Category Archives: Asian Canadian Cultural Events

REVIEW: “The C-Word” play is full of c-words: Chinese, Canadian, colou-blind, change, characters… “C” it for yourself!

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What is the C-Word that is the meaning of life?



The C-Word cast
(Foreground, from left): Preet Cheema (Akesh Gill), Grace Chin (Kelly Cho), Sheryl Thompson (Ashley Hennessey).
(Background, from left): Fane Tse (Steve Chung), Raahul Singh (Pal Prasad). Photo by Terry Wong, courtesy of The C-word.


The C-Word  April 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 2009
written by Grace Chin

at the Playwrights Theatre Centre on Granville Island, Vancouver

The C-Word is an engaging play… even before you sit down in the seats.  What is the C-Word?  Is it for  Chinese?  Or the derogatory Chink word?  Does it mean Coloured?  Is it a four letter word that belongs below the belt?  One for male appendage, or for female anatomy?

Is the C-Word something more abstract, profound and perhaps “Complicated”?

Or is it “Compassion” or “Cheating”?

In the opening scene, “The Love Guru” is giving a seminar on how to get some action for his male clients.  Pal Prasad (played by Raahul Singh), gives a short talk about goals, and what it takes to follow through.  It's about intention and going after what you want.  It could be any personal development seminar, but this is about the C-word.

Next we meet girlfriends Kelly Cho and Akesh Gill played by Grace Chin and Preet Cheema.  They are on a shopping trip and talking about Kelly's upcoming wedding plans.  Soon we learn that Kelly has a live-in boyfriend named Steve Chung (Fane Tse) who is a yellow guy, while Akesh is single, but she doesn't like brown guys.

Things become complicated when Steve goes to see his old friend Pal to ask for some advice, and compare his relationship and impending marriage with Kelly to Pal's long term “open relationship” to a blonde woman named Ashley (Sheryl Thompsson).  What follows becomes an intercultural Vancouver-style dramedy of errors, innuendo, suppositions on the study of relationships. 

Excuse me… the proper words are cheating, commitment, compassion, change, comic and consolation – after all this is “The C-Word.”

“The C-Word” is the third play by Grace Chin.  Twisting Fortunes was co-written with her TF Productions partner Charlie Cho, and was a delightful comedic romp, set to Vancouver's caffeine drive.  “The Quickie“, Chin's first solo playwright experience, explored multicultural speed dating.  “The C-Word” goes to the next level, exploring a search for meaning in relationships.  This is Chin's most frank and sexual play to date, and hints at the darker sides of relationships and human nature, not to mention weddings.

In all three productions, Vancouver's multicultural society is the setting, but it is the intercultural nature of the characters where the culture clashes occur.  It's not just a Chinese-Canadian 2nd generation immigrant experience that is explored, but also South Asian this time around too.  And somehow this is juxtoposed with what might be mainstream Canadian or possibly alternative sexual lifestyles.

From the beginning, the characters are all interesting and engaging.  The topics are easily relateable to the audience… unless you don't have any friends of a different ethnicity, or have never dated.  The pacing is good, and the diaglogue never flags.

The casting all works.  Raahul Singh has fun being the egotistical “Love Guru” and his character makes reference to the Mike Myers movie.  More cultural references abound as character development exploration occurs when Kelly and Ashley try to figure each other out, and what their men may see in each other.  Here the extremely self-critical Kelly tries to get a handle on the brazen Ashely, she labels a “Samantha” compared to her “Miranda” – or is she really a Carrie Bradshaw?  Grace Chin actually displays a bit of each of the Sex in the City characters in her role of Kelly.

Much of the action revolves around Kelly and Pal, but while Steve's character seems stalled and doesn't give Fane Tse a big range to play with, Preet Cheema gets to push her character Akesh in the 2nd Act.  Supporting actors Lili Lau Cook and Vincent Cheng provide wonderfully surprising turns as Kelly's parents.  Mel Tuck directs this ensemble cast.

Previous productions

a take-out love story

an accidentally Asian romantic dramedy

Web: www.scriptingaloud.ca/cword

See previews in Review Vancouver and Vancouverplays.com.


