CPPAMO

Welcome to the second Cultural Pluralism in the Performing Arts Movement Ontario (CPPAMO) newsletter. This is a monthly digest that will introduce you to, and keep you updated on CPPAMOs initiatives, and act as a portal to relevant research in the field of pluralism in the arts, innovative artists, and links to interesting talks about pluralism in the arts. The newsletter is intended to be your go-to resource for information on cultural pluralism in the arts. You have received this e-mail because you are a member of the CPPAMO listserv. Please let others who share our professional and artistic interests know about this listserv and encourage them to subscribe by sending an e-mail to cppamo@gmail.com. The listserv is moderated and is for sending out newsletters and CPPAMO updates. You may unsubscribe at any time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsletter contents 1) What is CPPAMO? 2) Update on Town Halls on Pluralism in Performing Arts 3) Research into Cultural Pluralism 4) Featured Artist 5) Future Events 6) Past Events 7) Spotlight on Diversity 8) Who We Are 9) Contact Us
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What is CPPAMO?
Cultural Pluralism in Performing Arts Movement Ontario (CPPAMO) is a movement of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists working with presenters to empower the performing arts communities of Ontario. CPPAMO seeks to open opportunities for Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers to engage with presenters across Ontario and to enable presenters to develop constructive relationships with Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers. CPPAMO is supported by Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists who are involved in theatre, music, dance and literary arts. They are members of CPPAMOs Roundtable and include representatives of Sampradaya Dance, Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Sparrow in the Room, fu-Gen Asian Theatre, b-current, why not theatre, urban arts and backforward collective, Culture Days, Canada Council Stand Firm members, Obsidian Theatre, the Collective of Black Artists, CanAsian Dance and others. With the involvement of artists from these organizations, CPPAMO is working with Community Cultural Impresarios (CCI) and its members to build their capacities, cultural competencies and understanding of pluralism in performing arts so that CCI and its members engage performers from these communities and, thereby, enable audiences across Ontario to access artistic expressions from diverse communities on a regular basis. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update on Town Halls on Pluralism in Performing Arts

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The first Town Hall will take place over a day and a half on Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th at the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus.

Tentative Schedule:
Friday, January 29th evening The session will be chaired by Kathleen Sharpe, president of Canadian Conference on the Arts. Kathleen is currently the Director of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF), and the former Director of the Culture Division of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, and past President of Toronto Artscape Inc. Panellists include Brian Webb, artistic director of the Canadian Dance Festival, Ajay Heble, artistic director of the Guelph Jazz Festival, and Santee Smith of the Santee Smith Dance Company. A solo dance performance will be by Kevin Ormsby of Kashedance. Kevin has danced in Jamaica, Canada, and the United States for over twenty years. He has worked with Canboulay Dance Theatre, Caribbean Folk Performers, Caribbean Dance Theatre among others. The day will begin with workshops, followed by a keynote speech , lunch, a performance, final workshops and a wrap-up session The Keynote speech will be presented by Sara Diamond, President of OCAD. Sara was the Artistic Director of media and Visual Art and then Director of Research at The Banff Centre. She has acted as a new media and arts consultant to the Ontario Government, the City of Toronto, Heritage Canada, and DFAIT as well as international governments, institutions and agencies. She is on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Arts Council Foundation and the advisory board of NextMedia. The performance on this day will be SAMVAD by Sampradaya Dance Creations under the artistic direction of Toronto bharatanatyam choreographer Lata Pada. Samvad means dialogues and the production brings together South Asian, Aboriginal, and African dance traditions, developed with Michael Greyeyes (Aboriginal dancer, actor and choreographer) and Charmaine Headley (co-Director of the Collective of Black Artists). The work is a prime example of cross-cultural collaboration at work. UTSC Faculty: $40 Students: $20 Organizations with budgets <$250K: $40 Organizations with budgets >$250K: $60

Saturday, January 30th full day

Price

It is crucial that we take steps to promote this event widely. The discussions that arise at this event and the conclusions that we draw depend on the diversity of voices and perspectives that are represented and engaged in the dialogue. Please send us (cppamo@gmail.com) your e-mail

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lists of contacts that we can send invitations to. We will let you know when the online registration system is set up in early January. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Research into Cultural Pluralism in the Performing Arts

