Dancer, poet and musician Francesca Ryan will headline an upcoming multidisciplinary performance over two performances at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons.
Connections: A Night of Live Music and Creative Dance features Ryan onstage alongside her son, tap dancing phenom Gabriel Ditmars, and a musical lineup led by singer-songwriter Bradley Wells. The show runs on June 30 and July 1.
“I heard [Wells’s] guitar playing and it just uplifted me so much,” said Ryan. “It made me want to dance in new ways and I felt so thrilled with all the complexities of his beautiful music.”
Ryan then turned to other musicians who inspire her — including vocalist Deanna Knight, percussionist Jean-Pierre Makosso, and painter-turned-crooner Levi Purjue — and invited them to participate. Other guest artists may also appear.
Using interconnected performances, the show will explore the web of inspiration that links creative people. “The connections of that cosmic energy and divine energy that flows into us and between us is really the theme of the show,” said Ryan.
Ryan’s dance background includes contemporary/modern instruction at Simon Fraser University that focused on creative improvisation and technique. Recently she has further refined her craft through adult classes at the Gibsons Dance Centre.
“My hope is that audiences will feel a level of openness to see a heightened level of appreciation for the divine source in and between us all,” said Ryan. “I really want to inspire new collaborations between others to create and give delight to our community.”
syíyaya Days honour rich heritage
The annual syíyaya Days tradition, which began this week with events celebrating Métis culture and Indigenous-led filmmaking, continues through to July 1. A schedule of events released by the District of Sechelt includes almost two dozen opportunities to embody truth and reconciliation in the swiya (homeland) of the shíshálh Nation.
Opportunities designed specifically for youth include a weaving workshop led by artist Ali Casey on Saturday, June 24 at Weaving a Gathering Place in Sechelt. On Monday, June 26, Sandy Buck and Candace Campo will lead an all-ages shadow play and workshop at Mission Point House.
For aspiring students of the she shashishalhem language, Rita Poulsen and kwayimin Andy Johnson will host a workshop on June 26 at the tems swiya Museum.
Other events feature tours, workshops on traditional art and knowledge, and the renowned Kairos Blanket Exercise that depicts legacies of colonization.
A full schedule is available by browsing to sechelt.ca/syiyaya.
Pottery Prowl welcomes public to ceramic studios
The second-annual Sunshine Coast Pottery Prowl has announced its featured participants. The progressive tour of local studios is scheduled to take place on July 8 and 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More than a dozen ceramic artists from Langdale to Earls Cove will welcome visitors at no charge. The event is organized by Dawn Thomson, who creates unique wheel-thrown and handcraft pieces from her home studio in Roberts Creek.
Naomi Brand, who creates bowls, vessels and vases at her Halfmoon Bay-based Huckleberry Studio, is participating for the first time.
“I spend a lot of time talking with other potters,” Brand said, “and I thought it would be cool to spend the weekend meeting with other people who absolutely love pottery.”
Brand is preparing pieces specifically for Pottery Prowl visitors: ocean-themed ceramics glazed using clay she collects from the beaches of Halfmoon Bay.
Some artists, like James Bennett of Davis Bay, open their studios only on Prowl dates. Innovative approaches abound — the Geopia Gallery & Garden in Earls Cove features sculptural wood-fired pottery, while Liz de Beer of Klaywerk Studio in Langdale creates pottery influenced by African traditions.
Complete Pottery Prowl details can be found by browsing to linktr.ee/potteryprowl.
Pinpointing poets
A story in last week’s Coast Reporter provided mistaken attribution for comments by a contributor to the Coastal Voices anthology. It was the eloquent Evy Fuller who observed that “My poem contains little sprinkles of me.” Our online edition has been amended to clarify the speaker.
