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Powell Street Festival Updates
SPATIAL POETICS XII THIS SATURDAY!

Only one more sleep until Spatial Poetics XII: Release Me, a dynamic and unique evening of performance and interdisciplinary exploration by an impressive line-up of artists.
This year's edition, Spatial Poetics XII: Release Me, features new works by artist-collaborators Howie Tsui (visual artist) with Sammy Chien (media artist), Joseph Hirabayashi (musician) with Gillian Cole (animator), and Lisa Gelley (dancer/choreographer) with Gabriel Saloman (musician/artist). Rounding out the evening: a series of animations curated by Asa Mori.
Spatial Poetics XII: Release Me encapsulates notions of captivity, restriction and transformation. Tsui and Chien expose local colonial history, with a layered live projection and sound performance centred on stigma and discrimination and the history of exiled Chinese Canadian lepers. Hirabayashi and Cole meld a rock operetta and animation in an evocative exploration of Kantian morality and notions of exclusivity. Gelley andSaloman take on a more personal approach. Their musical composition and dance work cites physical memory and its transformative effects on the body and knowledge of the self. Although each work is disparate in scope, the collection of performances illustrates a yearning for release and the associated freedom.
We hope you’ll join us for this thought-provoking performance event, as well as the post-performance meet-and-greet with the artists.
Spatial Poetics XII: Release Me takes place on Saturday, July 6, at 8:00pm (doors open at 7:30pm) in Studio D at the Goldcorp Centre of the Arts (149 West Hastings Street). Advance tickets are $10 (students/seniors/members) and $12 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/400743 (there will be a small number of tickets available at the door).
Spatial Poetics XII is presented in partnership with SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Special thanks to The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation & The Hamber Foundation for their financial support, and to Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, BC Gaming and the City of Vancouver Cultural Services.
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THE 37th ANNUAL POWELL STREET FESTIVAL
We’re one month away from our biggest weekend of the year! Canada’s largest Japanese Canadian festival and Vancouver’s longest running community celebration returns to Oppenheimer Park and surrounding venues on August 3 and 4 will a packed schedule of performances, displays, demonstrations, shopping, eating, and more.
Highlights include a new work by legendary taiko drummer Tiffany Tamaribuchi (USA) for Canada’s trailblazing taiko ensemble Katari Taiko (BC); a stirring debut performance of the butoh-flavoured Pond by dance artist Tomomi Morimoto (QC); a reading by Mariko Tamaki (ON), author of Skim and (You) Set Me on Fire; performances by Robson 800 Crew (BC), Rhythm Recall (BC), Tetsu Taiko and Dead Beat Ninjas (BC), improvisation loop-pedal sensation Doug Koyama (BC), indie dream pop performer Ohara (QC), Spring (BC), dancer Aretha Aoki (BC), and 2012 Polaris Prize shortlisted psychedelic noh-wave opera group, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan; and the second year of the Jackson Avenue Block Party performance space and marketplace.
The festival will officially kick off at 8:00pm on August 2 with a jaw-dropping performance by multi-media artist Soichi Terada of Japan’s Omodaka (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgurzQrbkC0) at Instant Coffee Workplace (441 Powell Street), and will extend into the following week with performances of the Queer Arts Festival’s new opera When The Sun Comes Out at the Roundhouse Community Centre.
Keep up to date on all of the details on our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/527132170669361/
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CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our dedicated volunteers! If you’re interested in signing up as a volunteer for the 37th Annual Powell Street Festival, please contact Philip McMahon at volunteer@powellstreetfestival.com by Sunday, July 14th, 2013 (starting this year, all volunteers must fill out the downloadable form available at http://www.powellstreetfestival.com/get-involved/volunteer/). A volunteer orientation for all new volunteers will take place at 6:30pm on Tuesday, July 16th at the Vancouver Japanese Language School (487 Alexander Street).
At the moment, we have a pressing need for Masters of Ceremonies for our two stages. Being able to speak Japanese is a definite asset; however, it's not mandatory. If you have relevant experience, and enjoy speaking to a crowd, please contact Philip by email (info above) or by phone at 604.739.9388.
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Send us your events!
Do you have a Japanese-Canadian or Downtown Eastside community related event? Powell Street Festival Society is happy and excited to offer our community partners the opportunity to submit their own special events to our newsletter. It's our little way of saying thank you for your hard work in our community! Send us via PSF Community Event Submission Form.
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