More than Sports: The 2010 Cultural Olympiad Begins

The 2010 “Winter Olympics isn’t just about sport.  For anyone interested in cultural events there will be plenty of options during the Cultural Olympiads 2010, including music, visual arts, film, theatre, dance performed by Canadian and International artists. Beginning January 22, they continue  for sixty days throughout both the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games until March 21.

There are more than 600 ticketed and free performances taking place in sixty venues across Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor.  Some of the major events include Indi-Rock performer Feist, Martha Wainright, Blue Rodeo and Stars.

FEATURE EVENTS FOR JAN/FEB

JAN. 23  Steve Earle, master storyteller with a guitar & Canadian showman Joel Plaskett:  At  The Orpheum

JAN. 27 – FEB.28  Eric Metcalfe & George Lewis: Ikons  An innovative piece of music presented in a network of sculptures. At 560 GalleryBurrard & W. Georgia St.

FEB. 5 & 6  Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Moon Water .  At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre 

FEB 2 -28  Robert LePage:  The Blue Dragon, a theatrical journey by theatre master Robert LePage. At: Fei and Milton Wong’s Experimental Theatre, SFU Woodwards (E. Hasting/Beatty St)

FEB. 11,13,14  Tono: A Red Sky Productions. Thundering hooves and shaman’s visions in this dance performance at The Vancouver Playhouse

FEB. 13, 14  Dance Canada: The National Ballet of Canada and Royal Winipeg Ballet in an Olympic gala.  At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

FEB. 15  Spirit of Uganda.  22 young artists 8 to 18 yrs orphaned by AIDS or civil war perform East African dance and music.  At The Orpheum

FEB. 16 Maria Pages: Flamenco Republic    At the Orpheum

FEB. 18&19  Hal Wilner’s Neil Young Project celebrating Canadian rock icon Neil Young; curated by music producer Hal Willner, featuring Broken Social Scene, Ron Sexsmith and others.  At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

FEB. 19  Stars, with special guests Hey Roseittia! Canad’as juno nominated band.  At the Orpheum Theatre

FEB. 25  K’NAAN and TINARIWEN.  K’naan, a Somali-Canadian rapper, poet and musician and Tinariwen, a collctive of poet/guitarists.  At the Orpheum Theatre.

FOR MORE PERFORMANCES SEE THE FULL PROGRAM HERE

PHOTOS Courtesy: www.opusarte.comand Dan Ozminkowski www.vancouver2010.com