creek Community Centre.

11am Sunday
6pm Wednesday
meet at Creekside Community Centre
Dragon Zone
for more information
contact coach Todd Wong
778-846-7090
email gunghaggis at yahoo.com

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2010
was wonderful for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team. We
started paddling in January then took a break for the Olympics. We
celebrated with a big Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner at Floata where we
first met a Chinese lass born in Scotland, who came to join the dragon
boat team, starting the string of Irish, Yorkshire, French, Belgian and
Australian visitors to Canada who came to paddle and race with us.

Dragon
boat races found us first time in A Division at
Lotus Races with the Community Spirit Award, in Rec B at Rio Tinto
Alcan Festival with a silver medal in Senior B Race, Silver medal and
2nd overall at Richmond with 1st prize of free entry for 2011 in the
challenge race. We partnered with Spirit of Vancouver and went to Banff
for a silver medal in C Division. In Ft. Langley both teams were in
the A Final. Wow!

The Gung Haggis team for 2011 – It will be
incredible….
2011 is year 10, of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, paddling
every year @ Alcan Races and beyond since 2002.  It is also year 15 for a
team that started in 1997 under the name Celebration Team and for which
the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner event was
created as a fundraiser for in 1999.  This is the only team that has
twice won the Hon. David Lam Award for the team that best exemplifies
the multicultural spirit of the dragon boat festival (2001 & 2005)


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Gung Haggis Fat Choy paddlers bite
their silver medals at Richmond Dragon Boat Festival – 2nd place
overall, and 1st in the steering challenge race.

An Intimate Evening with playwright Marty Chan @ Kogawa House

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Time
30 March · 19:30 – 21:00
Location
Historic Joy Kogawa House
Created by:
More info
In
his role as Canadian playwright, radio writer, television story editor,
and young adult author, Marty Chan explores the tensions between
opposing forces of assimilation and the search for heritage and cultural
roots.

His new play, The Forbidden Phoenix, combines adventure,
martial arts, and the coolest 10-piece orchestra you’ve ever seen, in an
eye-popping musical that tells the story of a father who comes to
Canada looking for a better life. High drama and visual spectacle
combine for a unique evening of family entertainment. Performed in
English with Chinese surtitles.

Please join us in the living room
of Historic Joy Kogawa House, childhood home of the author Joy Kogawa,
for a rare opportunity to sit with this master author and indulge in the
art of his smooth prose.

Ticket price $65
Includes admission to any production of The Forbidden Phoenix, running April 7 to 23, at Richmond’s Gateway Theatre.

To purchase tickets, email kogawahouse@yahoo.ca

Todd Wong

This
will be brilliant…. Marty is entertaining and very funny. He is the
playwright of “Mom, Dad, I'm Living With a White Girl.” I have been
waiting years for a story about Monkey King comes to Canada…. this is
it! Tickets to Kogawa House exclusive event include tickets to the
Forbidden Phoenix play at Gateway Theatre…. I am honoured to moderate
and host, Cheers, Todd

Videos from Celtic Fest: Parade + Fiddles

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Here are some great videos I found on youtube of the St. Patrick's Day Parade, plus fiddler Stephanie Cadman and accompanist Jake Charron

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdZq-6_xVcU&feature=related

Uploaded by on
Mar 21, 2011

St. Patrick's Day Parade (PART 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eGuW8yFLM4

All
the bells and whistles of the St. Patrick's Day Pararde 2011 in
Vancouver. The most spectacular Irish celebration in western Canada.
Irish dancers, clowns, fire engines, police, antique cars, floats,
trucks, bagpipe bands, legend marching bands, horse-mounted drill teams,
Chinese lion dancers, Celtic warriors etc. in a spectacular display of
Irish pride and celebration. The parade was held on March 20, 2011
between Drake and Georgia Street on Howe in downtown Vancouver. The St.
Patrick's Day Parade is just one of the highlights of the almost
week-long Celtic Fest in the city with plenty of Canadian musical bands
from across the country providing entertainment – Colin Grant Band,
Stephanie Cadman, Leum, Spirit of The West, The Wheat in The Barley,
Sionnaine Irish Dancers etc. Star of The County Down, a famous Irish
tune can be heard playing on bagpipes and on stage by electric guitars
and fiddles. Because of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games last
year, the St. parade was cancelled. This year's St. Patrick's Day Parade
2011 was greeted with excellent weather and had a very large turn-out,
some estimated to be over 200,000.

