AHA MEDIA attended the first performance of ” A Streetcar Named Desire” by Ballet BC at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Downtown Vancouver.
” Based on the 1947 Tennessee Williams Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, A Streetcar Named Desire is a highly dramatic contemporary ballet. This full-length work includes Alleyne’s unique signature choreography as well an innovative lighting, set and costume design, and an original jazz score. Wrought iron fretwork and hanging Spanish moss help to capture the sensuality and moodiness of the Old French Quarter in New Orleans”
AHA MEDIA was able to watch this amazing and powerful ballet with complimentary tickets courtesy of Graham LloydAccount Manager, 99.3 The FOXwww.cfox.com
Thanks Graham! 🙂
In the following video, April films the stage and the crowd settling into the Queen Elizabeth Theatre before turning off the camera as filming is not allowed during the performance 🙂
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter.
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A Message from John Alleyne, Artistic Director of Ballet BC
“It is a great pleasure to see this powerful ballet appear on stage once again. Premiered to great acclaim in 2006, A Streetcar Named Desire is based on Tennesse William’s theatrical tour de force and brings us themes of vitality, fragility, cruelty, promiscuity, and social realism; themes which we are reminded of from the issues and images of life around us. In particular, while creating this ballet I was struck by the struggle between gentility and commoness as well as the dying aristocracy and vital working class. This full lengt ballet would not be what it is without the music of BC’s own composer Tobin Stokes. Tonight you will hear the recorded version of his original score that was part of a true symbiosis of music and dance. Thank you for your continued support of Ballet British Columia and please enjoy the performance.”
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As it was AHA MEDIA ‘s first time at the ballet, we were mesmerized and awed by the sheer agility and grace of all the dancers. We were amazed how all elements of a successful and professional performance all seemlessly blended together to entertain the audience.
From how lighting added to the mood as well as the music helped captured each moment from raw emotion, to extreme joy between characters to touching, heart-breaking poignant scenes. The stage moved from scene to scene smoothly and the dancer’s beautiful and appropriately themed costumed added to the telling of the story.
Being at the ballet is quite an rare, beautiful and artistic event to enjoy, there are no words spoken, only the fluidity of the dancer’s bodies to emote the stories being told the audience.
A Streetcar Named Desire’s original music glorious costumes, appropriate props and mood lighting all coordinated flawlessly to give us that all around ereathral, and life changing experience 🙂
All scenes are performed on one stage, from “memories” of the past being enacted by other dancers to other background performers helping build and round out the main stage scene – giving a truly mult-faceted event for the human mind and soul to learn, absorb and enjoy! 🙂
What a truly memorable experience for AHA MEDIA! We feel we have grown as humans and artists. We feel more emotionally intelligent for having watched a performance by Ballet BC. As we usually have been covering news and event, it’s a blessing to come and see a live show! We felt that our souls were nourished with the beauty of the dancers acting out the story of “A Streetcar Named Desire” 🙂
This is truly the best type of performance art, where the epitome of our best dancers are able to translate to the audience what’s happening in the story! 🙂
“Every picture tells a story!” – Ballet BC
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If AHA MEDIA were to echo parrellisms from the performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” where it depicts the ” struggle between gentility and commonness as well as the dying aristocracy and vital working class”, We as hyper local community reporters and citizen journalists from the Vancouver Downtown Eastside know very well the incoming and ongoing changes to our area – our neighborhood faces a shift in our community dynamics with the revitalization and gentrification that goes on …to even how some of our folks experiencing grief, loss, trauma, mental illness every day.
“Suddenly, Blanche is all-alone. She has lost her grip on reality, but she smiles and is more old-fashioned and gracious than ever. A doctor and medical attendant help Blanche to her feet. Blanche is calm now, ready to depend henceforward on “the kindness of strangers.” Wherever they may be taking her, it will be better and fuller than her past life has been.”
AHA MEDIA seeks to report on our neighborhood and to give a voice to our Vancouver Downtown Eastside citizens who may be facing struggles everyday which have the same “themes of vitality, fragility, cruelty, promiscuity, and social realism; themes which we are reminded of from the issues and images of life around us” from the performance “A Streetcar Named Desire”
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AHA MEDIA encourages everybody, ( if they’re able ) to watch a performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Ballet BC , on now from April 16 – 18th! 🙂 http://www.balletbc.com
AHA MEDIA participated in the LG Canadian Texting Championships and Media Charity Challenge!
LG Electronics invited Vancouver media to compete in the ultimate text message challenge to win $1,000 on behalf of the charity of your choice.
Below is a photo of Faris Chebib from LG, April Smith and Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA, very happy to be invited to participate in the Media Challenge! AHA MEDIA is proud to be media from the Vancouver Downtown Eastside!! Thanks so much LG! 🙂
Below is a photo of John Chow and April Smith – both getting ready have a text-off with each other to raise funds for the charity of choice.
If AHA MEDIA would have won, we would have donated our $1,000 cheque to CACV Community Arts Council of Vancouver http://www.cacv.ca
The Community Arts Council of Vancouver was the first arts council in North America.
