Concurrence Gatherings at 8EAST # 8 - 11
Thursday October 5, 2023 - 8pm
Concurrence Gatherings are concerts, talks and story-sharing events, featuring Indigenous Artists and emerging DTES Small Arts Grants recipients with NOW Society Musicians. Presented and hosted by the NOW Society at 8EAST, they are curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
con·cur·rence:
1. the fact of two or more events or circumstances happening or existing at the same time: a point at which three or more lines meet.
2. agreement or consistency.
Featuring:
Dalannah Gail Bowen - voice
Norine Braun - guitar and voice, appearing with Alice Fraser
Sophie Dow - dance
Supported by NOW Artists:
Mind of a Snail, Jessica Gabriel and Chloe Ziner - shadow puppetry, Chloe Ziner - guitar and Lisa Cay Miller - piano
Presented and hosted by the NOW Society in partnership with Carnegie Community Centre. Curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
Artist Bios:
Norine Braun
Vancouver singer-songwriter recording artist, Norine Braun latest is the groove oriented Songs For Trees. Thanks to a Canada Council For the Arts Award and a First Peoples’ Cultural Council Award, Norine set her musings during the pandemic to focus on climate change and the healing power of trees. She created a transformational musical walk through a west coast forest to help enlighten and inspire. Described as bluesy roots rock, eclectic, emotional and heartfelt. "Songs For Trees is unlike any other album I've ever heard. It's beautiful and genius.” SubbaCultcha. The Vancouver Sun named it one of 5 albums you need to hear! Norine’s ancestry is Metis and Ukrainian and she identifies as Two Spirit. Norine is currently writing her 14th album set to record the album this fall 2023. Visit norinebraun.com for more info.
Sophie Dow
Treaty 1-born Sophie Dow is a multidisciplinary creative, inspired by dance, music, film, collaboration and Michif/Assiniboine + French/Ukrainian roots. An avid adventurer, Sophie exudes passions for busking, yoga and traveling on top of holding a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from York University. Sophie presently fulfills roles as: artistic associate of O.Dela Arts, Chimera Dance Theatre & V’ni Dansi/Louis Riel Métis Dancers, residency coordinator at Dance West Network, musician with The Honeycomb Flyers, a licensed practitioner of Traditional Thai Massage, a trained facilitator & student of BreathWave, a freelance dancer/choreographer/sound designer and a puddle jumping trickster.
Mind of a Snail
Mind of a Snail is a shadow puppetry duo currently based out of Vancouver B.C. Canada, on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlil̓wətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Since 2003, Chloé Ziner and Jessica Gabriel have been developing a multilayered style of visual storytelling using handmade projections. Their performances play at the intersection of puppetry, visual arts, clowning & music. They have recently been integrating live video and interactive live-streaming into their tool kit. As artistic collaborators, they love exploring beyond the boundaries of traditional theatre, and creating magical immersive experiences for their audiences. Mind of a Snail’s shadow theatre is like an early animation created live before your eyes.
Concurrence Gatherings at 8EAST # 9
Thursday October 26, 8pm
Concurrence Gatherings are concerts, talks and story-sharing events, featuring Indigenous Artists and emerging DTES Small Arts Grants recipients with NOW Society Musicians. Presented and hosted by the NOW Society at 8EAST, they are curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
con·cur·rence:
1. the fact of two or more events or circumstances happening or existing at the same time: a point at which three or more lines meet.
2. agreement or consistency.
Featuring:
TJ Felix - voice and guitar
Kiera-Dawn Kolson - Creation story/spoken word/music
Zofia Rose - poetry
Supported by improvising NOW Artists and presented and hosted by the NOW Society in partnership with Carnegie Community Centre. Curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
TJ Felix
TJ Felix is a two-spirit Qelmucw from the Splatsin region of Secwepemculecw as well as a musician, multidisciplinary artist, colonial law breaker, drug user rights advocate & english language unlerner amongst many other things.
