Exhibitions International Local Artists Performing Art Vancouver

The Nutcracker and Beyond: Holiday Dance Shows in Vancouver

by TVan November 24, 2022

November 24, 2022 0 comment

The Nutcracker and Beyond: Holiday Dance Shows in Vancouver

From traditional cultural stories to a journey through Flamenco to… pond hockey? Discover all of the incredible dance performances happening around the city this season.

*Cover photo credit: Andre Cornellier

Virodhābhāsa – The Paradox
November 10 – 24, Online

Renowned Indian choreographer Navia Natarjan premieres her solo show online and on-demand through a partnership with Mandla Arts and Culture and The Dance Centre. Steeped in classical technique but infused with a questioning spirit, this world premiere will be a whirling vortex of energy and grace. Tickets are available here.

Stations by Louise Lecavalier/Fou Glorieux
November 23 – 26, Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre

DanceHouse and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programming present one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary dance artists as she continues her lifelong exploration of the human experience that lies beyond words. Precise delicacy and wild abandon merge above scores by Antoine Berthiaume, Colin Stetson, Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart, and Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld. Tickets are available here.

FLAMENCO AROUND THE MAP – De Ida Y Vuelta!
By Kasandra Flamenco November 27, Scotiabank Dance Centre

Vancouver’s bailaora Kasandra “La China” takes her audience on a journey that chronicles how Cuba and Argentina first influenced flamenco music. Award-winning flamenco guitarist-composer from Havana, Josue Tacoronte, contributes original compositions while the Father of Vancouver Flamenco, Maestro Oscar Nieto, guides listeners through the history of music, rhythm and “compas”! Buy your tickets here.

You Touch Me by Arash Khakpour and Emmalena Fredriksson
December 8 – 10, Scotiabank Dance Centre

Part of the Global Dance Connection Series, this show features duets from six performers that dance, entertain, question and challenge each other while touching on universal themes from togetherness, ageing and love, to climate change and migration. Moving between the political and the poetic, the provocative and the abstract, seriousness and silliness, this work attempts to feel and reveal a moment in time. A post-show talk happens December 9 and tickets can be had here.

The Nutcracker by Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
December 9 – 11, Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Once again rounding out Vancouver’s dance calendar for 2022 is the beloved holiday tradition of The Nutcracker. This time the story told with a distinctly Canadian twist. A snowy pond hockey game, a battle on Parliament Hill, Mounties, and a cast of Canadian critters bring this heart-warming Tchaikovsky classic to life. Tickets can be found here.

There are many ways to get to each venue by transit! Visit TransLink’s Trip Planner to find your way.

Ballet Dance Flamenco performing arts Vancouver

Gift Ideas for the Art Lover on Your List

Washi, the Beauty Within at Nikkei National Museum

march, 2023

18aug(aug 18)9:30 am17apr(apr 17)5:00 pmSurrey on Screen(august 18) 9:30 am - (april 17) 5:00 pm 17710 56A AvenueEvent Type:Art EventAdmission Type:Free

17nov01julAll We Want Is More: The Tobias Wong Project(november 17) 10:00 am - (july 1) 8:00 pm Event Type:Art EventAdmission Type:Ticketed

03dec(dec 3)10:00 am16apr(apr 16)8:00 pmNEXT: Provisional Structures: Carmen Papalia with Co-Conspirators(december 3) 10:00 am - (april 16) 8:00 pm 750 Hornby StreetEvent Type:Art EventAdmission Type:Ticketed

Event Details

The Vancouver Art Gallery is pleased to present: NEXT: Provisional Structures: Carmen Papalia with Co-Conspirators, a new project by Carmen Papalia and his co-conspirators that centres disability cultures within the Gallery.

For Papalia, the process of making spaces accessible to a broader cross-section of the public is inherently creative and works created by the artist are often a means to test, model and share his ideas about accessibility. At the centre of the exhibition is an ambitious architectural installation created by the artist in collaboration with local architect Michael Lis. The piece is comprised of a large acoustic dome that visitors can enter, encircled by tall, wooden towers. The structure appears to be temporarily and briskly constructed, giving tangible form to Papalia’s notion of a model for accessibility that can rise spontaneously in response to the given needs of a group.

In the artist’s words, “Provisional Structures is at once an installation, an institutional intervention and a call to action that serves as a platform for disabled artists, curators and cultural workers by requiring the institutions that exhibit it to dedicate time, space and resources to the development of the systems necessary to hold disability culture and artistry in its wholeness.”

In keeping with the principles of Papalia’s practice, the artist has also invited a group of co-conspirators to support and generously share ideas that resonate and relate to disability justice and social cohesion. Works by participating artists including Sharona Franklin and Heather Kai Smith complement and poetically extend some of the themes and ideas within Papalia’s practice. Rebel Fayola Rose and the collaborative duo, The Curiosity Paradox, both access advocates and artists will be participating in the exhibition through a series of public programs and performances. Details on the activities and dates will be available in the coming weeks.

Public engagement and programming are key components of the exhibition and workshops, talks and discussions will be held during the exhibition throughout its duration. Additional resources are also available on the Gallery’s app.

“In working with Carmen Papalia and Co-Conspirators, the Vancouver Art Gallery welcomes audiences to consider the possibilities of art as a non-visual experience,” said Anthony Kiendl, CEO & Director of Vancouver Art Gallery. “This exhibition is an example of contemporary art as a language that exceeds the visual – it is clearly about challenging ways of thinking and ideas. At the same time, the project introduces other voices and narratives from the contemporary disability movement. This creates not only an important but vital and relevant environment for the public to experience. We are very excited to be a hub for people to gather over the coming weeks of the exhibition.”