Robert Burns in a Transatlantic Context: SFU events FREE to the public

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SFU Centre for Scottish Studies hosts a global Robert Burns conference
2009_January 178 by you.
The 250th Anniversary of Robert Burns birth, was celebrated at the Burns statue in Stanley Park with an small informal celebration organized by Todd Wong (red vest) and Dr. Leith Davis (2nd row with purple shawl, behind her front row daughter in red skirt) – photo T. Wong

How does the poetry and songs of Robert Burns affect Canadians in West Coast Vancouver?

Dr. Leith Davis, director of the Centre for Scottish Studies, Simon Fraser University, has organized a conference about the global Robert Burns – titled “Robert Burns in a Transatlantic Context.”

Leith loved attending the 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, and how we blended and juxtaposed Scottish, Chinese cultures with a Canadian twist and a seasoning of First Nations.  In planning her conference for Tartan Week, we wondered how to give a “Gung Haggis” experience to her conference attendees.  So for the Tuesday night evening of Robert Burns songs and poetry, A Musical Celebration of Burns in North America, she has invited Toddish McWong and Gung Haggis Fat Choy performers to give our “Rap to a Haggis”, a Chinese claper tale performance by Dr. Jan Walls set to a Robbie Burns poem, and a performance of Auld Lang Syne (with the first verse sung in Mandarin Chinese) augmented with our parade dragon and Chinese Lions.  Deep-fried haggis wontons will hopefully be served along with haggis on Tuesday evening. 

On Wednesday afternoon, I will be part of the Community Research Forum of “Burns in BC.” – where I will talk about the history and development of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, and how it inspired both a CBC TV television Gung Haggis Fat Choy performance special and the SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Festival.

2009_January 261 2009 SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Festival features “dragon cart racing” invented by yours truly – photo Todd Wong.

How did I first meet Dr. Davis?

After brief email introductions, I called her with the idea of a wreath laying ceremony at the Burns statue in Vancouver's Stanley Park to mark the 250th Anniversary of Burn's birth.

We emailed and talked by phone and organized some activities, but we didn't meet in person until after she had spent 2 weeks in Scotland for the 2009 Homecoming activities, and arrived back in Vancouver on January 25th, and came to Stanley Park for our planned event, which her husband and two children were already present at.

That evening she and her husband were guests of honour at the 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  Leith gave “the immortal address” and marvelled at all the songs, guests, food and performances at the Gung Haggis Dinner, and especially at the impromptu ceremonial cutting of the haggis by Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson.

Please check out the free public events for the:


SFU's Centre for Scottish Studies presents

“Robert Burns in a Transatlantic
Context”

 

Public events:

 

Tuesday, April 7th

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; concerts starts at 7:00
p.m.

A Musical Celebration of 
Burns in
North America

Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat, 
“Burns Songs in BC”

Kirsteen McCue and David Hamilton, 
“Burns Songs Set by Serge Hovey”

Gung Haggis Fat Choy Performers

Scottish Cultural Centre,
8886 Hudson Street , Vancouver

 

Wednesday, April 8th, 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Michael Russell, Scottish Minister for Culture,
External Affairs
and the Constitution
“Connecting
Scotland and
the Scottish Diaspora”

Room 1425
SFU Harbour
Centre, 515 West Hastings Street ,
Vancouver


Wednesday, April 8th, 3:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Community Research Forum on 
“Burns in BC”

Room 2200
SFU Harbour
Centre, 515 West Hastings Street ,
Vancouver

 

Wednesday, April 8th, 7:00 p.m.

Lecture: Dr. Robert Crawford, 
“Writing Burns’s
Biography”

Room 1400,
SFU Harbour
Centre (reception to follow)

 

Thursday, April 9th, 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Workshop: “Connecting Diasporas: 
Scotland, Asia and the Caribbean ”

Room 2200, Harbour Centre,
515 West Hastings Street , Vancouver

 

All events are free and open to the public. 

Please contact Ron Sutherland to reserve a seat:

rsutherl@sfu.ca;
604-988-0479

 

Sponsored by SFU’s Centre for Scottish Studies;
the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; and the
Vancouver Burns Club

The C-Word… new play by Grace Chin opens April 2 at Playwrights Theatre Centre

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The C-Word is a new play by Grace Chin…

Gung Haggis members saw her first play Twisting Fortunes and the 2nd play “The Quickie”

Both were featured as sneak preview excerpts at Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners in 2007 and 2008.

