Arts Have a story idea? E-mail us at arts@otherpress.ca & The power of the elements The Student Dance Union celebrates Red Carpet 2012 By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor his weekend, the Student | Dance Union will be putting on their intense year-end epic, Red Carpet 2012. Red Carpet is an immense project one year in the making, organized by roughly 100 BC students who shared one goal: to tell a story. Two brothers embark on a journey through their elemental world; the lands of Terra (earth), Aero (air), Ignis (fire), and Aqua (water) will come to life in the form of dance as their tale unfolds. The Student Dance Union (SDU) is an organization that began between students of Douglas College, SFU, and UBC. Team effort made it possible for dance clubs Douglas Hip Hop, SFU HipHop, and UBC’s Dance Horizons and Nu Era to come together and form a union that has since come to include students from Langara, Kwantlen, Capilano, BCIT, and AI, amongst other post-secondary institutions. Douglas HipHop was founded in 2009 by Bryan Aquino and James Pena, two of the original SDU trailblazers. We got to speak to Pena, who is now President of the SDU and acts as Douglas’ representative, and Acting President Lawrence Panzo about the show and the organization behind it. “(My buddies and I] all started the dance clubs together,” Pena stated. “We always thought, ‘hey, wouldn't it be cool if there was some unity between the schools, Pena added, touching on the all too well known competition between the three campuses. The formation of the clubs and their current sustainability relied largely, if not entirely on student dedication, much like this year’s Red Carpet show. “Everything is student organized,” Pena continued, “[Red Carpet] is choreographed by students, the script was written by a student, marketing [was] done by marketing students, teasers... finance... the makeup, props, and the costumes—we’re making over 90 costumes—it’s all done by students. AI students [even] animated the backdrops!” Promised to be a major and exciting event for everyone involved, the show itself was initially inspired by the television series and subsequent film for Avatar: The Last Airbender. Panzo went on to explain that the elements of the show’s story are each represented by a different style of dance and music. “There are four nations, like in The Last Airbender. [We looked for] what kind of dance style represented fire, air, [etc.] ws [The music is also] a mixture of [tracks] we mastered and composed ourselves.” Red Carpet also takes the unity of which the SDU was founded on, and brings together a show intended to be an homage to story telling. “There’s some classic fairytales [as well,]” Panzo states, “like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. [They] add [another] dimension... of moral to the story; [it’s not] your typical ‘good versus evil’ [story]. Like anime, there’s a shift in character... [it’s all about] discovering who you are.” Pena went on to say that, “I think the biggest thing the audience will get out of the show is actually [seeing all the] effort that’s been put into this. It’s been planned for over a year now; the students really dedicated themselves here. They’re not getting paid for this... [so] when you watch the show, you'll be able to see passion [and] obsession. You'll see creativity going beyond what [the performers normally] would do—we encourage them to go full out, go crazy. This whole thing [is] idealized to showcase [the students’] masterpiece.” The show will be taking place this Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24. Tickets can be purchased through the Douglas College Hip Hop, SFU HipHop, and UBC’s This is their cue to exit The final curtain call for the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor n March 10, the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company (VPTC) wrapped up their “fantastically re-imagined” production of Hunchback, which ran for three weeks. However, one day prior to the show’s finale, much to everyone’s shock, artistic managing director of the VPTC Max Reimer announced that, “at the end of Hunchback, the Playhouse Board of Governors and the City of Vancouver [would] work together to wind down the operations of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company.” After 49 years, the VPTC gave one final, emotionally-charged performance before closing its curtains for good. Despite the downpour of the evening, many from Vancouver’s theatre community showed up to protest the abrupt and unfortunate end to the iconic theatre. Sudden as it may have been though, this sad turn of 8 events for the theatre company was a long time coming. All the way back since its inception in 1962, financial difficulties have plagued the VPTC. Reimer acknowledged an upturn that began in 2010, due in part to a reduced debt on behalf of the City of Vancouver. “However,” more financial issues in the future. Every situation is of course different; again, what could be adjusted as roughly half the company’s debt had been recently wiped clean. But with every major cut made to BC’s arts budget, another artistic endeavour must close its doors. Each year, BC’s “But while those of Vancouver's arts scene adjust to the loss of the company, the equally unnerving notion of ‘who's next’ is once again the thought on everyone's minds.” Reimer continues, “the Playhouse has found that... they have been unable to get past the legacy deficit sufficiently to continue operations.” But while those of Vancouver’s arts scene adjust to the loss of the company, the equally unnerving notion of “who’s next” is once again the thought on everyone’s minds. The VPTC’s situation serves as a reminder, rather than revelation, that the arts in BC are to face far already limited arts budget is reduced by another several million dollars. In late 2010, BC’s “Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts” was replaced by the “Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.” During those months following the 2010 Winter Olympics, it became clear where the province's “cultural” costs were going. Whichever Dance Horizons and Nu Era clubs. Be sure to head out and support your fellow students in a show they’ve poured their hearts and souls into. If you’d like to volunteer for the show, you can still sign up through their website (see details below). What: Red Carpet 2012 Where: Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41% Avenue, Vancouver When: Friday March 23 & Saturday March 24 @ 7 p.m. Cost: $20 Website: www.studentdanceunion.com form of entertainment takes though, everything works only in moderation. There needs to be a fair dispersal of money, or else BC is threatened to face even further limitations in the arts. If the province’s leaders are seeing dwindling interest in the arts, it is only because their financial decisions have brought us to that point. BC maintains an amazing, thriving artistic community, but independent businesses can only do so much on their own. The closure of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company stands as a reminder that at this point, it is up to the community to place the province’s attention back on the arts. For more information on how to get involved in the cause, visit www-.stopbcartscuts. wordpress. com.