Powell Street Festival's new artistic director eyes the cutting edge
The 39th edition of the Powell Street Festival is the first under new artistic director Mark Takeshi McGregor—and for those wondering why the heritage event has picked an avant-garde flute virtuoso to take the helm, he’s got a ready answer.
“Powell Street is definitely a festival that celebrates tradition and history, but it’s always trying to look forward,” says the Steveston-raised musician of the fest, which runs Saturday and Sunday (August 1 and 2) in and around Oppenheimer Park. “Look at Japan in general: we’re talking about a country that has centuries of culture and history, but today they’re on the cutting edge of fashion, of visual art, of the contemporary performing arts—and I think the Japanese-Canadian culture here in Vancouver reflects that.”
Consider Souldaiko, which sets hip-hop dance moves to taiko drumming (Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Oppenheimer Park). Or pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa’s Cosmophony, in which 11 Canadian composers contribute sonic portraits of our sun and its attendant planets (the same day at 2 p.m. at the Firehall Arts Centre). Or drummer Bernie Arai and keyboardist Chris Gestrin’s Wabi duo, in which the two jazz improvisers explore Japanese concepts of restraint, minimalism, and imperfection (Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at the Firehall).
Powell Street’s diversity spans everything from belly dancing to demonstrations of kyudo. For a full schedule visit www.powellstreetfestival.com/.
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