Check out Grace's play “The C-Word“



The C-Word cast (from left): Preet Cheema
(Akesh Gill), Sheryl Thompson (Ashley Hennessey), Grace Chin (Kelly
Cho), Fane Tse (Steve Chung), Raahul Singh (Pal Prasad). Photo by Terry
Wong, wonger.ca

From http://www.scriptingaloud.ca/cword/

If cheating is colour blind, so is commitment, increasingly a “C-word”
to both sexes. How do you deal with intercultural cheating, commitment,
and consequences? The C-Word,
a contemporary, set-in-Vancouver dramedy directed by Mel Tuck, invites
an intimate in-and-out of the bedroom view of four friends' lives when
infidelity and unforeseen consequences force them to choose to whom,
and to what, they must commit. More

… a contemporary, set-in-Vancouver dramedy directed by Mel Tuck, invites an intimate in-and-out of the bedroom view of four friends’ lives when infidelity and unforeseen consequences force them to choose to whom, and to what, they must commit.

Playwrights Theatre Centre, Granville Island
1398 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC

Thurs Apr 2 – Sat Apr 4
Thurs Apr 9 – Sat Apr 11
All shows 8 pm

Tickets:
$18 online (PayPal)
“2 for $30” Thursday April 9
$20 at the door

DOOR PRIZES MOST NIGHTS

To buy tickets in advance and for more information:
www.scriptingaloud.ca/cword
cwordplay@gmail.com

Picture of Toddish McWong appears in Vancouver Sun article about Jason Kenney's views on Canadian identity, diversity and not giving money to specific immigrant cultural groups

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“Toddish McWong”- the creator of “Gung Haggis Fat Choy.” 
What are Canadian values?  and Canadian diversity?

Who makes them: Canadian citizens? Immigrant Canadians?

or Jason Kenney – minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism?

Jason Kenney is the federal minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism.  He presided over the Chinese Canadian Head Tax redress, that resulted in Prime Minister Stephen Harper giving a parliamentary apology for a racist tax but only gave an ex-gratia payments that recognized less than 1% of head tax certificates, because it was limited to only surviving head tax payers and spouses… most have long since died since Margaret Mitchell first brought up the the issue of Head Tax Redress in the Canadian Parliament back in 1984.

Recently, Jason Kenney waded into the discussion about Canadian identity, and immigration language classes, when he talked with editors at the Calgary Herald:

New Canadians, says Kenney, “have a duty to integrate.” Further, he
says, “We don't need the state to promote diversity. It is a natural
part of our civil society.”

To that end, the government has
sensibly ceased funding programs such as heritage language classes. Why
should the federal government pay for children to learn the language of
the country their parents and grandparents come from? It's the family's
responsibility to teach children about their heritage, including the
language.

The original story appeared in the Calgary Herald on March 20th.

Kenney right person for immigration minefield
http://www.calgaryherald.com/columnists/Kenney+right+person+immigration+minefield/1409011/story.html

The same story appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on March 30th (with comments)

Kenney stands for Canada
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/personal-tech/Kenney+stands+Canada/1443307/story.html

Today, the same story appeared in the Vancouver Sun on April 1st, with a new title:

Immigration minister is right to stand up for Canadian values.
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/blogs/Immigration+minister+right+stand+Canadian+values/1451075/story.html

But this time, it appeared with a picture of Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong” with the caption:

Now, that's heritage: 'Toddish McWong' combines Robert Burns Night and Chinese New Year.

I have to be flattered that my picture has appeared in the news media. 

But while the original story never mentioned “Toddish McWong” or “Gung Haggis Fat Choy,” a picture of Wong is used mainly to capture the reader's attention and draw them to the article. 

But I am a bit confused as to what the picture is meant to represent?

Is it because:

1  “Being Canadian means being everything to everyone who comes to our shores?”

2 – “People want to define Canada by how many politically correct contations this country can do to accomodate others?”

3 – “New Canadians have a duty to integrate,” says Kenney. “We don't need the state to promote diversity.  It is a natural part of our ciivl society.”

The article, by Naomi Lakritz of the Calgary Herald, goes on to share Kenney's views that: “the government has sensibly ceased funding programs such as heritage language classes [other than english or french].” 

