ARTS EAST

Francesca Nardi knows the fire of flamenco. The 17 year-old dance protégé will present that passion this Thursday night, with a performance at The Seahorse Tavern in Halifax. Recently AE spoke with Nardi about that flame. What is your own ethnicity/heritage? Like many Canadians, I have a very mixed heritage… Some Italian, Scottish, British, and Austrian. When and why did you get involved with flamenco? I got involved with Flamenco around age ten when I saw Maria Osende perform. I was completely enthralled by the passion, style and excitement of the dance, and wanted to try it. I had always loved to dance, and had a ballet background so I decided to start taking classes. Are they the same reasons you do it today? Flamenco still holds massive appeal to me because of the emotion, passion and artistry that goes into it. Flamenco is a very complex art form as well, and the knowledge that there is still so much to learn is endlessly motivating. What are the challenge...

I’m Alive. I Believe in Everything. By Lesley Choyce Breton Books (2012) An autobiography is probably the most mainstream literary device used by a person to summarize his or her life. However, one can argue that a collection of poems penned over decades may provide even more intimate recollections representative of precise moments in a person's history. Such is the case with Lesley Choyce’s   I’m Alive. I Believe in Everything,   a collection of new and previously published poems written over a span of 40 years. Comparing Choyce’s anthology to an autobiography is by no means suggesting he’s “getting on in years”. In fact, reading his latest published works—that migrate across North America and overseas—I found myself thinking this Lawrencetown-based poet, novelist, professor, publisher and surfer is among those that will far surpass the average human life expectancy. The   Toronto Star   once referred to Choyce as “Thoreau in our midst.” This...

Halifax-based author and editor Carol Moreira is set to release her latest book, Membrane (Fierce Ink Press), the story of a 16 year-old who discovers herself in a parallel universe. Here, she tells AE what inspired both the new story and her passion for writing. Moreira will be launching Membrane on Thursday, July 18 (6:30-8:30pm) at Just US! Coffee House on Spring Garden Road (Halifax). What motivated you to tell this story? The idea came from reading scientific theories on this universe and parallel universes. I was especially struck by Marcus Chown’s book The Universe Next Door, in which he writes that some physicists accept the idea that there are an infinity of realities stacked together like the pages of a never-ending book. “So there are an infinite number of versions of you, living out an infinite number of different lives in an infinite number of parallel realities." This idea fascinated me and I began to imagine a multiverse where people who were geneticall...

On April 27, Erinne Sevigny tweeted, “ Made it from Victoria to Peggy's Cove and can say with confidence that #publishing in Canada is in good hands.” Sevigny was confidently able to make this statement after completing her month long Great Canadian Publishing Tour, visiting 24 publishing houses from coast to coast, as well as meeting with other players, including a printing press operator and an agent. She completed the journey mostly by car (with some bus, plane and ferry trips along the way). Sevigny says she started the tour with her beloved 1997 Escort. But after it was safety inspected, she realized the vehicle was in need of significant repair. Her family, supportive in many forms during her expedition, also lent a significant hand with transportation. (Her father lent her his Ford Ranger—the vehicle she drove in high school and once even drove off a cliff—and her grandparents sold her their 2003 Buick for a dollar!) With a decade or so of experience as a profes...

Photo by Shervin Iainez The soulful, passionate, hilarious Rose Cousins released her most recent album We Have Made a Spark last year. The album has been celebrated since first being unleashed to the world, and the short film ( If I Should Fall Behind ), that beautifully illustrates how the record came to fruition, allows listeners to become even more connected to the collection. This year Cousins was formerly honoured with a Juno for Solo Roots and Traditional Album of the Year and three ECMA wins (Songwriter of the Year, Folk Recording of the Year and Solo Recording of the Year). A few weeks after her time at the Junos in Regina, Arts East was so pleased to be able to probe Cousins’ brain via e-mail.  http://rosecousins.com AE: Your reaction on social media to winning the Juno ( “Holy Shit!” ) was classic! Were you truly surprised to win? RC: I guess maybe I figured I had as good a chance as the others in the category but it was CRAZY when Jian called my name. I g...

Last night (Thursday, May 16) at the Spatz Theatre, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Nova Scotia opened its 2013 season with a production of The Mikado, by many measures the most successful of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “light operas.” It had the longest run of any of their original Savoy Theatre productions (672 performances!) and revivals of it were frequently used to fill holes in the Theatre’s schedule when newer productions were delayed.   During the 128 years between the operetta’s original staging in 1885 and the present day, it has rarely been out of production. It has also received that mark of pop cultural cachet—parody reference on The Simpsons.  ( Even  Family Guy , that cultural touchstone of a still younger generation has indulged in the popular habit of updating    the lyrics of “As Some Day It May Happen” to skewer modern satiric targets.) The plot is simple, but, well, bizarre, with a mixture of light-heartedness and black humour that seems...

♫  Click on the  AE  logo to  listen to our Mini Music Podcast, featuring talent from across Atlantic Canada  ♫ : Featured Musicians/Songs: Gianna Lauren /  “Anchor Down” / On Personhood (Forward Music Group, April 2013) http://forwardmusic.bandcamp.com/album/on-personhood The Trip (Eric Broadbent and Tech Thai) /  “All Systems Go” /  Breaks Over (soon to be released) https://www.facebook.com/greenlightexpo Baby Eagle & The Proud Mothers /  “Rebel Crimes” /  Bone Soldiers (You’ve Changed Records, March 2012) http://www.pigeonrow.com/baby-eagle-the-proud-mothers-bone-soldiers-2/ Matthew Hornell /  “Midnight” /  Have It All (February 2013) http://www.matthewhornell.com

Photo by Robert Hiscock http://www.rjproduct.ca/ Have you ever been to Twillingate, Newfoundland? Fathom Theatre can enlighten you about this island community characterized by such natural beauty and an intriguing culture and history. Since joining the Toulinguet Players at 17 years of age, Greg White realized he wanted theatre to be a central part of his life. “They were a community group here in Twillingate and they regularly put on musical theatre productions,” recalls White. “Those musicals were written by a local person about the local history—that’s when I knew theatre was for me. It was a great example of community in every sense of the word because you could be acting and singing, or helping with props, costumes, the set…anything at all.” After that, White left his hometown of Twillingate for a while, completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and a Bachelor of Education (Intermediate/Secondary). He also worked with a number of theatre companies across Newfound...

The Atlantic Book Awards Festival kicks off today and culminates next Thursday, May 16 with the Awards Celebration. One author who will be there is   Laurie Glenn Norris . Her book  H aunted Girl:  Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery   that she wrote with Barbara Thompson (Nimbus Publishing) has been nominated for the   Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing!   From her Lower Kingsclear, NB home, Norris took   some  time   to describe her life as an author—the challenges and rewards—and offers some advice to aspiring writers too! http://laurieglennnorris.com/   AE:   When did you first realize that writing was a passion of yours and what were your earliest experiences? LGN : I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl. I don’t exactly remember when or how it started. Before I was ten years old, I would write mystery stories   à la   Nancy Drew and as a teenager penn...