Part of CPPAMOs mandate is to serve as a portal that connects interested performers, presenters, and cultural workers to research in the field of cultural pluralism. Each newsletter will list relevant publications that can be accessed online or through CPPAMO. If a hyperlink to the resource is not provided, please contact us and we can help connect you to the resource. Marketing to Culturally Diverse Audiences (2003) Format: Research publication Author: Jennifer Barry for the Australia Arts Council Description: In April 2003, the Australia Council hosted a forum on Marketing to Culturally Diverse Audiences. This overview summarises the highlights from the day including strategies to develop Non English Speaking Background markets. Access:http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/arts_marketing/promotion/marketing_to_cul turally_diverse_audiences Facing The Audience Format: Article Author: John Moore Description: An article about cultural pluralism and the theatre. Examines demographic changes and the importance of putting diversity on the forefront. It does a diversity analysis of Broadway and its shortcomings in presenting ethno-racial diversity. Access: Through CPPAMO Adjust Your View, A Toolkit: Developing Multicultural Audiences for the Arts (July 2009) Format: Research publication/ handbook Author: Fotis Kapetopoulos Description: A toolkit of ideas and steps intended to provide a framework for the development of multicultural marketing strategies for the arts and cultural products. It also provides local and overseas case studies which may be inspirational in building audiences which mirror Australias culturally and linguistically diverse population. These case studies are not definitive but are indicative of best practice in multicultural audience development. Discussion of some of the most evident missed opportunities in the area of diverse arts marketing is included, because it helps in understanding obstacles and pitfalls which can be avoided. Access: http://www.kape.com.au/adjustyrview.html If you have any articles that you would like to share or contribute to our research, please e-mail us at cppamo@gmail.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Artist

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Every newsletter will feature a significant event as well as an Aboriginal or ethno-racial artist or performance company doing innovative work in promoting cultural awareness and creative dialogue across cultures. inDANCE is a Toronto-based South Asian dance company established in 1999 as a vehicle to encompass the entire range of artistic director Hari Krishnan's creative output: choreography, performance, touring, and teaching. The primary mandate of inDANCE is to form creative partnerships with Canadian and international collaborators, including choreographers, dancers, musicians, designers, scholars and presenters. Website: www.indance.ca/home --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Future Events
Giiwedin, a Native Earth Performing Arts / An Indie(n) Rights Reserve co-production, on from April 8-24 2010, at Theatre Passe Muraille, Wednesday Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2:30 pm. Giiwedin (The North Wind), written by librettist and co-composer Spy Dnomm-Welch with co-composer Catherine Magowan, is an ambitious new opera that blends baroque and traditional Indigenous music and aesthetics with a powerhouse cast. Written in English, French and Anishnaabemowin, Giiwedin can only be defined as a truly Canadian opera. Set in Northeastern Ontario prior to the development of the railroad, when the canoe and steamer were the common mode of transportation, the story follows Noodin-Kwe from the late 19th century to the 1950s, where a legacy is born from within the confines of an institution. Headed by First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman (Le Nozze di Figaro/Opera Lyra), Giiwedin features Canadas finest talent who have become intimately familiar with the style and story over several development workshops. The end result synthesizes contributions from musicologist Brian Wright-McLeod, conductor/interpreter David Fallis, and dramaturge Judith Thompson. View the first in a series of trailers: http://www.anindienrightsreserve.com/giiwedin.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Past Events
Culturally pluralistic events are continually happening in Ontario. Wed like this newsletter to make you aware of some of these projects it affirms the work that we are all engaged in and expands our knowledge of some of the organizations and cultural figures who are involved in this field. Demystifying Chinese Aesthetics: Chinese Dance & Opera Symposium March 12th, 2009 Presented by the Little Pear Garden Collective, Canadas leading Chinese dance and opera company, the symposium offered a series of workshops and presentations that explore the nature of Chinese aesthetics, its socio-political influences, historical changes it has undergone, and how contemporary artists interpret Chinese aesthetics in different parts of the world. http://www.littlepeargarden.com/eng/Symposium/intro.htm

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Contemporary Choreography in Indian Dance January 24-25, 2009 Presented by Kalanidhi Fine Arts of Canada and the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, the conference brought together national and international participants to contribute to a global understanding of the questions and issues concerning present day contemporary South Asian dance practice. It explores the development of dance in India and in Canada, while exposing participants to the diversity of Indian performance and art. http://www.menakathakkardance.org/

Planet Indigenus August 14-16 and August 21-23

Presented by the Harbourfront Centre and Brantfords Woodland Cultural Centre, the production is a multi-disciplinary arts festival showcasing Canadian Aboriginal artists in an international context. The themes of the festival are Identity, Beyond Contact and Continuity. The twoweekend event filled with interactive performances, workshops and hands-on artistic/community collaboration projects helped to advance artists careers, develop local, national and international links, and build new audiences of indigenous art. http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/planetindigenus/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spotlight on Diversity
Each newsletter will also feature links to interesting films, clips, and speeches about multiculturalism in the arts, debates around cultural pluralism, and explorations of race and cultural diversity in performance. Zambia-born filmmaker Franco Sacchi tours us through Nollywood, Nigeria's booming film industry (the world's 3rd largest). Guerrilla filmmaking and brilliance under pressure from crews that can shoot a full-length feature in a week. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/franco_sacchi_on_nollywood.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who We Are
Charles C. Smith Artistic Director of CPPAMO Lecturer, Cultural Pluralism and the Arts/University of Toronto Scarborough charlescsmith@sympatico.ca Angela Britto Program Assistant cppamo@gmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact Information
Mailing Address : 32 Costain Avenue 5

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Toronto, ON M4E 2G6 416-686-3039 http://cppamo.wordpress.com/ cppamo@gmail.com Posting to the listserv is moderated and you may unsubscribe at any time.