STAND Festival showcases works by immigrant and refugee artists, November 2 to 8
The multidisciplinary fest features a range of arts events created and led by newcomers to Canada
Adewolf.
Blackout Art Society and Presentation House Theatre present STAND Festival: A Performing Arts Festival for Immigrant and Refugee Artists from November 2 to 8 at Presentation House Theatre and online
NOW IN ITS second year, STAND Festival: A Performing Arts Festival for Immigrant and Refugee Artists features a multidisciplinary lineup for 2022 of 19 events created and led by newcomers to Canada.
The goal of STAND Festival is support and lift up immigrant and refugee voices through the arts while addressing social issues of race, class, and gender. The programming features performances, workshops, and panel discussions, newcomer artists sharing stories of survival, courage, failure, and hope.
Among the happenings are a concert by BC Chinese Music Ensemble (November 2), which will present traditional music from different regions and provinces across China; a Carnatic violin and mridangam recital (November 2), featuring South Indian classical music by Shriram Rajagopalan and Curtis Andrews; a musical journey with Mida Malek, who will offer original and cover songs based on their experience as a queer nonbinary Iranian (November 4); and a concert by Nigerian-born musician, songwriter, and producer Adewolf whose musical style, which he calls Afrohop, is a blend of Afrobeats, hip hop, R&B , and reggae.
Mida Malek.
In End of a Cycle (November 6), artist Sunny Chen takes on the role of River Sun, a first-generation Chinese Canadian, to (dance) battle a demon with eyes set on world domination, learning about her family history the trauma her motherland endured during fascist Cultural Revolutions along the way. Behtab Behseta presents She planted. You Watered. And I Grow (November 6), a one-woman show about a young girl’s life going through the changes of womanhood and her attachment to her mother and the challenge of moving to Canada in the midst of it. And in Rice Paper(November 6), artist Soeine Bac tells a story of the titular material and its association with East Asian culture through movement, projected images, and live sound.
For the complete schedule, see Blackout Art or PHT.
Shriram Rajagopalan.
