Social media trends come and go. But children never stop enjoying live shows.
Granted, a day at St. Albert’s International Festival of the Arts is a day out of the classroom.
But their participatory energy, enthusiasm and sense of fun makes it an enjoyable affair for all.
Running until Sunday, June 3, the six-day festival is packed with feature shows, activities, roving artists, Toddler Town and a free outdoor stage with non-stop entertainment.
New this year, organizers have included the Festival Sensory Inclusion Program. It is designed for children with sensory processing difficulties such as autism.
The sensory support program offers assistance such as calming zones, and kits equipped with noise and light dampening to help manage over-stimulation. Simply inquire at the information desk outside St. Albert Place.
To help visitors navigate the eight main stage shows, the Gazette is posting daily reviews on Wednesday and Thursday.
The StepCrew
St. Albert Curling Club
Runs until Sunday, June 3
All Ages
The word ‘toe-tapping’ takes on a new meaning as The StepCrew introduces Quebec-style chair dancing to a packed audience of elementary school children. As five dancers sit on wooden chairs clicking their tap shoes, they invite everyone to take part.
Within seconds children stomp their feet on the floor. A thunderous noise erupts in the curling rink as temporary bleachers vibrate with the intensity of a train crossing railroad tracks.
As the fiddling music speeds up and the lead dancers’ lightning feet fly every which way, a couple of hundred young children stomp their feet harder or burst into giggling fits trying to catch up.
The StepCrew, a mixed music and dance troupe from the Ottawa Valley deliver a high-voltage, brilliant performance fusing Irish tap dance, and contemporary jazz taps.
Make no mistake. These artists pack an irresistible charm. They are true virtuosos with the chops to prove it.
Founded by Cara Butler, lead Irish dancer with The Chieftains, and brothers Jon and Nathan ‘Crazy Legs’ Pilatzke, this nine-person troupe has three nimble dancers, four inspiring musicians, and two masterful performers that both tap and sizzle on the fiddle.
The 50-minute show packs about 10 physically demanding dances and vignettes, each telling a story.
One minute the dancers are Irish steppers exploding across the stage with a stiff upper body and quick precise footwork. They next they fluidly morph into the jazzier tap form with graceful arm work and exaggerated body movements.
Even though the athletic tappers pace themselves, the high-energy moves leave them slightly breathless – a sign they put 110 per cent into a performance.
There is power in their dancing and a beguiling innocence – a great family choice.
– Anna Borowiecki
Singing Africa With Jacky Essombe
Red Willow Place
Runs until Sunday, June 3
Ages 5 plus
Our society knows very little about Africa. Slavery, corrupt dictators, Ebola outbreaks and terrorists are about the sum of our knowledge.
Jacky Essombe, born in Cameroon, raised in Paris and now a Vancouver artist, is on a mission to share her African culture and heritage through dance, music and storytelling.
Her backup musicians include Benin percussionist Yuro Noukousfi playing seven drums and Zimbabwe’s Kurai Mubaiwa, a mbira and marimba specialist.
Essombe explained that music is vital to African dance so much so that in many African cultures two words are not used. Dance and music are so intertwined one word describes both. This particular program expresses the cultural traditions and ancient rhythms of West and Central Africa.
Soft spoken with a lush timbre, Essombe first invites the audience to share their knowledge of the continent and its 54 countries before teaching several call and response songs along with easy to mimic steps.
Mubaiwa also sings one song that sounds like birdcalls and tweets, but we learn is an actual African language.
The 45-minute show offers strong educational overtones similar to school programs with resident artists. But more than anything, it celebrates the warm, resilient, creative community spirit that dominates African culture.
– Anna Borowiecki
Thumbelina
École Father Jan
Illusion Theatre
Runs until June 2
Ages: 4+
The stage is set. It's mostly dark in the École Father Jan theatre, save for a warm light illuminating a large stretched fabric flower in the centre of the stage. Ambient nighttime noises are heard as the audience members find their seats. Maryse Poulin, stage left, uses various instruments to mimic the sounds of nature at night: chimes tinkle softly, a bird calls out and leaves rustle in the breeze. A child with heavy eyelids rests his head on his mother's lap; the atmosphere is calm and serene.
The shadow of a hand can be seen from behind the petals of the fabric flower. Then another hand. The children in the audience giggle as the hands reach over the petals and the heads of the performers finally emerge. Sabrina Baran and Lila-Mae Talbot smile warmly and welcome everyone to Illusion Theatre's rendition of the classic Hans Christian Andersen story, Thumbelina.
The tiny puppet that is Thumbelina is born in the centre of the flower, but is quickly torn from her home and forced out into the great big world. She meets many creatures along the way, including a fat toad, a curious fish, a silk butterfly and many more. Each puppet is a work of art.
Thumbelina's journey is narrated, but few words are actually uttered. The story is told brilliantly through the music and movement of the performers on stage. llusion Theatre lives up to its name, using light and shadows to help tell their story. It's a unique and captivating performance to witness. The performers convey emotion not only in their faces, but also in the movement of their bodies. At times the dances are silly; at others, they're serious.
In the end, Thumbelina triumphs over each obstacle she encounters.
"A new world opens for her," says Baran, as Thumbelina peers into a magic hole in the centre of the flower.
"And in it, she finds new strength."
Children exclaim as Thumbelina emerges from the hole with a shimmery set of wings. The moral of the story is no matter how small you may feel, there is always strength inside you.
– Jasmine Roy
The Rainbow Fish
Mermaid Theatre
Save-On Foods Stage (Arden Theatre)
Runs until June 3
Ages: 3 - 7
Beautifully illuminated puppets and scenery make this rendition of Marcus Pfister's The Rainbow Fish impossible to forget. Blacklight makes this colourful story even more vibrant.
Rainbow Fish is known throughout the ocean as a striking beauty, with colourful scales that sparkle when they catch the light. Three fish tales are told within the 50-minute performance: The Rainbow Fish, Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Blue Sea, and Opposites.
In the first story, Rainbow Fish learns there are more important things than superficial beauty. He learns to share his most prized possession, his shiny scales, with his fishy friends. In the second story, Rainbow Fish learns that determination and bravery are key to reaching your goals. Finally, the third story teaches kids about the concept of opposites. The final pair of opposites is shown as Rainbow Fish "gives" away his scale and a little blue fish "takes."
The audience is assured from the beginning that this is a "non-shushing show." You can certainly hear the children have a grand time as they shout the names of each new sea creature that appears (and there are lots of them – fish, seahorse, whales and jelly fish, just to name a few).
Dozens of ocean creatures swim as if alive, moving on stage just as they would in the water: a tiny blue fish quickly darts back and forth; a firefly squid pumps and pushes his tentacles; and a crab scuttles across the ocean floor.
The Mermaid Theatre puppeteers have truly mastered their puppets. If you're interested in a stunning visual performance, this is certainly a show you'll want to see.
– Jasmine Roy