Kiera-Dawn Kolson
Kiera-Dawn Kolson is an award winning multidisciplinary artist and motivational speaker. A 2017 Minister’s Culture & Heritage Circle Award recipient, she enjoys developing her traditional and contemporary artistic skills. For over 15 years, she has travelled regionally, nationally, and internationally to advocate for the north, indigenous people, MMIW, climate justice, and youth involvement. With “Dream Big and Believe” as her philosophy, it’s exciting to see what the future holds!
Mz Shellz
Michelle Lee Runns AKA MzShellz is an emerging Cree Hip Hop artist and owner of “Native by Nature” Apparel hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan. Since relocating to British Columbia, the mother of 4 has been rocking stages from Vancouver Ottawa Toronto Las Vegas all the way to Albuquerque, NM. MzShellz has taken her new platform through her music to send messages of strength to the Youth and seeks to empower Women & girls around the world to know that anything is possible if you truly believe in yourself. She hopes to further these goals with her next album, “Boss Lady”, currently out now
Concurrence Gatherings at 8EAST #10
Thursday, November 30, 8 pm
Concurrence Gatherings are concerts, talks and story-sharing events, featuring Indigenous Artists and emerging DTES Small Arts Grants recipients with NOW Society Musicians. Presented and hosted by the NOW Society at 8EAST, they are curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
con·cur·rence:
1. the fact of two or more events or circumstances happening or existing at the same time: a point at which three or more lines meet.
2. agreement or consistency.
Featuring:
Alexander John Kusturok - Fiddle
André Besette and Lyric Tsuji - Dance
Kathleen Nisbett – Fiddle
For information about Gatherings 8 - 11 visit concurrence-gatherings-8-11
Supported by improvising NOW Artists and presented and hosted by the NOW Society in partnership with Carnegie Community Centre. Curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
Alexander John Kusturok
Growing up, Alex followed his mother Patti to Old time dances around Manitoba where he was enriched with the Métis fiddle from a very young age. By age 7, the passion for music became apparent and today Alex makes his living as a performer and educator
André Besette
André Bessette has been a grateful visitor to the traditional and unceded lands of the Tsawwassen, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations since his birth. His roots are mixed settler and Métis from the Red River Settlement on the ancestral territories of Anishinaabe and Nehiyaw Nations where Treaty 1 and 2 lay. As a disconnected urban Métis, he has sought reconnection with Métis and First Nations communities, cousins, and culture.
Untraditionally trained in dance, André found the gregariousness of jigging matched his personality. He has dabbled in Swing, Breakdance, House, and Burlesque. André was educated by Yvonne Chartrand, and other Métis dancers, in Compaigni V’ni Dansi since 2018.
Andre Bessette has performed for three Louis Riel Day Celebrations hosted by V’ni Dansi (2019, 2021, 2022). As well, he jigged at the 19th Annual Talking Stick Festival (2020), Vancouver Pride Parade (2022, 2023), and the Taiwanese Canada Cultural Festival (2022).
André is deeply intrigued in dance styles that developed through cultural, interpersonal, and passionate exchanges between communities. Most of his dance training has been from community dance educators rather than formal institutions. André’s practice is inspired by the concept of “Street Dance” where community builds style and steps from the ground up in connection and exchange, rather than isolation and separation. Métis community shares that Métis jigging combines Anishnaabe and Nehiyaw Pow-Wow steps with French, Irish, and Scottish Jigging producing a new dance bringing cultures and communities together.
Lyric Tsuji
Lyric was born in Vancouver in 1999. She began dancing at the age of four and studied many styles of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, Polynesian, musical theatre, stage, acrobatics, and tumbling. She is very passionate about the performing arts whether it be singing, acting, or dancing. Lyric has also been part of two musicals. She was Evillene the wicked witch of the west in The Wiz, and Ms. Potts in The Beauty and The Beast. Lyric joined V'ni Dansi in March 2017 and is honoured to be part of the company. Lyric is currently a full time student at SFU where she is studying Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Lyric is glad to have the V'ni Dansi practices, rehearsals, and performances as they provide an environment where she can destress and just enjoy dancing.
