Young people from around the world who are studying at Pearson College will take a break from their studies to perform in One World, a performance showcasing their artistic talents, Friday and Saturday at the McPherson Playhouse, 3 Centennial Sq.
Nearly 200 students will celebrate their homelands through music, dance and the spoken word.
The performance has taken place annually for nearly 40 years.
“One World is an incredible leadership opportunity for all students,” said Paul Faber, faculty member and musical director. “Every single student will have a part in it. Whether it be on stage, behind the scenes, or through the interactive exposition showcasing the students’ service and other projects.”
Students work together in every aspect of the production, from on-stage choreography to backstage technical tasks such as costumes, lighting and sound.
The students will also set up displays in the theatre lobby.
Perennial favourites in the performance include the One Hundred Voices Choir, South African Gumboot and Ukrainian dance.
There will be three shows. Tickets to the dress rehearsal at 2 p.m. on Friday are $12. There are two regular shows, at 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $30 for adults, $23 for seniors and students.
The McPherson Playhouse is the venue for both days.
Tickets are available at the Royal McPherson box office, online at rmts.bc.ca, or by phone at 250-386-6121.
For more details, go to pearsoncollege.ca.
Royal B.C. Museum hosts events to mark World Water Day
Join a day-long celebration of the importance of water for World Water Day, with three events including film, music, live performance and poetry, Saturday at the Royal B.C. Museum, 675 Belleville St.
You can take part in one or all three of the scheduled events. All the events take place in the museum’s Newcombe Conference Hall.
The first, Water and Me: A Reflection on Water, celebrates water through film, sound, music, an installation and poetry with Bisia Belina and Serap Brown.
Belina’s short film Water will be shown, followed by an interactive performance. Brown will share her poem about water, I am You, You are Me, then facilitate the creation of a collective poem.
Admission is by donation. The event runs from 11 a.m. to noon in the Newcombe Conference Hall.
Spine of the Mother, by Raven Spirit Dance, is a dance performance choreographed by Starr Muranko in collaboration with performers Tasha Faye Evans and Sarah Formosa.
Spine of the Mother is a collaboration between Indigenous artists in Canada and Peru that explores connections created by the mountain ranges that span from Argentina to the tip of Alaska.
The performance will be followed by a question-and-answer period with the artists.
Admission is $15. The performance runs from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Newcombe Conference Hall.
The last event of the day is a workshop with Raven Spirit Dance, exploring movement, breath and the connection to water.
No previous dance experience is necessary. The event is free, but registration is required. To register, send an email to: serapbrown@uvic.ca. The workshop runs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Support for the performance and workshop is provided, in part, by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Project Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories of Canadian Performance.
For more information, go to royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. If you have any inquiries about the events, email serapbrown@uvic.ca.
Get out the green for Ireland’s party
Wear your best green duds for Saint Patrick’s Family Fun Day in Market Square, 560 Johnson St, on Sunday.
The family-friendly community event, presented by the Greater Victoria Festival Society, features Irish dancers and music, along with Irish-themed food vendors, an Irish crafting station, vendors, balloon art, face-painting and an inflatable attraction.
The event is free. It runs from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, go to Facebook.
For those 19 and older, St. Patrick’s Day is the only time of the year you can find (and consume) green beer at some of the city’s pubs and restaurants.
Local Celtic band Cookeilidh will be playing hand-clapping and toe-tapping Celtic tunes from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Six Mile Pub, 494 Old Island Hwy.
Musicians Qrista Bachand, Bobby Smith and Black Angus will entertain patrons at the Irish Times Pub, 1200 Government St. Black Angus and Aaron Scoones are playing at the Bard and Banker, 1022 Government St.
Storytellers tell tales of ‘wise fools’
Listen to some tall ones, some true, some humorous, some blue as the Victoria Storytellers Guild presents World Storytelling Day: Stories at Fern on Monday, 1831 Fern Street. This year’s theme is “wise fools.”
Host Margo McLoughlin will entice listeners with stories old and new, legendary and mythic.
Refreshments will be served.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Doors open at 7:15 p.m., with stories from 7:30 until 9:35. Details at victoriastorytellers.org.
Learn the ancient art of Japanese flower arranging
Learn about the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement at the Ikebana Workshop with Amanda Gaunt on Sunday at Legacy Art Gallery, 630 Yates St.
This workshop is for beginners. Participants will learn the basic upright style moribana, one of two styles that are the foundation for all Japanese flower arranging.
The art traces its roots to the 7th century, when floral arrangements were created to be placed on altars.
Over time, the arrangements found their way into homes.
Ikebana reached its zenith in the 16th century and has spread around the world.
Participants are asked to bring clippers, a kenzan (also called a spiky frog), a container and a bag to carry home their finished creation.
The cost of the workshop is $35 and pre-registration is required. It runs from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more information, go to uvac.uvic.ca/#section0-9. To register, contact legacy@uvic.ca or telephone 250-721-6562.
TLC offers a Passport to Nature
Connect with nature and get the whole family outdoors at Passport to Nature, presented by The Land Conservancy, starting with a Lichen ID
Walk Sunday at the organization’s 22-hectare Packford Covenant in Sooke, off Glinz Lake Road.
The Passport to Nature program features 13 free events throughout the year.
They include restoration activities, a tour of Abkhazi Garden, a bird walk and an introduction to outdoor portrait photography, among others.
On the Lichen ID Walk, the first of this year’s series, you can join naturalist Juliet Pendray in examining and enjoying intricate and amazing lichens.
Pendray will share her knowledge about coastal B.C. life forms and their ecology, with a particular focus on fungi and associated organisms. She will explain what they are, what they do and why.
The walk will require moderate hiking ability.
Participants are advised to bring water, snacks and appropriate footwear.
Although the event is free to attend, registration is required. The walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon.
For Packford Covenant, look for the Camp Thunderbird gate. Parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged.
For more information, and to register, go to conservancy.bc.ca/get-involved/passport-to-nature.
The next event in the Passport to Nature series will be a bird walk with Ian Cruickshank scheduled for March 23.
