ARTS EAST

Meet Newfoundland-based B-Boy, certified yoga instructor and music producer, Dave Gardiner. He’s the founder of TrueMoves, an educational hip hop, breakdance and yoga company. With TrueMoves and other artists (including St. John’s’ East Rock Crew) Gardiner has been all across Newfoundland and the country, performing and leading programs for youth. For example, in the last year he’s teamed up with Blueprint for Life in Salluit, Nunavik; led dance and yoga workshops in communities around Gros Morne National Park; worked with fellow B-Boys and B-Girls on a project with the Cowichan Tribes in BC; and facilitated a group of 60 youth to perform a dance showcase in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. More recently, he led a nine-week program for the Naskapi Nation kids of Kawawachikamach in northern Quebec located near the Labrador border. Where are you from and where do you call home? DG: I was born in Vancouver, raised in Halifax and I moved to St John's, NL in 2007. My mother is from ...

Sourced from  http://rabbit-town.com Now known as The West Platt neighbourhood, Rabbit-town was the working class hub in Fredericton during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It was home to a number of businesses and factories, from butchers and blacksmiths to carriage and canoe builders, as well as the York Street Railway Station. “It was filled with all these really interesting people,” says Lisa Anne Ross. “It’s not even so much that the things they were doing were so miraculous. It’s that there was a real sense of pride in this community.” When Ross and her family relocated to Fredericton in 2010, they moved into one of Rabbit-town’s historic homes. “I actually have a story written by the man who grew up [in the house],” she says. “I thought, ‘Common! If I don’t jump on this, I’m a fool! This is the project!’” By the project, Ross is referring to Animating Rabbit Town , a program she kick-started last fall. Her non-profit theatre company, Solo Chicken Productions, has bee...

Authors Michael Winter and Chad Pelley will both be presenting/reading this Friday and Saturday at Writers at Woody Point (Bonne Bay, Newfoundland). Besides both growing up in Newfoundland and having a number of acclaimed novels/works of fictions published under their names, the two literary gurus share at least one more connection. Early this year, Pelley wrote a piece for the National Post entitled “ How Michael Winter ruined my life by making it better ”. In a nutshell, it describes how in 2003, after reading Winter’s novel This All Happened , Pelley left behind his biology career (and path to med school) and began to write…and write…a creative practice he continues successfully today. Arts East thought it would be fun to catch up with both authors to find out about their careers, what they think of each other’s craft and about their upcoming appearances at Woody Point. Michael Winter  Photo by Michael Helm Q&A with Michael Winter When do you fir...

Story by Meghan Lafferty If you have a passion for the arts, a lust for literature, or just simply enjoy beautiful scenic views, ‘Writers at Woody Point’ is where you need to be this month. Writers at Woody Point is a literary festival held in Woody Point, Bonne Bay, Newfoundland, that has played to sold-out audiences year after year. This year, from August 13 th to the 18 th , folks will gather from all over the world to share their work, listen to incredible music and make new friends that share the same interests and goals as themselves. I had the opportunity to speak with Event Coordinator, Gary Noel, to hear his insight and to share a few ‘behind-the-scenes’ details about the festival. ML: I see that the first ‘Writers at Woody Point’ happened in 2004 – How exactly did it begin? GN: Stephen Brunt, a well-known Canadian sportswriter, bought a summer place here in 2001. His neighbour, musician Charlie Payne, had recently purchased and lovingly renovated, th...

Story by Meghan Lafferty Calling all Celtic Ladies and Kilted Men! Submerge yourself in Celtic culture this month at the Highland Storm! What’s the Highland Storm you ask? It is a captivating and thrilling show that takes place at the College of Piping & Celtic Performing Arts of Canada in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Visitors can expect to get caught up in a whirlwind of dancing, drumming, piping and much, much, more! This year’s show is directed by the very talented Ryan MacNeil from the musical group, The Barra MacNeils. MacNeil’s production brings forth a dramatic force of musical energy that pumps through the body of his audience. When the members and cast of the Highland Storm take the stage, they demand attention, and rightfully so. Image Source:   https://boxofficepei.com/venue/college-piping/show/highland-storm Even if you have attended the Highland Storm before, this year you can expect a completely new production. A cast,...

“Is this for real?” I think to myself reading about Messitval for the first time. Visions of You Can’t Do That On Television (remember that 80s show…“I don’t know”…cue slime) combined with storybook settings hidden away throughout a forest (like Alice’s Wonderland or even that theme park, Magic Valley in Nova Scotia—does it still exist?) run through my mind. I’ve yet to go to Messtival, but I’m tempted to hop in my car tomorrow and drive up to Anagance (not too far from Moncton) for the weekend. There I’ll be able to take in a wild spectacle of music, art and … it seems accurate in this case to say the possibilities are endless. Before heading out on the highway, I’ll share with you the inside scoop that one of Messtival’s organizers, Dan Anderson, divulged earlier this week. “Every year we try to bring in the most eclectic mix of musical acts and artists that we can,” says Anderson. “We don't ever want to be pegged as focusing on a specific music or art genr...