Powell street festival society
In 1877 the first Japanese immigrant arrived in Canada.
In 1977, Vancouver’s Japanese community launched the Powell Street Festival to honour the Centennial.
In 2011, the arts, culture and heritage festival is the largest of its kind in Canada.
The Powell Street Festival Society thanks everyone who made the July 30-31 event a great success!
Upcoming Events in September include:
Sat, May 28-October 1: Monogatari: Tales of Powell Street @ National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre
Sat, May 28-October 1: Pow! the art of the festival @ National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre
Sunday, September 18: Asahi Tribute Game @ Oppenheimer Park
Photo: Jon Elder
Festival goers transport the omikoshi (shrine) at the 2004 Powell Street Festival. The 35th anniversary party on July 30-31, 2011 at Oppenheimer Park marks Vancouver’s oldest community-based festival. Located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, the area was once the city’s Japantown.
Photos: Aki Mimoto
The Powell Street Festival promises fun for all, with dance, music, film, visual arts, martial arts, sumo wrestling and delicious Japanese food.
Above right: Cookie merchant at 2010 festival
Below: Busy vendors selling popular tako yaki at 2010 festival.
Taiko drumming has a 2500 year history in Japan and was used in military, court and religious ceremonies.
In legend, the Shinto deity Ame no Uzume (goddess of dawn and revelry) initiated taiko by dancing vigorously on a wooden tub for an assembly of gods.
Photo: Aki Mimoto
Japanese Canadian taiko took shape in the 1970’s. Less traditional, it includes other instruments, female performers and a more theatrical choreography. Above: Taiko drummer from women’s group Jodaiko at 2010 festival.
Sumo wrestlers attract crowd at the 2010 festival. Photo: Aki Mimoto
From May to October, the Powell Street Festival Society presents a dynamic mix of cultural events in collaberation with other organizations. These gatherings honour tradition and investigate innovations in Japanese Canadian and Asian Canadian culture. The inclusive atmosphere invites a broad spectrum of artists: emerging, established, professional and amateur.
Collaborative performance by Tetsuro Shigematsu and Ray Hsu at Spatial Poetics IX in 2010. Photo: Noah Photography
Spatial Poetics X is an interdisciplinary event in which artists collaborate and experiment. Music, performance, live animation, sound, video and literature are intermingled and re-ordered. The restructured spaces are unique and imaginative. On July 7, paired artists explore the concept of rebirth within the grassroots experience. Curators and co-founders Cindy Mochizuki and Miko Hoffman launch Jukkai *, a publication documenting the ten-year history of Spatial Poetics.
The Exhibition Monogatari: Tales of Powell Street (1920-1941) runs May 28 - October 1, 2011 at the National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre. www.jcnm.ca
By 1921, about 4000 Japanese residents lived, worked and played in in the vibrant district of Powell Street. In 1942, almost 22,000 people of Japanese ancestry were uprooted from their homes in BC due to misguided political actions. Half these people came from the Powell Street area, and few returned.
Other Community Events by Festival Partners:
On May 27, 28, 29 the Powell St Festival Society and Pacific Cinémathèque presented Kibatsu Cinema, a series of contemporary films that present the odd and eccentric aspects of Japanese popular culture.
On June 30, Canadian composers Yota Kobayashi and Andre Cormier performed at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. They are both influenced by Japanese culture.
And during July, the Society’s Twitter feed hosted a Movie A Day by filmmaker Midi Onodera.
*The BC Arts Council assisted Jukkai through an Innovations Grant.
Photos courtesy Powell Street Festival Society.
Web Design and Content:
Kate Cino previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine. She has a History in Art degree and a Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria.
kate-cino@shaw.ca 250 598-4009