Stephanie Cadman and Jake Charron performed at
the Celtic Village (Georgia & Granaville street in Vancouver) in
March of 2011 at the CelticFest 2011. Stephanie Cadman is not only a
virtuoso fiddler, at 16, she was already the top female at the World Tap
Dance Championships, and held three step-dancing titles at the Pembroke
Championships. Cadman co-founded a dance show The StepCrew and toured
on her own production, Celtic Blaze and as a main violinist in BowFire.
Jake Charron plays the piano and guitar and is one of Canada's most
highly-regarded accompanists for fiddle music. Sunday's St. Patrick's
Day Parade 2011 concludes the CelticFest 2011 series of concerts and
events.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy entry in Vancouver's St. Patrick's Day Parade

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Gung Haggis Dragon entertains in Vancouver's St. Patrick's Day Parade

photo
photo is courtesy of Catriona67 on Flickr


Great
day at the St. Patrick's Day Parade! Our Gung Haggis dragon was a hit –
interacting with the people lining the streets. The children LOVED it! Here is a picture of us with our parade dragon. Jennifer is carrying the head of the dragon, Todd is wearing the yellow Macleod kilt, Carolyn in a blue Fraser Hunting kilt, and Evan in green and purple “Pride of Scotland” kilt.

photo
Photo courtesy of Catriona67 on Flickr.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy parade entry…. representing the largest Robbie Burns Dinner in the City of Vancouver…  the car is covered with Chinese lucky red envelopes that are traditionally given out at Chinese New Year and other special occasions.  A large Chinese Lion Head mask is on the hood of the car, while two smaller Lion head masks are on the roof of the car.  Also on the car are stuffed toy dragons, dragon boat paddles.  On the windshield is a Quatchi Olympic mascot wearing a kilt.My car was decorated with the usual shamrock decorations.Lucky red “li-see” envelopes taped all over the car + St. Paddy's
decorations.
2011_March_CelticFest 035
The Green Man

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Da Danaan Irish School of Dance

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My drummer friends Tony and Cassandra with the City of New Westminster Pipe Band

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The North Shore Celtic Ensemble

The Vancouver Police Lion Dance team was in the
parade…. Gung Haggis Fat Choy had a 5 person dragon…. Falun Dafa
had a “lotus float” + drummers…. BC Lions Cheerleaders had some
Asians, as did 93.7JR Country Radio (driving the truck)…. Koreans were
in the parade… but did you see the Hapa-Asian-Canadians in the Da
Danaan Irish Dancers… and the Stave Scottish Dancers?

Then off to the Celtic Village,


2011_March_CelticFest 060a maker of leather sporrans  

2011_March_CelticFest 059 Irish Wolf Hounds

2011_March_CelticFest 089The program for Celtic Fest

Johnny Fox's Snug for some
Guinness, Ottawa Valley step-dancing workshop with Stephanie Cadman,

2011_March_CelticFest 085 Roolya Boolya- Mark Downey on lead vocals and guitar with the amazing Mary on fiddle.

then great music with Roolya Boolya @ Doolin's Irish Pub

2011_March_CelticFest 101 Japanese-Celtic-Canadian

Celtic Fest Sunday – join the Gung Haggis entry #84 in the St. Paddy's Day Parade, or cheer us on!

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“Taddy O'Wong” is getting ready for St. Patrick's Day Parade…
Hope you all can wear some GREEN too!

Gung
Haggis paddlers and friends are invited to the “Gung Haggis Fat Choy”
entry #84. come help us carry dragons and Chinese lions and dragon boat
paddles… in the parade. Meet Granville & Drake 10:20 am – look
for entry #84 Gung Haggis Fat Choy.

