1. Body and Soul, Choreographed by Crystal Pite
February 17 to 23
B.C.-grown (and internationally renowned) choreographer Crystal Pite is serving up the best in ballet this week: Body and Soul performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. The show, originally filmed in November 2019 in Palais Garnier, Paris, has themes of "conflict, connectedness, and the embodiment of the human spirit"— uplifting messages in COVID times.
2. Mx at the Cultch
February 18 to 24
You've never seen a reality show quite like this. Through the lens of The Nancy Show—an imagined reality where "each night, one lucky guest from the African Diaspora is granted a unique opportunity to reconnect to their ancestors"—we're following Max, a gender-questioning and mixed-race introvert looking for answers regarding their background and their place in the world. Tune in virtually for Mx, winner of the Fringe New Play Prize and the Cultchivating the Fringe Award.
Where: Online
Cost: From $29
More Info: thecultch.com
3. Musique Sans Frontières (Music Without Borders)
February 18
Catch the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra's first ever "appearance" in Quebec—online, of course. VICO is opening Montreal's new music festival with a selection of songs from their new album, In the Key of the World. The ensemble includes both Western classical instruments (you know, your violins, cello, flutes, clarinets, etc.) as well as other instruments from all over the world (the erhu, kamanche, tabla, daf and tombak, to name a few).
4. Sun Xun: Mythological Time
February 20 to August 22
Chinese artist Sun Xun is hitting the Vancouver Art Gallery in a big way—literally. His ink painting titled Mythological Time is 30 metres long. It's on display for the first time ever this weekend, along with a video installation project that transports audiences to the mining town of Fuxin in northern China—Sun's hometown—where the depletion of coal threatens both the economy and community.
Where:Vancouver Art Gallery
More Info: vanartgallery.bc.ca
5. Gateway Theatre's Chinese Shadow Puppetry Workshop
February 21
This afternoon workshop led by Annie Katsura Rollins will teach participants all about Chinese shadow puppetry, a gorgeous art that's been trending for, well, a couple thousand years. After learning some historical tidbits through interactive photos and videos, participants will get step-by step instructions on how to make a shadow puppet of their own. Sunday's session also includes a Mandarin interpreter "for anyone eager to revisit a unique corner of their own cultural history." Everybody loves puppets!
Where: Online