“I think it's really neat that a fifth generation Ukrainian Canadian can speak Ukrainian… but pay for it yourself,” Kenney says.  Kenney's right… it is neat.  If you can speak your family's mother tongue, your life is just that much more enriched.  But such immersion in heritage shouldn't come at the expense of you identifying yourself as a Canadian first… and it certainly shouldn't come at Canadian taxpayer's expense.”

The article also goes on to give an example of how Kenney says that a grant for language training to the Canadian Arab Federation will not be renewed: “The government should support moderate mainstream voices, not people on the fringe.” 

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy events that I have created since 1998 have never received any federal grant money. 

I am a fifth generation Chinese Canadian that speaks better French than Chinese. 

I am a descendant of Chinese head tax payers.

I have travelled to Oak Bay in Nova Scotia, walked the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, stood on Point Pelee in Ontario, skiied in Banff Alberta, visited totem poles in Haida Gwaii, and even stood on the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg during windchilled Winter. 

I have been the guest speaker at a Terry Fox Run in Beijing, China.

By creating Gung Haggis Fat Choy events, my aim is to recognize both the pioneer histories of Chinese Canadians and Scottish Canadians, as well as the future of Canadians born with these shared ancestries.

I believe that culture evolves, and is not stagnant.

I believe that all Canadians should read “How to Be a Canadian” by Will Ferguson and his brother Ian Ferguson.

If it is a Canadian value to laugh, make fun of ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously, then maybe this book should also be mandatory reading when all new immigrants apply to become Canadian citizens, along with learning English or French.

And that's what Gung Haggis Fat Choy also encourages us to do… laugh and make fun of ourselves, by flipping stereotypes of Scottish and Chinese tradional customs into juxtapositions of cultural fusion.

Gung Haggis Pipes & Drums & dragon boat paddlers… brave the snow in the Vancouver Celticfest St. Patrici's Day Parade

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SNOW and bagpipers and parade dragons normally don't mix
– but the inaugural parade debut of the Gung Haggis Pipes and Dragon Boat Drummers smiles in adversity!

2009_March 112 by you.

Our brave troupe of paddlers, pipers and drummers… – photo T.Wong / J.McDonald

2009_March 101 by you.

Tzhe carries and the dragon in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, with help from Stephen – photo T. Wong

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Snow and Wind did not deter our pipers and drummers: Front row Bob Wilkins, David Murray, Allan McMordie, 2nd row Barbara, Danny, Patricia, Drummers: Tony & Cassandra – photo T. Wong

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Mackenzie led our contingent as “paddle bearer” leading the pipers! – photo T.Wong

And when it was all over… Pipe Major Bob Wilkins congratulated Mackenzie on a job well-done.  In all his years of piping and parades, it never snowed on him before.  Bob said he “never had so much fun being miserable.”

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St. Patrick's Day 2009 Parade…

Here's a picture of the dragons on our car! – photo T.Wong

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2009_March 104

Check out more pictures on
Toddish McWong's Flickr account

St. Patrick's Day 2009 Parade Vancouver Celticfest

Check out more pictures by my friend VFK

St. Patrick's Day Parade 2009


Blogger Night at the Opera… Rigoletto gets thrown to the net surfers!

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BLOGGERS RULE at the Vancouver Opera… Live Blogging for Rigoletto!

2009_March 007

Local Bloggers sat in the lobby during intermission, live blogging opening night at Rigoletto. (l-r) Monique Trottier “So Misguided”, Rebecca Bollwit “Miss 604”, Tanya “Netchick”, Kimli “Delicious Juice” – photo Todd Wong

Opera is one of the most intercultural art forms.  It forces its audience to listen to foreign languages, as it tells stories from different cultures.  Okay, it also presents a lot of stereotypes and racial chariactures too!  But today's productions will balance historic stereotypes with 21st Century sensitivity for cultural diversity.

Vancouver Opera has been one of the most innovative arts organizations to find new ways to market themselves, whether creating Manga comics for promotion, marketing to the Asian population base in Vancouver with the Voices of the Pacific Rim recital, or beginning live blogging with Carmen and now Rigoletto operas.

