Here is a great article about the Festival of Light in the Feb 22nd Maple Ridge Times.
Fire dancers, Metis jigging, a lion dance, and hundreds of lanterns will be among the attractions set to entertain residents on Friday.
By Amy Judd, The Times
Spirit Fire dancers, from the back, Sarah Purton, Dana Sorensen, Emily Craig and Genevieve Gardeauner.
Photograph submitted, for the TIMES
About 30 volunteers, dancers, performers, wordsmiths and drummers will be coming together Friday, for a celebration of fire.
Peter Tam, fresh off his success with the Spirit Wood festival, is producing the show Spirit Fire, which he said is reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil without the aerial acrobatics.
“It’s a full production,” he said.
It is a smaller cast than Spirit Wood, but Tam said it is just as spectacular, with fire dancers and twirlers, among other elements.
“The whole atmosphere has a very powerful sound,” he said, “with drums and fire.”
Although fire is exciting, Tam said the elements of dance and music add more drama, and should draw the audience in.
“Some skills are involved,” he said, “but it contains a lot of dance elements.”
The theme of the Spirit festivals is the fusion of different artistic elements to create something new.
With a mix of different styles of music and dance, Tam said “each on its own is not as exciting as when you’re combining it together.”
“Heat is what we need in the middle of February,” he laughed.
Other performers include Pamela Sunshine, who is set to put on an interactive kids show Friday afternoon. “She is really something else,” said organizer Jetty Prins.
Residents can also send in a poem before the festival, that has never been read or performed, and there will be readings and a contest held during the night.
The event will go from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free to attend. It will be held at centre court in Haney Place Mall and in Memorial Peace Park.
For more information, contact rg674806@telus.net.
Peter Tam, fresh off his success with the Spirit Wood festival, is producing the show Spirit Fire, which he said is reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil without the aerial acrobatics.
“It’s a full production,” he said.
It is a smaller cast than Spirit Wood, but Tam said it is just as spectacular, with fire dancers and twirlers, among other elements.
“The whole atmosphere has a very powerful sound,” he said, “with drums and fire.”
Although fire is exciting, Tam said the elements of dance and music add more drama, and should draw the audience in.
“Some skills are involved,” he said, “but it contains a lot of dance elements.”
The theme of the Spirit festivals is the fusion of different artistic elements to create something new.
With a mix of different styles of music and dance, Tam said “each on its own is not as exciting as when you’re combining it together.”
“Heat is what we need in the middle of February,” he laughed.
Other performers include Pamela Sunshine, who is set to put on an interactive kids show Friday afternoon. “She is really something else,” said organizer Jetty Prins.
Residents can also send in a poem before the festival, that has never been read or performed, and there will be readings and a contest held during the night.
The event will go from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free to attend. It will be held at centre court in Haney Place Mall and in Memorial Peace Park.
For more information, contact rg674806@telus.net.
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