PERFORMERS

Are you an artist?
Are you a talented dancer, juggler, singer, musician, visual artist, photographer, artisan, comedian...in short: Are you an ARTIST? If so, Nanaimo's Francophone Association wants to know you! Send us your portfolio, demo, resumé and we will add your name to our Local Artist Data Bank. When we require artists for various events, we'll think of you first!


 
 
Juno award winning master of the harmonica, Gerald uses over 60 various harmonicas, penny whistle, Indian mouthbow, fiddle bow, and jaw harp to create his unique fusion of musical styles: French-Canadian, Zydeco, Cajun, boogie, and African rhythms. Sharing his stories and legends in French and English, his original music reflects French Canadian and Manitoban voyageur roots, the people he has met and the places he has been.
 

 

Armed with devilish exuberance and heavenly joie-de-vivre, the musicians who make up Belzébuth, offer up a dynamic performance sure to please all musical tastes. Remaining true to their traditional roots, these six talented dynamos will have you swinging to a melodious mélange of reels, jigs and waltzes as they sprinkle their stunning arrangements with an array of contemporary sounds. When the violins and guitars meet the bouzouki and accordion, spiced by a cornucopia of percussion instruments and a generous dose of youth, the passion communicated by Belzébuth will make you want to start singing!

Belzébuth's Website

 

Coulée is a Métis performance group who hail from Saint-Laurent, Manitoba, and their energetic show bridges the traditional with today’s musical flavours of Riel’s People. Blending original tunes with well-known songs from the past, these enthusiastic performers gather their inspiration from the spiritual offerings of Lake Manitoba, the natural beauty of Saint-Laurent, as well as from the language and culture of the region’s fishermen and their families. Coulée captures, with every song, the essence of life’s intrinsic cycle to which we all belong.

Coulée's Website


 
 
Bardasser is a French-Canadian verb derived from bardas which means " to make a ruckus; to be very active". Inspired by this energetic word, La Bardasse describes perfectly this group who maintains a reputation of being "fun-loving troubadours who will have guests dancing, stomping their feet or, at the very least, tapping a variety of toes!" Proud of their culture and roots, the members of La Bardasse have gathered around the traditional music they enjoy so much. Their interpretations of traditional French-Canadian tunes mix perfectly with a touch of Celtic and Cajun flavours! Based in Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, this group has been sharing its joie-de-vivre, its music, its humour, and even a bit of history, with audiences of all ages since 2001.

 
La Bardasse's Website

 

Since its creation, in 1990, the show Fit as a Fiddle/Violon Dingue has been performed over 1000 times, in both French and English, throughout Canada. The journey begins when a prehistoric man inadvertently discovers the sound a string makes when rubbed. We are then introduced to different characters and musical styles portrayed by Fit as a Fiddle's author and performer, Pierre Lessard. Among those musical styles and characters are: a conductor and his orchestra from the Romantic Classical period; a forefather of ancestral China; a clownish bohemian; a rural Quebecois folk musician (the legendary Onézime...Dingue!); and many more. Fit as a Fiddle-Violon Dingue takes the audience on a voyage with an instrument that has been used in so many ways by so many fascinating people. Though most of the characters are the product of Lessard’s imagination, one thing is certainly real: his passion for the violin. From Classical music to Jazz and Swing all the way to Techno and Hip-Hop, and a good dose of audience participation, this musical pilgrimage is magical, educational as well as highly entertaining.

