Powell Street Festival 2012 Japanese Vancouver

By DH Vancouver Staff, DH Vancouver StaffAug 02, 2012 9:33 am

The Powell Street Festival is the largest Japanese Canadian festival and the longest running community celebration in Vancouver, Enjoy traditional and contemporary Japanese Canadian performances and demonstrations, including taiko drumming, sumo wrestling, martial arts, bonsai and ikebana, folk and modern dance, alternative pop/rock/urban music, visual arts, film/video, as well as historical walking tours, tea ceremonies, and a fantastic array of Japanese food, crafts, & displays. The Festival continues its 5th year of the Zero Waste Challenge, as well as a Free Bike Valet for all Festival attendees.

THEME FOR 2012: BIG BANG-ZAI!

From what was initially planned to be a one-off event in 1977, the Powell Street Festival has evolved into an expansive constellation of community and professional artists, curators and volunteers. For its 2012 season, the Powell Street Festival Society will trace the Festival’s Big Bang-zai! by showcasing a range of artistic presentations organized around the temporal, spatial and instrumental changes that have historically influenced this constellation of community arts, and that are vital to the Festival today.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Governor General Literary Award finalist poet Sachiko Murakami launches HENKO, where renga—an ancient form of poetry in which each stanza is written by a new participant—is given a 21st Century twist. * A theatre/dance piece choreographed and performed by Ichigo-Ichieh’s Hiromoto Ida (BC), Nelson’s 2012 cultural ambassador * A theatre/dance piece choreographed and performed by Ichigo-Ichieh’s Hiromoto Ida (BC), Nelson’s 2012 cultural ambassador * Performances by folk singer Ana Miura (ON), Seattle-based jazz vocalist and pianist Emi Meyer (USA), New York City-based singer, songwriter, MC and producer Taiyo Na (USA), local favorites Maiko Bae Yamamoto and Veda Hille (BC) and more!

TAMIO WAKAYAMA, KIKYO: COMING HOME TO POWELL STREET
Opening and Artist talk: Friday August 3, 8pm
August 4-11, 2012 (and by appointment only August 15-17) Hours: 1-4pm, Wednesday to Saturday, & 12-6pm on August 4 & 5 at Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy Ave., Vancouver)Tamio Wakayama’s work is an intimate photo documentary that artfully captures the first 15 years of the Powell Street Festival. This exhibition is a remount of the original photo-series first exhibited in 1992. Contact 604.739.9388 for viewing appointment (August 15-17)
POWELL STREET FESTIVAL FILM TRILOGYCo-presented with the Nikkei Centre
August 8, 2012, 7pm
Nikkei Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby)Three different perspectives on the Powell Street Festival are offered in this compelling triple-bill of anniversary films: Lynda Nakashima’s As Long As I Can Remember (2001), Lyndsay Sung & Rafael Tsuchida’s The Way We Are (2006), and Greg Masuda’s 2012 video The Spirit of Nihonmachi.
TRIPLE THREATSaturday August 4th, 8pm
World Arts Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings St., Vancouver)$15/$10 Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com or at door
Spend an eclectic night of fine talent with performances by folksinger Ana Miura, the laid-back, smoky voice of jazz pianist/vocalist Emi Meyer and the eclectic pairing of local theatre favorite Maiko Bae Yamamoto with musical talent Veda Hille performing Veda Hille’s Karate Theatre of Earth. Presented in partnership with SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement.