A fictional story of the origin of wood will open this year’s Spirit of Wood Festival.
Created by Maple Ridge’s Peter Tam, the 40-minute-long performing art piece will feature an original music composition, choreography by three renowned Vancouver choreographers, five professional dancers, drummers, singers, as well as 40 students from the Granville Island’s Arts Umbrella.
Spirit Wood also boasts support from a team of artists who’ve helped with everything from costumes to animation.
“This production is a fusion of traditional and modern styles in both the music and the dance,” said Tam. “The characters are Spirit Earth, Spirit Water and Spirit Fire. The dance takes you from the beginning of time, through apocalyptic events to transform beings into trees, creating Spirit Wood. The message in the story is that our existence depends on the trees.”
Spirit Wood has also come to mean more to Tam than just a dance production.
It has created a connection between father and son. Tam’s son Alex, a student at Arts Umbrella, was chosen by the choreographers as one of the principle dancers.
• The Spirit Wood ballet plays the ACT at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5. Ticket are $20 for adults and $10 for youth and seniors. For tickets, call 604 476-ARTS (2787).
Festival
Saturday, Feb. 5
• Wood art showcase & sale from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. @ The ACT
• Spirit Wood ballet begins at 7 p.m. @The ACT
Sunday, Feb. 6
• Lumber Jack pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. @ Maple Ridge Leisure Centre
• Wood art showcase from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. @ The ACT
• Kid’s “make–and-take” activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. @ The ACT
• Live entertainment from11 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ The ACT. Entertainment will feature family-friendly musicians and performing artists using wood in their performances.
• Winds of Heaven – The Emily Carr Story from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. @ The ACT. A new Michael Ostroff documentary about B.C. artist Emily Carr and her connection to First Nations people and the spirits of the forest. Free admission.
