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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! |
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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!
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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.
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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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