Opening Saturday Night at Vancouver Opera, there are lots of people dressed up in the finery.  The lineups are deep and long for the cappucinos or wine.  Over at the East side of the lobby, 6 bloggers sit madly typing into their laptop computers during intermission.  It's Live Blogging Night at the Opera.  It started with a few bloggers being invited to blog Carmen in January.  And now a few more have been invited to blog Rigoletto. 

Some of the audience members are curious.  Some are demanding.  Some are complaining about the sound in the balcony.  One audience member insists that they are not having a true opera experience unless they are drinking wine.  One of the bloggers writes that she is having sooo much fun people watching, she finds it hard to touch type at the same time.

I bring out my camera and ask the bloggers for a picture.  Actually I yell out, “Bloggers… smile for the camera!”

They all look up and smile.  I will post the picture laters…

I recognize Miss 604 Blogger, Rebbecca Bollwitt.  She recognizes me and writes on her blog that “We were just visited by Karen Hamilton of TinyBites.ca who is here to enjoy the show as well as Gung Haggis Fat Choy.

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Rebbecca Bollwit “Miss 604”, Todd Wong “Gung Haggis Fat Choy”, Tanya “Netchick” – photo A. Youngberg/T. Wong

Back on January 18th, she was live blogging the Canucks hockey game.  I comment that she probably wishes she was at the Canucks vs San Jose game.  She says “yeah.” 

It turns out that blogger
NetChick is a rower, now interested in dragon boat paddling.  I tell her that my Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team has been featured on television documentaries for German and French public television, as well as the CBC.  It would be pretty cool, if she joined our dragon boat team… we have lots of opportunities for blogging.  Oops, I forgot to tell her we will have a parade entry in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.

At the opera, it's always interesting to see who is there in the audience.  I spy an older couple, a male caucasian with an Asian woman.  They are always at major arts events.  I think he used to work at the CBC.

I chat with Doug Tuck, VOA Marketing and Selina Rajani, Communications/Media.  I introduce them to my date for the evening, Alexandra Youngberg, my CUPE 391 Vancouver Library workers president.  Alex loves this production of Rigoletto.  She loves music and sings in a choir.  Alex has even sung O Solo Mio, while I played my accordion.

The 2nd and 3rd Acts are wonderful ( I will write my formal review tomorrow).  Some members of the audience give a standing ovation to
Eglise Gutierrez who plays Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter.  We all stand up up for
Donnie Ray Albert who plays Rigoletto.  It's quite the multicultural cast.  Donnie Ray is African-American, born in Louisiana.  Eglise is born in Cuba.  Sam Chung, Chinese-Canadian born in Winnipeg, steps out of the Vancouver Opera chorus to play his first supporting role with Vancouver Opera in the role of Matteo Borsa. I congratulate Sam at the reception following.

During the reception, I also chat with Michael Mori, who is hapa Japanese-Canadian.  Kinza Tyrell, chorus master tells me how exciting this production is, and asks me how I know Sam and Michael.  “Well… through events at Joy Kogawa House, because we really supported, and raved about the Naomi's Road opera. 

2009_March 010

James Wright, VOA General Director congratulates the cast at the opening night reception – photo T. Wong

My old friend Walter Quan is here!  We first met back in 1986, while we were volunteers for the Salt Water City exhibit celebrating 100 years of Vancouver Chinatown history.  We recently had lunch in Victoria 2 weeks ago, when I had to return the life-size photos to the Royal BC Museum.

Opera Manager James Wright spots me, and waves at me.  So does orchestra concertmaster Mark Ferris, who along with his wife Gloria, have been friends for years. Mark performed at the 2004 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner. Meanwhile, the bloggers are noshing at the food tables, taking pictures of the event, and chatting amongst themselves.

I think it's great that Vancouver Opera is connecting with bloggers.  Back in December 2004, I blogged my own review of the VOA production of Madama Butterfly: Madama Butterfly Review: Vancouver Opera Nov 27 to Dec 11.

