Gerry Kowalenko speaks with Ian Merkel, Founder and Head of the Vancouver Foreign Film Society, about the Pedro Almodovar retrospective running at the VIFF Feb 11-March 10 and 28th RENDEZ-VOUS French Film Festival running Feb 18 to Mar 31 2022.

More info:
https://van4film.org/
https://www.facebook.com/vanforfilmclub/

Pedro Almodovar restrospective: https://bit.ly/3H5uObl
Rendez-vous: https://rendez-vousvancouver.com/

Gerry Kowalenko talks with Lisa Mennell, Communications and Outreach Manager at the Cultch about their upcoming programming.

More info: https://thecultch.com/

Host Gerry Kowalenko talks with dancer and choreographer Arash Khakpour about his performance, Orangutang, part of Dance In Vancouver 2021. The show runs November 24-27 & December 1-4, 2021

"The Biting School draws on history, literature and philosophy to interrogate challenging social and political issues. The company’s work translates the anxiety, trauma and beauty of our time into the language of the body in no-holds-barred theatrical works full of physicality, daring ideas and dark humour. Orangutang (Malay for ‘the man of the forest’) is a provocative new solo choreographed and performed by Arash Khakpour."

More info and tickets:
https://thedancecentre.ca/event/dance-in-vancouver-the-biting-school/2021-11-24/

The Biting School:
http://www.bitingschool.com/

Arts Rational's Gerry Kowalenko is interviewing choreographer Lesley Telford, who, through Inverso, presents “1:1:1” (phase one) at this year Dancing on the Edge.

From the DOTE's website:

Work-in-progress

Inverso is in its first stages of research for our new work: “1:1:1”, which explores perception distortion and the neurological effects of living through a screen. How does our mind play tricks on us in the digital realm? Where can we find harmony in a space that imposes the unreal as real? The dancers are stuck in a set perpendicular relationship as a means to investigate displacement, illusion, and ultimately, the importance of real human contact after a prolonged sense of lack.

Choreographer | Creator: Lesley Telford
Composer: Ferrari, Purcell
Performers: Stéphanie Cyr+ Kiera Hill

--
July 10, 2021

Info and tickets:
http://www.dancingontheedge.org/program/inverso-productions-lesley-telford-kirsten-wicklund-peter-smida/

Arts Rational's Gerry Kowalenko talks with Ziyian Kwan and Rianne Svelnis, from Dumb Instrument Dance, two of the co-creators and performers of "Dreaming of Koi" presented this year at "Dancing on the Edge"

"Dreaming of Koi is a faux-pastoral urban romance, a declaration of wonder for the flora and fauna that exists within and without. Set in the botanical maze of Dr. Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, a performance of sonic energy and kinetic glow brings art and imagining into relationship with an urban oasis. Here, where inside and outside are poetically merged as one, Dreaming of Koi traverses textures of whimsy and play.

With their performance ticket, audiences will also be able to see Rivers Have Mouths, a new exhibit in the gallery of Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, that aims to highlight and honour the stories of Chinese -Indigenous relations and connections to land both past and present."

From July 8 to 15, 2021.

Info and tickets:
http://www.dancingontheedge.org/program/dumb-instrument-dance/

Arts Rational host Gerry Kowalenko talks to Donna Spencer, Artistic Director of both the Firehall Arts Centre and the Dancing On the Edge Festival, which this year runs from July 8-17.

Vancouver playwright Tetsuro Shigematsu talks to Arts Rational host James Mainguy about the new production of his play '1 Hour Photo,' streaming online at The Cultch May 28-30. You can get tickets at thecultch.ca.

Arts Rational's Gerry Kowalenko talks with Fuyubi Nakamura, curator of Future For Memory, Art and Life After the Great East Japan Earthquake, currently on display at the MOA.

"In the 10th anniversary year of the Great East Japan Earthquake, or 3.11, A Future for Memory addresses how we deal with memory when our physical surroundings are drastically altered. It focuses on the changing physical and psychological landscapes in the aftermath of 3.11 and shows that regional disasters have global relevance. Events such as 3.11 force us to rethink our ways of life in relation to nature. Even in the midst of disasters, people have the desire to create and to express themselves—as does nature."

More info and booking: https://moa.ubc.ca/exhibition/a-future-for-memory/

Arts Rational's Gerry Kowalenko talks with Jordy Matheson, producer of Virtual Humanity, a Zee Zee Theatre production.

"In Virtual Humanity audience members select a title from the collection of 30+ “Virtual Humans” in the collection – something that intrigues them, confuses them. They will then proceed into a one-one-one digital face to face conversation with their “Virtual Human”, a person who will share the true personal story that is reflected in their title, over the course of 20 minutes. This is a project designed to shatter preconceived notions about otherhood, to challenge our biases and misunderstandings and put a human face to difference as a means to foster empathy."

Saturdays & Sundays in March, 12 pm – 3pm via Zoom

More info and booking: https://zeezeetheatre.ca/production/virtual-humanity/

Arts Rational's Gerry Kowalenko talks with Jay Hirabayashi, co-producer of the Vancouver International Dance Festival and the Executive Director of Kokoro Dance.

The Vancouver International Dance Festival runs from March 4 to June 19.

More info: https://www.vidf.ca/