TORONTO, June 28, 2002 -- York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Harbourfront Centre are embarking on an exciting new partnership in arts and educational programming with Cultural Exchanges, an innovative series of weekend workshops taking place at Harbourfront in July.
Dubbed An Insider’s Guide to Three Rhythms of the World Festivals, the Cultural Exchanges workshops invite participants to get "up close and personal" with three distinctive facets of the global cultural mosaic:
Deeper Blues, running July 4-7 and complementing the Labatt Blue’s Festival, focuses on the rich diversity and universality of blues culture and the urban folk music revival.
The Silk Road and Beyond, July 11-14, explores the lively cross-currents of Asian music and dance showcased in World’s Fare: A Feast of Food & Culture.
Latin Beats, July 18-21, delves into the vibrant dance and music traditions of Central and South America, extending the experience of Ritmo y Color: A Latin American Arts Festival.
Cultural Exchanges participants will meet, talk with and learn from artists, producers and researchers involved in these programs in an intimate, accessible workshop setting. Site tours, lecture/demos and interactive presentations will help participants deepen their understanding of the arts, cultures and communities featured in the festivals.
The celebration of Canada’s rich multicultural heritage in collaboration with diverse ethnocultural communities has long been a cornerstone of Harbourfront Centre’s programming. Similarly, York’s Faculty of Fine Arts is recognized nationally as a champion of cultural inclusivity, integrating the study of the artistic traditions of many different global cultures into its academic programs. The Cultural Exchanges workshops, brainchild of York dance historian Selma Odom, are an offshoot of the common interests and commitment of the two institutions.
"It’s a natural fit", said William Boyle, CEO of Harbourfront Centre. "By partnering with one of Canada’s premier institutions for fine arts education, we’re offering our visitors a unique opportunity to enhance their experience of the festivals. It’s a chance to take it a step further – to learn more by engaging directly with the people who make it happen, who practise and study these arts in their daily lives".
"We’re delighted to be part of Harbourfront Centre’s excellent community programming", said Phillip Silver, York University’s dean of fine arts. "Learning is a lifelong enterprise, and it doesn’t all happen in the classroom. That’s especially true in the arts. Combining education and entertainment, the Cultural Exchanges workshops are a particularly apt beginning for our new partnership."
York Fine Arts has been the training ground for many of the outstanding artists and performers who are shaping Canada’s multicultural dance, music and theatre scenes.
York alumni – some of whom are featured in Cultural Exchanges and the Rhythms of the World festivals – include dance curator and designer Ana Francisca de la Mora Campos, dancers/choreographers Norma Araiza, Lata Pada and Patrick Parsons, musicians Rodrigo Chavez and Suba Sankaran, and dance/theatre artists William Lau, Sashar Zarif and Soheil Parsa. Workshop leaders include York professors Selma Odom, host of The Silk Road and Beyond, and Grammy Award-winning ethnomusicologist Rob Bowman, curator and lead presenter of Deeper Blues.
Each workshop comprises three sessions, held Thursday evening and Saturday and Sunday morning at Harbourfront’s York Quay Centre, scheduled around regular festival programming. The registration fee for each weekend workshop is $75. Program details can be found at www.harbourfront.on.ca/culturalexchanges or by calling Harbourfront Centre’s box office at 416-973-4000.
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For further information, please contact:
| Faculty of Fine Arts, York University Brigitte Kleer 416-736-2100 ext. 77143 bkleer@yorku.ca |
Harbourfront Centre Amber Authier 416-973-4655 amber@harbourfront.on.ca |
| Nathalie-Roze Fischer 416-736-2100 ext. 20421 nfischer@yorku.ca |