Parade is from 11am to 1pm

Afterwards
– enjoy the Celtic village of CelticFest… lots of performances,
workshops etc… on Granville St.
Check out this list of events
http://www.celticfestvancouver.com/schedule-tickets/2011/#sunday

1pm –Boris
Sichon – multi-instrumentalist

2pm see Michael
Viens' Bodhran workshop

2-4pm The Great Big Session Hosted by Jay
Knutson – Bring your instrument to jam with the BIGGEST kitchen
party jam session $5.

3pm – I want to try the step dancing workshop with Stephanie
Cadman

Afro-Celtic Dance party For CelticFest tonight… Toddish McWong is host…

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Afro-Celtic
Dance party For CelticFest tonight… Toddish McWong is host…
Alpha
Ya Diallo (african singer/guitarist), Stephanie Cadman fiddler/step
dancer + Amy Stephen on accordion + more!  This is cultural fusion to dance to!  

Years ago I would listen to Afro Celt Sound System – very cool.  Afro beats set to great Celtic fiddling. 

Vancouver & BC's history is Afro-Celtic.  Sir James Douglas, founding governor was born in Guyana to a Carribean Creole mother and a Scottish father.  In Canada, his wife Amelia was a Metis.  Very Canadian!

On stage together for the very first time, some of Canada’s most
celebrated African and Celtic vocalists, musicians and dancers come
together to burst past boundaries and create musical alchemy at
CelticFest. Outstanding artists find musical affinity; two vibrant
musical traditions fuse into one unique concert that can only be
experienced live!

On stage are JUNO Award-Winning West African guitar maestro and singer, Alpha Yaya Diallo, former Mad Pudding band mates Amy Stephen (accordion), Allan Dionne (drums), and Boris Favre (bass), Ottawa Valley fiddler and step dancer Stephanie Cadman, world percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Boris Sichon, African dancer N’ato Camera and percussionist Yoro Noukoussi.

In the hands of these virtuoso talents, the electrifying rhythms,
melodies and connections between these two musical worlds is explored –
and a night made for dancing is born!

Your host for the evening is Todd Wong AKA Toddish McWong.

Cultural Fusion to burst past
boundaries and create musical alchemy at CelticFest.
at Edgewater Casino tonight… doors open 7pm, concert/dance begins at 8pm
http://www.celticfestvancouver.com/schedule-tickets/2011/#friday

Celtic Fest Pictures + St. Paddy's Day

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photo
Afro-Celtic Dance Party musicians and host Toddish McWong

2011_March_CelticFest 009 Click here for the video of the dance party
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53803790@N00/5542401724/

2011_March_CelticFest 003
N'Nato Camara and Todd Wong, improvise some dance poses.

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Todd Wong, Stephanie Cadman and Alpha Yaya Dialo

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Amy Stephen plays her accordion!

Check out my flickr set pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/53803790@N00/sets/72157626177412231/


On March 17th, Debbie, Deb & Todd went to Mahoney's Pub @ UBC

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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Celebrating St. Patrick's Day Eve… by
listening/watching youtubes of Scottish-Chinese-Irish singer KT Tunstall
– performances from Hogmanay Festival in Edinburgh 01/01/2011 – VERY
COOL….


Kt Tunstall – Black Horse & The Cherry Tree at
Edinburgh

www.youtube.com

Live at Hogmanay Festival OPEN AIR 1st
January 2011 in Edinburgh

Here is more on KT Tunstall from wikipedia

Kate Victoria Tunstall (born 23 June 1975),[1]
better known as KT Tunstall, is a Scottish singer-songwriter
and guitarist. She
broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song
“Black
Horse and the Cherry Tree” on Later…
with Jools Holland. She has enjoyed commercial and critical
success since, picking up three nominations before winning a BRIT Award, and a Grammy Award nomination.[2]
She is also the recipient of an Ivor Novello Award.