DESI DIARY
WHAT’S ON IN FEBRUARY
Image credit: TORONTO.CA.
Until Feb 13: Winterlicious, the culinary event series. Details toronto.ca/winterlicious.
March 28: The Ontario Pops presents Spanish Flair and From Hollywood to Broadway. Spanish Flair on March 28, 8 pm and From Hollywood to Broadway on May 30 at 8 pm, both at Humber Valley United Church. More info at www.ontariopops.com.
March 26-28: Foray, an evening-length concert of dance performance choreographed by Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellow and Inaugural Lincoln Center Institute Artist-in-Residence Abdul Latif to an eclectic array of arranged instrumental music and self-composed rhythm percussion remixes. The program marks the premiere of D2D/T, Latif’s artist collective and will showcase the virtuosic range of his technical vocabulary and work by an extraordinary collaborator. Visit www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpa for details.
April 17: Vijay Iyer (piano) and Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet) in a collaboration that has been hailed as “both cultivated and passionate” by The New Yorker. Details at Visit www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpa.
April 30-May 2: Siachen, a play by Aditya Rawal. Directed by Gwynn MacDonald. Stranded at a post between India and Pakistan at the Siachen glacier, three Indian soldiers wait for a chopper extraction to rescue them that shows no sign of arriving. This play by 27-year-old Aditya Rawal from Mumbai (winner New York Innovative Theatre Award for The Queen) is set on the highest battleground on earth. The Siachen glacier, located in a disputed territory of Kashmir, has been the subject of a 35-year military conflict. While setting out to write an anti-war play criticizing the governments for their inability to broker a truce, after spending two weeks at the base camp, Rawal found the truth more complicated. The resulting play-in-development, directed by Gwynn MacDonald, described as “Intelligent, absorbing... a quiet but forceful call for art to alert itself to the impact of politics” by The New York Times, explores the mistrust that lies at the root of human conflict. Program details at www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac/inmidsummer.
COMING TO THE AGO
The AGO presents its winter season of talks, performances, readings, screenings, events and courses with creative thinkers, makers and performers. Inspired by the Golden Age of magic explored in the upcoming exhibition Illusions: The Art of Magic and the iconic photographs of Diane Arbus, the AGO’s winter program has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Highlights include a talk by The New Yorker writer Hilton Als, silent films starring Houdini and free magic shows presented by the Toronto Magic Company. For information about these and all upcoming AGO programs, including screening times and ticketing details, visit ago.ca/events. Annual passes are $25 and free for visitors 25 and under.
Feb 5: Join award-winning journalist, author and activist Desmond Cole at 7 pm in Baillie Court at the AGO for a conversation about anti-Black racism in Canada today. This lecture is free but tickets must be reserved in advance.
From Feb 22: Illusions: The Art of Magic. Showcasing rare posters and artifacts from the Golden Age of Magic of over 100 years ago and a series of live talks, films, performances and events. Throughout the run of the exhibition, performers from the Toronto Magic Company will take the in-exhibition stage daily to perform a spellbinding series of live magic shows. Free with admission. Join world-renowned, Toronto-based conjuror, magic historian and guest curator David Ben on Feb. 26 to learn more about the fascinating performers who pulled greatness from thin air. Julie Eng grew up in her family’s Toronto magic shop, learning the tricks of the trade from her father. As a women working in a male dominated field, learn what it’s like to live a life full of magic on March 11 at 7 pm. You may know Houdini for his death-defying stunts and mind-bending illusions, but did you know he was also a silent film star? The AGO’s Jackman Hall theatre will feature several screenings of films directed by and starring Houdini including Haldane of the Secret Service and Man from Beyond and Houdini. For show times and tickets, visit ago.ca/events.
Feb 28: Renowned for her vulnerable, hyper-saturated images, New York-based photographer and filmmaker Hobbes Ginsberg gives an illustrated talk about contemporary photography. 7 pm at Jackman Hall at the AGO. Free, but need to be booked in advance.
Sawitri Theatre Group receives OTF seed grant for Stitch In Time Project
Sawitri Theatre Group was recently awarded a coveted Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) $62,100 seed grant for the Stitch In Time Project.
The program aims at providing participants access to learn anew, or renew sewing and/or embroidery skills to artistically express themselves through fabric-art, making wearable/useable items that connect them to their culture. This program will run from January to October 2020.
The objective of this project is to help break down socio-economic, language and/or technology barriers and make participants feel more connected to their community.
“The Stitch in Time by Sawitri Theatre aims to provide women with a sense of empowerment,” said Deepak Anand, MPP for Mississauga-Malton. “It will help them to learn and re-discover their creative skills through sewing and creating art. This Seed Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) will help our women gain the resources they need to cultivate friendships, sisterhood, and courage. It is my sincere wish that this program will help women gain their financial freedom which will lead to empowerment and independence for their future. I would like to congratulate Sawitri Theatre on successfully receiving the grant and initiating this project.”
The Stitch In Time project is a weekly program that will run for a period of approximately 10 months providing women who feel disenfranchised a safe environment to enhance their fabric art skills. Sawitri Theatre Group will be partnering with fashion designers, haute couture creators and other experts in the industry to impart relevant technical skill to the participants.
“I’m grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting the Stitch In Time project,” said Jasmine Sawant, artistic director, Sawitri Theatre Group.
“I’m very excited and hope that this pilot is the start of a much larger movement to help women come together and build community through the art of sewing and embroidery. Fabrics are our second skin that not only protects but also provides us our cultural identity. Functional or fashionable, they have been a part of the development of the human race and in these difficult times where more barriers and borders are being put up, we hope that the Stitch-In-Time Project will help take down some of these barriers and erase some of these borders.”
Jasmine and Nitin Sawant, the founders of Sawitri Theatre Group.
Sustainable fashion designer/master tailor Tanya Theberge had this to say about being part of this project as an instructor: “I’m thrilled to partner with Sawitri Theatre Group in the Stitch-In-Time program. It’s a great opportunity for me to pass on what I’ve learned and the skills that I’ve acquired as a sustainable fashion designer and social entrepreneur to the community.”
In order to help facilitate this project, Sawitri Theatre Group has appointed Asha Ponnachan, a performance artiste who is also skilled in sewing and jewelry making, as the Project Co-ordinator.
Technology has made us globally connected but locally isolated. People struggle to build and sustain in-person relationships.
The stresses of our day-to-day lives do not provide too many opportunities to meet new people and build strong friendships.
This project aims to bring the women, the cultural connections, the sharing of stories and experiences, together, helping participants experience art making, stimulating their imagination and creativity, building confidence, connecting to culture and enriching their lives. The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $108 million to 629 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario.
Free Desi Diary listings. List your event for free in Desi News and e-desinews.com. E-mail: desinews@rogers.com. Deadline for March 2020 listings: Feb. 20, 2020.