Kathleen Nisbett
Kathleen Nisbet is a fiddle player and singer from Vancouver, BC Canada. Classically trained at the Vancouver Academy of Music, She returned to her Métis roots, pursuing more traditional fiddle music. Since then she has worked with artists in a variety of genres. A collaborator and regular accompanist with Compaigni v'ni dansi Métis traditional dance, she also has composed music for independent modern dance. Recent theatre credits include A Christmas Carol with Pacific Theatre and Salmon Row with Mortal Coil. Kathleen is an active member of Vancouver's thriving bluegrass and folk scene, performing and touring regularly with her band Viper Central with whom she has recorded three albums. She has toured with Vancouver bands, The Fugitives and CR Avery and has made guest appearances with Hedley, Fred Eaglesmith, The Belle Game, and The Vicious Cycles to name a few. She works regularly as a studio musician and has numerous studio recording credits. She is a teacher at Saint James Music Academy where Downtown Eastside kids are provided free music lessons.
Concurrence Gatherings at 8EAST #11
Monday December 4, 2023 - 8pm
Concurrence Gatherings are concerts, talks and story-sharing events, featuring Indigenous Artists and emerging DTES Small Arts Grants recipients with NOW Society Musicians. Presented and hosted by the NOW Society at 8EAST, they are curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller. Gathering #11 is presented in partnership with Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grants.
Featuring:
Eva Cho - dance and music
Tallulah Photo - film
Jennifer Cooley - Poetry
Cole Alexandra
For information about Gatherings 8 - 11 visit concurrence-gatherings-8-11
Supported by improvising NOW Artists and presented and hosted by the NOW Society in partnership with Carnegie Community Centre. Curated by Sophie Dow and Lisa Cay Miller.
Eva Cho
Eva Cho is a dancer and a musical performer. When Eva was young, she enjoyed dancing and singing. She started to learn traditional Chinese dancing. Eva moved to Vancouver in 2010 from Regina, Saskatchewan. In Regina, she taught children, teenagers and adults. Since she came to Vancouver, she has enjoyed teaching dance at the Carnegie Community Centre and DEWC Women’s Centre. She is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher of several styles of Chinese folk dancing including fan, ribbon, sword, flower and many more. She has given performances at the DTES Oppenheimer Park, Carnegie Community Centre, DTES Women’s Centre, Granville Island, and other places.
Tallulah Photo
Tallulah has been working for 20+ years in photography and has extended her work into video shorts and documentaries over the last few years. Her work focuses on portraiture and documentary, including the impact of the environment, whether it be urban, such as homelessness in DTES Vancouver, war-torn countries such as Haiti and Afghanistan or the role of women in the conservation of elephants in Kenya. She launched the World People Project in 2012, a series of portraits and conversations that capture the unique, creative and quirky side of seemingly ordinary individuals, and co-founded Journeys to the Edge in the same period to document the stories of those who are marginalised and disenfranchised. In 2020, she was awarded the Telus Storyhive Local Heroes Documentary Grant to develop the 2019 Angels on Call Photo Essay (which was awarded the Canadian Church Press Award) into a 40-minute documentary. Telling the story of two outreach nurses who have worked in Vancouver’s DTES for over 40 years, the resulting Angels on Call documentary short went on to win awards. This year, she was awarded a Jack Webster Professional Development Fellowship, which has assisted her in furthering her studies in documentary filmmaking.
Jennifer Cooley
Jennifer has been writing as long as she could hold a pen. Her first story ever penned was at the young age of 5, her first Novel was written at the age of 13! She got in trouble for skipping school to write it, so Mom came home and threw it away one day, this caused a string of events that changed Jennifer’s young life forever! After 4 yrs of writers block and running around on the streets and seeking love and attention anywhere she could find it, young love, and first crushes finally helped to bring an end to her earlier trauma and she once again found her voice with the pen and has never stopped writing since she was 17 years old!
Her success today is on the edge of your seat excitement and you will find and learn all about these ongoing changes and successes right here at Future Productions Online website, so be sure to mark this as one of your favorite pages and come back often to read everything Jennifer shares with you here so that you may use this vital stream in her life to get to know her the best way you can, through discovering who she is in the work she writes and the stories here that she tells!
