POETRY
What: 12th Annual Victorious Voices Youth Arts Festival
Where: vicvoices.com
When: April 12 through April 15
Admission: Free
Why: Vancouver Island’s largest annual spoken-word event — and one of the longest-running youth spoken-word festivals in the country, according to organizers — gets underway online Monday with the first of four consecutive days of events. Workshops with award-winning poets, including Nisha Patel (April 12-13), Sarah Kay (April 14-15), and Neko Smart (April 15), are on tap for this educational and inspirational TED Talk-like showcase for area high school students. All events are provided free of charge. Tune in.
DANCE
What: Bereishit Dance Company
Where: dancevictoria.com
When: April 8, 5 p.m. (available online through April 11)
Tickets: $25
Why: The final installment in Dance Victoria’s Virtual Home Season, which got underway in November, features a prerecorded performance by South Korea’s Bereishit Dance Company, a groundbreaking Seoul-based outfit. The two-act performance features one traditional pansori (musical storytelling) singer, a pair of Korean traditional drummers and five contemporary dancers, and explores nature, the human body and the relationship between them. Ticketholders will receive access to a conversation with company director Soon-ho Park and a post-performance Zoom event moderated by Dance Victoria’s Stephen White featuring Suddenly Dance Theatre’s David Ferguson, South Korea-based dancer/choreographer Jung-ah Chun, and local legend Lynda Raino.
MUSIC
What: Beethoven: The Complete Quartets
Where: christchurchcathedral.bc.ca
When: April 9, 7 p.m.
Admission: Free
Why: The second concert in a nine-part series showcasing Beethoven’s string quartets streaming from Christ Church Cathedral features the acclaimed Emily Carr Quartet, which will tackle Beethoven’s Quartet no. 2 and Quartet no. 8 on Friday. The series — which will cover all 16 of the composer’s compositions for string quartets — runs monthly through the fall. The events are free, but donations are welcome through the church’s website.