Since its beginning in 1946, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver has been a contributor to shaping the cultural life of Vancouver. The Council has been a powerful force in creating and advocating for many of the institutions, traditions and policies in Vancouver that we benefit from today.
For more than 60 years, CACV has been contributing to the cultural and community development of Vancouver by creating art projects that engage the community and facilitating, supporting, and advocating for initiatives, facilities, and programs that increase community participation in the arts. Our interests are to increase understanding of how the arts create community, grow our appreciation of our cultural differences, and engage the community in the art of developing community.
In the next few years we will attract and engage community leaders and the people who have the ability to provide the resources and collaborate with them in determining the critical initiatives that will accelerate the cultural and community development of our city.
Our biggest priority and greatest opportunity is our Downtown Eastside community which is rich in history and cultures and the neighbourhood with the largest population of artists per capita in British Columbia.
April Smith and Buzz Bishop wish each other good luck for the Media Charity Challenge! 🙂
Peter Davies, Reporter for AHA MEDIA pratices his texting skills before the challenge.
April Smith smiles a big grin before being the first one to compete in the LG Texting Media Championships and Media Charity Challenge to raise funds for charity of choice! 🙂
As all participants are all from the MEDIA, – we all documented each other during the friendly competition! 🙂
After the dust settled, Buzz Bishop was declared the winner! 🙂 His charity of choice for Canadian Diabetes Association!
Way to go Buzz and Congrads to you!!! 🙂
We’re all winners! Here is a photo of the Media from Vancouver for the LG Texting Championship and Media Charity Challenge! 🙂
AHA MEDIA say thanks to our fellow teammates and friends for the opportunity to try to win the LG Texting Championships and Media Charity Challenge! It was great being with all of you! 🙂
A great big thanks to LG Electronics Canada for hosting us and donating $1,000 to our charity of choice! 🙂
AHA MEDIA attended the event where it was a presentation by UBC students on :
“How can BOB work with the community to revitalize the Hastings corridor between Main and Cambie?”
After an introduction to the evening’s presentations by CEO Shirley Chan of BOB http://www.bobics.org , we heard:
Topics to be presented on:
1) Social Enterprise & Informal Economies
2) Celebrating Community
3) Lighting the Corridor
4) Save on Meats, an institution
5) Using Branding for Revitalization
The highlight of the evening was when Hendrik Beune, Director of AHA MEDIA won free entry into a golf tournament sponsored by
LG Electronics is inviting Vancouver media to compete in the ultimate text message challenge to win $1,000 on behalf of the charity of your choice.
This will be a great chance to show off to your fellow media and compete for your favourite charity. We’ll supply the QWERTY keypads; you just need to bring yourself and your skillz.
As AHA MEDIA, strives to be among the best representatives of Media from the Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES), we accept the challenge and wish all our fellow media texting competitors good luck!
It’s for charity – Let’s raise some funds! 🙂
WHAT: The second annual LG Canadian Texting Championships and the 2009 Media Competition. Win $1,000 for your favourite charity.
WHERE: Richmond Centre, Centre Court East (Tim Horton’s entrance)
WHEN: Friday, April 17, 2009 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm *Please RSVP so we can pre-register you or arrive by 11:45am for registration.
About the 2nd Annual LG Canadian Texting Championship:
LG Canada will be traveling across the nation to find the 2009 fastest texter. Regional and online qualifying tournaments will take place this spring, leading up to the ultimate showdown in Toronto on June 29th. Finalists will compete head-to-head at the finals with last year’s winner, Mark “Jervy” Breiva and attempt to take the title of Canada’s fastest texter.
The LG Texting Booth will be set-up at the Richmond Centre from Thursday April 16- Sunday April 19 during mall hours:
While our focus is being hyper local citizen journalists from the Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES ), we are learning to become social media event reporters for Vancouver’s technology, social media and twitter world.
We were proud and thankful to be invited by Graham Lloyd, Account Manager, 99.3 The FOX ! http://www.cfox.com 🙂 and Daniela Vecchione, Marketing Manager of Capone’s Restaurant.
Below is a photo, Peter Davies, Reporter for AHA MEDIA and Lorraine Murphy of Raincoaster Media http://www.raincoastermedia.com at the opening of the festival.
Capone’s welcomes us with printed materials of the week long Wine and Jazz festival and upcoming events 🙂
Here is a photo of Capone’s upon walking in. A lively vibrant place! 🙂
Below is Raul Pacheco of http://www.hummingbird604.com grins his very charming smile for AHA MEDIA, while Lorraine Murphy looks on and smiles 🙂
Two of the Wine Merchants giving away wine tastings. Very Crowded around the wine tasting area! 🙂
Below is a photo of John Chow of http://www.johnchow.com as he contemplates the “rose” wine swirling in his glass 🙂
The 1st Annual Wine and Jazz Festival in Vancouver was completed by the fantastic jazz played by Legendary Jazzman Wes Mackey !! 🙂 He will be having his new CD Launch party at Capone’s Restaurant soon! Stay Tuned! 🙂http://www.wesmackey.com
Thanks to Capone’s Restaurant for putting on a fabulous event for us to enjoy! 🙂
AHA Media 