If you know anything about modern dance, congratulations, you already know more about it than me! Watching the Australian edition of “So You Think You Can Dance” does not make me an authority on the subject, though I enjoy self-delusion as much as the next armchair expert.

It boded well, though, when the audience at the Sony Centre (formerly the Hummingbird) for the Friday night performance of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater was noticeably excited even before the curtains went up. I’ve never seen a dance performance begin with a documentary, but that’s what this one did – and to good effect, because there is a lot of history behind this performance, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding.

(more…)

Pump those cider pressing muscles!

blogUT checked out the Hart House Farm Cider N’ Song event this past Saturday, and we’ve got to say, it was a blast! See more photos after the jump, or check out the blogUT Flickr Pool. Wish you were there guys!

(more…)

As part of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, pianist Keith Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Gary Peacock gave an amazing concert at the new Four Seasons Centre on Friday, June 29th. And what an excellent venue it was. This jazz trio is a sophisticated, upscale group, who belong in a beautiful concert hall with great acoustics. The acoustics were just a little bit off in the first set – the drums were a smidgeon too loud – but by the second set all was fixed and the sound was impeccable.

The jazz trio received extremely well-deserved standing ovations at every opportunity: before intermission, after the 2nd set, and after both encores. Some audience members gave standing applause after each piece, which was equally deserved.

Never have I seen a concert that was entirely engaging the whole way through. When the first set was over, I looked at my watch with disbelief that an hour had passed. To say that these three musicians were good would be a huge understatement; they are phenomenal. Although Keith Jarrett is the star of the group, I often didn’t know which of them I wanted to be focusing on at any given moment, because they were all that good. Even when Jarrett was doing something particularly impressive on the piano, I would often turn my attention to the equally compelling Jack DeJohnette, the most musical drummer I’ve ever seen in concert.

(more…)

Program: Trilogy of Trilogies
When : Friday, June 15th, @ 7:00PM
Where : The Cumberland

The Trilogy of Trilogies program at this year’s Worldwide Short Film Festival, as its title suggests, screens three Canadian short film trilogies: I Am Boyband, The Patterns Trilogy, and The Saskatchewan Trilogy. It is Jamie Travis’s masterful Patterns Trilogy that makes this program a must-see.

The Patterns Trilogy is my personal favourite; I saw parts two and three at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and was eager to have the opportunity to see part one. The trilogy is a bizarre, absurd, and absolutely wonderful set of films that continues to surprise you more and more with their originality and mind-blowing silliness. The cinematography and set design are particularly striking and gorgeous, and much higher quality than a lot of what you’ll see in your average multiplex feature. The trilogy is a twisted love story, with Patterns 1 told from the perspective of the woman, Pauline, and Patterns 2 the same story at the same time from Michael’s perspective; Michael is her strange romantic interest. Patterns 3 ties it all together, told in split screen with both characters present, and descending into creepy yet delicious musical dance numbers. All three films put a particular focus on photographing patterns with beauty: patterned clothing, the patterns on a china teacup, the patterns made by stacks of sandwiches, or the sugar in a bowl of sugar cubes. Patterns 3 is the best of the series, and includes a whimsical yet jarring song-and-dance number which I spent the better part of the last year quoting and speaking about with praise. The Patterns trilogy is so absurd at times that it leads to much discussion as viewers try to puzzle out its mysteries. Having seen these films twice now, I’m more than eager to go back for a third viewing and to take others with me just to see how they’ll react. So far my companions have laughed through them just as I have with jolly glee and perhaps a bit of confusion as to what the heck it’s all about. (more…)

Photo credit goes to my cool, alley-treading friend Rebecca Lee

This past Sunday was this year’s first Pedestrian Sunday at Kensington Market. The weather forecast predicted rain, but luckily, the weather held out till later in the afternoon. As always, it was a great time for the crowd that attended. All forms of awesomeness from a giant scrabble game, a fashion show, street poetry, musical performances to freshly grilled sardines!

Read on for a detailed account of the adventures and photos!

(more…)

“Maple Organics is family owned and operated,” boasts a banner hanging from the ceiling on a recent visit to Whole Foods. This is one of several adorning the store, profiling farmers and manufacturers of the products they sell. As I continue studying the Maple Organics story, I learn that the family makes and markets their organic ice cream and frozen yoghurt themselves, in addition to milking the cows and growing their feed.

Oh, and I almost forgot: you’re even invited to visit their farm, located just West of Elora.

My only concern is that a 500 mL container of their ice cream retails for $6.39, a hefty premium when you compare it to the cost of an equivalent non-organic, non-local, industrially produced brand. Considering OSAP money doesn’t exactly grow on trees, why pay the premium?

My question was answered last Saturday when I had the pleasure of attending The Real Dirt on Food at Hart House, a full-day conference on food sustainability organized by a group of Environmental Policy and Practice students. As part of their second semester project for ENV320, they took the advice of their professor and, instead of writing an essay, decided to do something that would truly make a difference. The conference, aimed to raise awareness of the controversies surrounding food production, was extremely successful. The tickets were priced to ensure that the event was accessible to all – provided, of course, that they were snatched up early enough; due to popularity, they sold out weeks ahead of time.

More photos after the break.

(more…)

There are a couple of hidden gem events around campus – events that are generally awesome in every conceivable way, but not enough people know about them. The University College Coffee House is a great example of this. It’s a great monthly event, but often suffers from little to no advertising.

Every month, UC’s Junior Common Room turns into a stage for some of U of T’s latent talent. Come sit on unnaturally large and comfortable red couches, grab some free coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and very tasty muffins from Diabolos and enjoy a night of music, muffins, and mood lighting.

If you’re really brave, you can sign up to perform. Anything is okay – music, poetry, comedy – whatever!

When: Tuesday March 13th at 8:30pm.
Where: The University College Junior Common Room (JCR), which is located in the northwest corner of UC. Look for the big wooden doors.
Details: Free coffee, muffins, and other coffee-shop fare. If you’d like to perform, show up earlier – the list typically fills up quickly.