Since then, I have also reviewed:

Check out the opera night blogs:

Blogger Night: Rigoletto

REVIEW: Cock-Pit – Why Men Should watch men dance

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Dance Review: Cock-Pit
Why men should watch men dance
special contribution by Devon Cooke

Wen-Wei Dance
Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street, Vancouver)
Feb. 24-28, 2009

I spent a fine Friday evening last week watching Cock-Pit, a suitably
suggestive and ambiguous title for Wen Wei Wang's equally suggestive
dance piece. It featured a woman and four scantily clad men, one of
whom was pointed out to me as “Scottie-too-Hottie” (my female companion
agreed). The show was highly enjoyable, funny at times, and poignant at
others. It was also highly sexual – a fact attested by the palpable
female enjoyment in the audience. As a man, I certainly enjoyed
listening to that audience, but I also enjoyed the performance.

Now, when a man admits to enjoying watching dance, and especially when
that dance involves highly muscled men strutting around in little more
than tight-fitting boxer shorts, there's one very natural question that
arises: Is he gay? Perhaps it's not so much a question as an
assumption, but, as a straight male, I'm here to tell you that while
that assumption may often hold true, straight men don't know what
they're missing when it comes to dance.

I must admit to being a little apprehensive going into the show about
how I would handle the “eww” factor (as in “eww, naked men!”), but my
worries were unfounded. The show was engaging, enlightening, and I
didn't feel like my sexuality was compromised. Why? Because I felt
myself empathizing with the men on stage rather than objectifying them.
Cock-pit is (among other things) an exploration of gender and,
especially, being male. As gender exploration goes, it's pretty
straightforward: The men are manly, the woman is womanly, and there's
barely the slightest hint that there might be any other way of
arranging things. While this might be a less than complete sketch of
gender, it does speak to the fairly rigid gender roles that most people
fall into, and it made me look at men (and myself) in a new light.

Watching Cock-pit was like watching a hockey game or playing poker
while consuming cold pizza and beer. It reminded me what it means to be
a man, but, unlike hockey or poker, it also gave me a sense of how
ridiculous we look to the other 51% of the population. I'm sure the
women in the audience had a different perspective.

I've never thought of feathers as being particularly male, but when
they're six feet long and stuck down the front of your pants, they're a
fairly obvious symbol. Cock-pit used this symbol to good effect, and
much of the comedy in the show came from painting a portrait of man's
endless obsession with his penis. With the help of the feathers, the
men in the show sword fight and show off, bargain and compete, and,
most of all, fight with each other for the attention of the lone female
dancer in the cast.

This oasis of femininity provided a sharp point of contrast to the
testosterone-laced energy in the rest of the dancers. Her presence
helped remind the audience that maleness exists in opposition to the
female – and provided a welcome place to rest my male-weary eyes. With
my heightened awareness of my masculinity, I found my eyes drawn
strongly to her whenever she was on stage, and her dancing made me
equally aware of the difference between our two genders.

There is much more to Cock-pit than simple gender differences. Many
sections were suggestive of birds (cocks of course) or insects, and one
particularly memorable scene had the four men negotiating a sale of
some sort using creative body language and a distinctly
Mandarin-sounding gibberish.  But, even these neutral scenes were cast
in the context of masculinity thanks to their relationship with the
rest of the choreography.

At
times Wen Wei's Chinese heritage showed through, and it was interesting
watching his five non-Chinese dancers absorb this and transform it in a
very Vancouver way.  The most obvious example was the Mandarin
gibberish I've already mentioned, but the use of feathers throughout
the piece had a very Chinese theatricality to it.  The feathers served
as swords, wings, antennae, and helped emphasize and exaggerate the
movement of whatever body part they happened to be attached to.

Cock-pit was a wonderfully creative and entertaining show, and, while
I've picked it apart for analysis here, its strengths lie in the talent
and energy of its dancers and choreographer, not the significance of
its theme. The dance is an exploration, not a theory, and it's worth
seeing for the feelings it evokes. For me, it evoked the thoughts about
maleness that you have just read, but my version is hardly the
definitive one. For that, you'll have to go see it for yourself…

Cock-pit played at the Scotiabank Dance Centre from February 24th to
28th. It featured David Raymond, Josh Martin, Scott Augustine, and
Edmond Kilpatrick, as well as lone female Alison Denham, and was
Choreographed by Wen Wei Wang.

Seattle Gung Haggis Fat Choy, Sunday February 15th.

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Gung Haggis Fat Choy III in Seattle Washington: 200 strong and amazing!