Violon Dingue's Website


 

Dallas Arcand is an Aboriginal entertainer from the Alexander (Kipohtakaw) Plains Indian Cree Nation, located near Edmonton, Alberta. He is a multi-talented individual, but he best known for his achievements as a hoop dancer, a motivational speaker and a musician. Dallas has been a World Class Hoop Dancer for 14 years. He won the title of World Champion Hoop Dancer for two consecutive years. As well as being a dancer, Dallas was a finalist in the "Aboriginal Icon" national singing contest in Winnipeg, which featured Canada's best singers, songwriters, and performers. Dallas also plays Aboriginal acoustic instruments, most notably the native flute. A talented musician, Dallas has developed a unique singing and songwriting style, labeled as 'indigenous hip-hop', and performs under the name Kray‹Z›Kree. Dallas' Aboriginal name is "Dancing Buffalo Man' (Nimihto Paskwa Mostôs Napew). Aboriginal names are chosen at birth, and for many years he had no idea that dancing would become a major influence in his life. Winner of the 2007 World Hoop Dancer Championship, he delights in sharing his culture through this athletic and creative art form.

Dallas Arcand's Website


 

Les Cornouillers (The French name for BC's provincial flower, the dogwood) is a group specializing in French-Canadian traditional dance. This group has existed for two generations. The current group was created in 1991 as a result of former dancers reuniting for the 50th anniversary of the Société francophone de Victoria. Since then, Les Cornouillers has become the largest French-Canadian traditional dance group in British-Columbia. We offer performances of traditional dances, participatory dance sessions for adults and children, and workshops in traditional dance.

Les Cornouillers' web site




His Mission? To ensure that everyone leaves with a smile! Equipped with top secret, highly specialised entertainment police accessories, Officer Fairway’s unique sense of humour and his special "Infraction Tickets", this oddball character is a great addition to groups of all ages! Be on your best behaviour because during the Festival, this highly trained officer will be making his rounds, keeping an eagle (birdie) eye open for anything that may require his attention. Officer Fairway is diligent in the distribution of his legitimately kooky citations.

Some citation examples: "Sir, this is not a drill, please step back from the toffee on snow", "Ma’am, have you done the prerequisite safety check on your shoes?", "Sir, what we have here is illegal use of colour co-ordination during a black tie event", "Young lady, I have to ask you to refrain from feeding Poutine to our mascot Toffy", "Young man, according to Participation Citation #6052, I must ask you to increase the speed of your toe-tapping and clapping technique on this fiddle tune"

 
Officer Fairway's Website

 

The Nanaimo Fiddle Ensemble is the newest string ensemble at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music, offering intermediate and advanced players a chance to explore traditional fiddle music from around the world. In addition to playing tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia and Cape Breton, the Fiddle Ensemble enjoys playing Quebecois tunes both old and new. Their repertoire offers tunes drawn from the rich and vibrant fiddle traditions of Quebec, arranged by the group's director, Trish Clair Peck.

Nanaimo Fiddle Ensemble's web site


 

Sand Northrup, a remarkable one-woman circus that features acrobatics, juggling, unicycling and clowning around by Filetta the Fish. Her popularity is due, in part, to her ability to let the children who participate be the stars of the show.

Sand Northrup's web site

 

The Earth Wizards Starchild & Company Clowns, mimes, face-painters, story- tellers, puppeteers, magicians, dancers, poets, jugglers, balloon sculptor, lovers of the earth, if it has to do with whimsical, delightful entertainment The Earth Wizards offer it. Singer/songwriter FANNY STARCHILD combines her solid musical skills and theatrical talents with gifted Caribbean composer and arranger VEGARI CENDAR, who in turn adds his own Calypso, Raggae, Latin and Pop/Rock influences to the mix, both dazzling audiences of all ages. Drawing from their CD " Magic is in the Air", they sing in English and French involving their audience with movements, hand clapping and lots of sing along fun. Warmth and joyful energy is the key to this delightful duo that enjoys an enthusiastic following along the West Coast.

Starchild & Company's web site

 
 

Terry Mack, Native American Flute Player and enthusiast has a found a way to free the music in her soul. The haunting sound of the flutes is what called Terry to pick up her first native american flute and begin playing in 2005. Her music offers a unique blend of sounds and styles taking the listener on a soundscape journey that touches both heart and soul. Terry often works with guitarist Paul Bezooyen of the Hermits Music.

