Christmas isnt over until the Russians sing. For those who follow the Julian calendar (instead of that upstart Gregorian calendar), or for those craving a taste of Russian food and culture, you can celebrate Christmas Russian style at the Roundhouse on January 5. From 1 to 3pm there is kids entertainment, games, crafts and a visit from Father Frost ($16 for the day). From 3 to 7pm, learn to sing Kalinka or play on a traditional Russian instrument before enjoying a concert by local Russian talents ($8 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, $2 for kids younger than two). A wide range of traditional foods will be available to enjoy there or to take home. Schastlivogo Rozhdestva! (Merry Christmas!)
More than one billion people know Liunian Bians music, even if theyve never heard of him before. The Beijing Olympics composers music will be enjoyed by a much smaller, but still appreciative, audience when he performs at the Spring Show, a celebration of music from around the world. Performers as diverse as Chinese Idol Jima Yang, Vancouvers breakdance team Now or Never B-Boy Crew, Irish dancer/martial arts aficionado Joel Hanna, and traditional Korean drummers will take to the stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on January 4. Hosted by the CCLP International Culture & Exchange Centre and the Canada-Chinese Business Association, tickets are $38 to $158 and are available at SpringShow.ca.
The scary thing about human behaviour is how predictable it is. How else could Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) have written characters who are as real to us in urban Vancouver today as they were in rural Russia a century ago? Maybe its because his first career was as a doctor, discerning the signs of what ails us. Vancouvers Blackbird Theatre is in the midst of showing how its done. Its production of Uncle Vanya, a story about what happens when an elderly uncle brings what wed call his trophy wife to visit the family estate, finishes its run at The Cultch on January 18, with post-show talkbacks on Jan. 5, 8, 12, and 15.
From mid-December to mid-January, bald eagles descend on Brackendale, near Squamish. They are a majestic sight to behold. On January 5, scores of volunteer bird lovers converge to count them all as part of a festival sponsored by the Brackendale Art Gallery. Visit TourismSquamish.com for details.