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Todd Wong and Joe McDonald (centre), went down to Seattle on February 15th, to
take their manic Gung Haggis Rap south of the Canadian border. Here they stand with Red McWilliams (left) and Don Scobie (right), following an exciting Seattle program of Chinese lion dances, Scottish bagpipes, Chinese dancers, Highland dancers, and the Asian Youth Orchesta. – photo Deb Martin.

It was 5pm at Ocean City Restaurant in Seattle's International District, the day after Valentine's Day.  Where were you?  Todd Wong, Joe McDonald and Deb Martin, were still driving to Seattle after a 2 hour delay at the US Border.  They arrived about 6pm, as the Kenmore & District Pipe Band has just followed David Leong's Bellwon Martial Arts Lion dancers.

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Joe McDonald raps the Address to the Haggis, “An' legs and arms and heads will sned like taps of thrissle”, while Bill McFadden and Todd Wong look on – photo Deb Martin.

Bill McFadden, producer of Gung Haggis Fat Choy III in Seattle, set up a program that really featured Seattle's youth, by featuring the Melody Chinese dance Group, Karen Shelton Highland Dancers, and the Asian Youth Orchestra.

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Melody Dance Troupe, performs a fan dance – photo Todd Wong

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Young dancers performs the sword dance – photo T. Wong

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The Highland Fling – photo T. Wong

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Asian Youth Orchestra peforms drums – photo T. Wong

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After Emily's performance drew standing ovations, Todd Wong exclaimed “That song's not Chinese!” as Emily smiled.  “That song was Czardas, a Romanian song… I play that on my accordion.  What a wonderful display of technique by Emily!”

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Young Chinese drummers raise their arms in excitement at the end of their performance! – photo Todd Wong

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The Kenmore & District Pipe Band played to bring a rousing finale! photo Todd Wong

Jen Sookfong Lee reads Feb 12 for The On Edge reading series at Emily Carr University of Art + Design

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The End of East


Jen Sookfong Lee will give a reading on Granville Island at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

I really enjoyed reading Jen Sookfong Lee's debut novel, The End of East.  It updates “the Chinatown story” from past incarnations by Wayson Choy in “The Jade Peony” or “Disappearing Moon Cafe” by SKY Lee.

Jen brings a grittier edgier approach to dealing with family and Chinese-Canadian identity issues.  In fact, the protaganist tries to escape her family and its issues by disappearing into Montreal, until she is dragged back to face then in Vancouver. 

Lee's writing is thoughtful, and her in-person readings and talks are very delightful.  She will sometimes address that it was her grandfather's head tax certificate that inspired her to write some of the aspects of this story.  Sometimes it's the third generation that often tries to rediscover what the 2nd generation was trying to cover up, or deemphasize in their own ambitions to blend in and assimilate into Canadian society.


Check out my May 2007 article about meeting Jen Sookfong Lee at the CBC Book Club


Jen Sookfong Lee featured at CBC Radio Studio One Book Club – we check it out!


The following information is courtesy of Rita Wong, our featured poet at the 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner.

The On Edge readings series presents:
Jen Sookfong Lee
Thurs, Feb 12 – 7 pm

in South Building Room 406
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Granville Island

This reading is free and open to the public. All are welcome.

Jen
Sookfong Lee’s novel, The End of East (Knopf Canada, New Face of
Fiction 2007), delves into the underside of Chinese Canadian history
through the eyes of the Chan family. The National Post calls The End of
East “impressive, both in terms of its accomplished prose and its
ambitious three-generational scope.” The Calgary Herald notes that “Jen
Sookfong Lee is aware, it would seem, of the dark side of mythmaking,
its distorting and even parasitic price. It's one of many things that
make her a novelist to watch.” Jen, who edits two online magazines,
Schema and Wet Ink, is a member of the noted writing group SPiN. To
find out more, visit www.sookfong.com.

*****

Here is the spring schedule:

Feb 26 – Taien Ng-Chan
March 12 – Weyman Chan
April 2 – Shirley Bear

All
readings are at 7 pm on Thursday evenings in SB 406 at Emily Carr
University, Granville Island, Vancouver. Please come, and bring
friends, students, colleagues…

The On Edge series gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council and Emily Carr University.

Note: There is free parking in the parkade under the ECU South Building after 7 pm.