Cole Alexandra
Cole lives in Vancouver BC and is a multi-media artist that works in sculpture, painting, music and video. Her sculpture and painting is figurative and explores emotional and psychological associations, analyzing human behaviour. Her work has a sense of humour and playfulness. Cole struggles with Depression and has been transformed through developing her art practice. Cole has a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal. She has presented her work in VAV Gallery Montreal and Galerie Espace Montreal. She was the recent recipient of a DTES Small Arts Grant.
Past Concurrence Gatherings:
2022:
Concurrence Gathering # 7
6pm Artist talk, 7pm Performances at 8EAST
8 East Pender Street
FREE 18+
Featuring:
Dalannah Gail Bowen (BC)
Shawn Bullsheilds (AB)
Karen Colville (BC)
Francis Baptiste (BC)
Gunargie Ga'axstalas O’Sullivan (BC)
Concurrence Gathering # 6
Sunday, November 6, 2022
6:00 - 6:30pm Skwachays Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery
Artist Talk 31 West Pender St.
Performance 7:00 pm at 8EAST
FREE 18+
Featuring:
Edzi’u (BC)
Tyson Night (BC)
Yvonne Mark (BC)
Gunargie Ga'axstalas O’Sullivan (BC)
2020:
Concurrence Gathering #5
Thursday, March 12th, 2020
Featuring:
Dakota Camacho (Seattle, WA)
Clayton Charleyboy (BC)
Apendilo Duo (BC)
Eva Cho and Wilson Liang (BC)
Supported by
Adrian Avendaño drums (BC)
Lisa Cay Miller (BC) piano
Wilson Lian (BC) translation
Gathering #4
Thursday, February 12th, 2020
7:00 - 7:30 pm Skwachays Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery
Artist Talk 31 West Pender St.
8:00 pm 8EAST:
Performances 8 East Pender St
Featuring:
Agi Seaweed Wisden (BC)
Tawahum Justin Peter Bige (BC)
Justin Ducharme (MB)
Dalannah Gail Bowen (BC)
with support from
Vi An Diep (BC) – viola
Lisa Cay Miller (BC) - piano
Wilson Leung (BC) - translation
Gathering #3
Thursday January 9th 2020
7:00 - 7:30 pm Skwachays Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery
Artist Talk 31 West Pender St.
8:00 pm 8EAST:
Performances 8 East Pender St
Featuring:
Joe Chow (BC)
Cassandra Burt (NWT)
Janine Island (QB)
Please note: due to illness Dalannah Gail Bowen will appear in Concurrence Gathering #4 and Lisa Cay Miller and Peggy Lee performed the graphic scores of Janine Island.
with support from
Peggy Lee (BC) – cello -
Lisa Cay Miller (BC) - piano
Wilson Liang (BC) - Chinese translation
2019:
Gathering #2
Wednesday December 4th 2019
6:00 - 7:30 pm Carnegie Community Centre Theatre
Story-sharing Circles 401 Main St.
8:00 pm 8EAST :
Performances 8 East Pender St
Featuring
Ga'axstsalas Cheryle Williams - (BC)
Dolores Dallas (BC)
Shelley Cox (BC)
Henry Kim Wong (BC)
Winael Baldus Jaguar (Guadalupe)
Tarene Juanita Thomas (BC)
Nikki Carter (BC) – saxophone
Lisa Cay Miller (BC) - piano
Gathering #1
Thursday, November 14th 2019
7pm Artist talk at Skwachays Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery (31 W. Pender)
8pm Performances at 8EAST (8 E. Pender)
Michelle Heyoka (BC)
Estíqw (BC)
Taran J. Kootenhayoo (BC)
Tarene Juanita Thomas (BC)
Cheyenne Rain LeGrande (AB)
Parmela Attariwala (BC) – viola
Lisa Cay Miller (BC) – piano
Presented by O.Dela Arts, hosted by the NOW Society in partnership with Skwachàys Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery and Carnegie Community Centre.