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"SAJE" is a group of island friends whose voices and instruments intertwine creating a variety of eclectic world music textures and sounds. The group consists of Jeremy McDonald, Sam McDonald,Lou Gradanti, Ben Giordano, and Andrea Georgiev. Jeremy’s versatility has teamed him up with a variety of musical groups playing anything from jazz, bluegrass, Celtic and Gypsy and he recently backed up David Gogo and Penny Sidor on their new CDs. Sam has spent many years touring both on stage and back stage, with major music productions such as Cats and Phantom of the Opera and rock shows like The Who & Rolling Stones. Lou is well known as a musician, songwriter, arranger and music teacher. His passion is the accordion, although he plays many instruments equally well. Ben hails from Monaco and has played his classical guitar with musicians all over the world during his travels. Andrea is originally from Germany, and this has influenced her European musical tastes. SAJE is truly worldbeat, right down to the fact that they perform their sometimes haunting, sometimes lively material in many languages.
 

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Newly formed in Nanaimo under the direction of Carolyn Cusson, the Glengarry School of Celtic Dance hosts a lively performance of Highland dance, Irish dance, and a Vancouver Island debut performance of home-grown Cape Breton Stepdancers!

In Cape Breton as well as in Upper and Lower Canada, dancing to the fiddle and bagpipes became a shared tradition of both Highland Scottish and French settlers alike...to become a distinctly Canadian Tradition!

In addition, as directors of CeltFest, an international summer school and concert series hosted in Nanaimo and Parksville in July, Rene' and Carolyn are delighted to feature young musicians and dancers who are students of the Celtic performing arts as their guests.

Slainte et Salut!
 

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Our objective is to provide students of all ages and levels of experience an education in the performing arts by offering them the training in a varied and meticulous manner. We strive to give students the opportunity to perform and enhance their performing ability and, in doing so, to instill a sense of self-discipline, pride, accomplishment, and understanding for the performing arts.

Tempo Dance Academy is the place to be if you want your child to learn in a positive environment.

Tempo Dance Academy's web site
 

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Combine the talent of 17-year-old fiddler extraordinaire, Qristina Bachand, with that of her 11-year-old guitar prodigy brother Quinn and you've got Victoria's own "Double Trouble"! With a varied repertoire of celtic, folk, bluegrass, swing & even gypsy jazz, the Bachand siblings captivate their audiences with their infectious rhythm, energy and youth! Qristina has been playing violin since she was seven, she has trained at music schools & fiddle camps throughout North America and has received numerous awards and scholarships for her fiddling. Quinn, at only 11 years old, commands attention with his guitar playing skills. He has six years of music studies and is a solid fiddler, though his true passion is the guitar. Qristina and Quinn Bachand are excited about performing at Nanaimo's Maple Sugar Festival for the second time, and look forward to seeing you there! Be sure to catch the dynamic duo's performance on Sunday morning!

Lison Clochette is a modern day troubadour, singer-songwriter, and clown. Her mission is to recreate a circus ambience in all of her performances, while serving up a joie de vivre that invites all hearts into her celebration of song, dance, humour and laughter. Clochette has been on this joyous adventure for more than 20 years.

Summer Sage is a newly formed duo comprised of Laura Langstaff and Melissa Hall. Both Laura and Melissa are Saskatchewan-born Metis descendants from the historic Red River Metis community of St. Boniface, Selkirk County, Manitoba. Laura and Melissa perform original contemporary Metis folk music written in the ballad tradition of Pierre Falcon, who is a cultural icon of Metis peoples across the Metis Homeland. Recently, Laura's sister, Melissa, began performing with Laura as they entertain audiences with their genetically matched harmonies, and humorous Metis perspectives and anecdotes. Both Laura and Melissa strongly believe that humour and music are two necessary tools in bridging gaps and building bridges of understanding among diverse cultural groups.

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