**********
Bios of writers:

Taien
Ng-Chan is the author of Maps of Our Bodies and the Borders We Have
Agreed Upon, anthology editor of Ribsauce, and co-editor with Dana Bath
of Navigating Customs.  She has written drama for stage, screen, and
radio, and her short films have played at festivals in Canada and the
US.  Based in Montreal, she currently writes a regular movie column in
Matrix Magazine, and is in post-production on a trilogy of videopoems
called Sum-tung (heartache).  As well, she is trying to finish her
first collection of stories, Blueprints for a Red Paper House.

Weyman
Chan is the author of Before A Blue Sky Moon, the 2002 recipient of the
Alberta Book Award for best book of poetry.  Noise From the Laundry,
his latest book of poems, was published by Talonbooks in 2008 and
shortlisted for the Governor General's Prize in Poetry.  hypo-derm,
more poetry,will be released in 2010 by Frontenac.  Weyman Chan lives
and works in Calgary.

The author of a book of poems entitled
Virgin Bones (McGilligan Press, 2007), Shirley Bear is a multi-media
artist, writer, activist, and native traditional herbalist.  Born on
the Tobique First Nation, she is an original member of the Wabnaki
language group of New Brunswick, Canada.  Shirley Bear was the 2002
recipient of the Excellence in the Arts Award from the New Brunswick
Arts Board.

Vancouver Opera is showcasing Asian-Canadian singers in their “Voice of the Pacific Rim”

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Opera has led to many cross-cultural musical fusions… name an opera set in Asia…


Here I am playing accordion, with soprano Jessica Cheung.  We are performing the “Farewell Song” used in the Naomi's Road opera, accompanied by Mats on guitar and Harry Aoki on bass.  Jessica is one of my favorite sopranos!  This photo is from the first open house event at Historic Joy Kogawa House. – photo Deb Martin

Some of my favorite opera arias are set in Asian.  The famous tenor aria Nessun Dorma, is from Puccini's “Turandot”, set in ancient Peking.  Puccini's beautiful “Un Bel Dei” is from Madame Butterfly, set in Japan.  I like playing both of them on my accordion.

And the “Flower Duet” from Lakme, composed by Delibes, is set in India.  You will recognize this from many television commercials.  It is always so exciting to hear it performed live.  Here's a beautiful version on youtube with Sumi Jo & Ah-Kyung Lee.  And then there is also Bizet's “The Pearl Fishers” set in Ceylon.

It's a wonder that in a Pan-Asian city such as Vancouver, there isn't a real push to feature more Asian performers.  Music has always been a prime mover in breaking down racial barriers.

The Vancouver Opera is featuring their 2nd annual “Voices of the Pacific Rim” recital.
Sunday, Feb 8th, 7:30pm.

This show features young Asian-Canadian artists.  I got to know Jessica Cheung, Gina Oh and Sam Chung, when they did the Vancouver Opera Touring production of “Naomi's Road,”  which debuted in September 2005.  I saw the show many times in many venues.  The opera was based on the children's novel “Naomi's Road” which was based on the adult novel “Obasan” by Joy Kogawa.

The presence of the opera, really helped to build awareness for the “Save Kogawa House” campaign, as well as 2005's One Book One Vancouver, by the Vancouver Public Library, which featured the novel “Obasan.”

Voices of the Pacific Rim


February 8, 2009
7:30pm

Vancouver Playhouse, Hamilton & Dunsmuir
Tickets:  $20, including GST
To purchase call 604-683-0222

Vancouver Opera brings Asian and western cultures together in Voices of
the Pacific Rim, a recital of popular opera selections combined with
traditional Asian songs, performed by rising Asian Canadian opera
singers and celebrating and honouring the Chinese, Korean and Japanese
communities.


Featuring Jessica Cheung, Lucy Hyeon Kyung Choi, Sam Chung, Joyce Ho,

Brian Lee, Michael Mori, Stephanie Nakagawa, Gina Oh, Asako Tamura, Szu-Wen Wang 


Music Director:  Kinza Tyrrell


Artistic Curator:  Gina Oh

Artwork:  Marco Tulio, courtesy of Artspace


Community Partners:

Powell Street Festival Society

Canadian Society for Asian Arts