EDITOR CARA McKENNA THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV 1, 2012 4 Rosanne Griffin, 25, poses in Day of the Dead styled make-up for an artist’s portfolio. Latin holiday goes local Day of the Dead celebrations across Van aren’t so grim JOANNA FORD photo EVENTS fhe city NOoV1 RHIZOME CAFE Day of the Dead By BRANDON KOSTINUK Ihe Day of the Dead isn’t some morbid ritual; it’s more like Thanksgiving and Christmas for the dearly departed. The Mexican holiday, which falls on Nov. 1 and 2, is a commemoration for the deceased through prayer, food, art and music. With November upon us, there are several Day of the Dead events happen- ing in Vancouver. “The celebration is about honouring legacy and those that came before us,” said Lisa Moore, coordinator of the sixth annual Day of the Dead celebra- tion being held at Rhizome Café to- night, Nov. 1, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. “An altar will be the centre of every- thing,” said Moore. “Everyone is welcome to place pho- tos on the altar. There will be candles lit all around as well.” The Rhizome Café will also be offer- ing pan de los muertos (bread of the dead), a traditional Mexican sweet roll customary to the celebration. Food is an important part of the tra- dition, explained Alex Alegria, director of the La Casa del Artista Day of the Dead Festival that will be held Sunday, Nov. 4. “Fresh food is placed on the altar be- cause Mexican [folklore] says the dead come at nighttime to eat,” said Alegria, “so it’s customary to bring loved ones their favourite food, like chocolate.” The La Casa celebration will also have a traditional altar open to anyone who wishes to participate by bringing photos and/or food. “But the unique difference with our festival is that it will also be dedicated to Mexican artists and culture,” said Alegria. He added that Mexican artists Arisai de la Mora, Carmen Keitsch and Jorge Sandoval would be displaying their work. To see more art and Day of the Dead culture, Muster Studios is also hosting an event, the Dia de Muertos Celebra- tion, Saturday Nov. 3. The event will feature live music and paintings from local artists, said Mela- nie Porodo, co-owner of Muster Stu- dios. Headlining the night is Canadian ska band Los Furios, and there will also be performances by Caracas, Love Lust and Kid Lithium. The cover fee is $10 and doors open at 6 p.m. celebration with traditional events and food NOV 3 MUSTER STUDIOS Dia de Muertos Celebration featuring live music and traditional art NOV 4 LA CASA DEL ARTISTA Day of the Dead Festival with Mexican art Source: livingvancouvercanada. blogspot.com Pros develop Student skills with masters series talks Famed photographers come to Langara to tell sto- ries and give tips to photo students... and anyone else who wants to attend. By SAM REYNOLDS Masters series, Langara is set to play host to internationally cele- brated photojournalist Steve McCurry. In addition to McCurry, one of Cana- da’s premier photo curators, Stephen Bulger, was at Langara on Oct 25 to give an earlier talk in the series. McCurry is best known for his “Af- ghan Girl” photo — the iconic picture of a teenage Afghani orphan living in a Pakistani refugee camp that appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1984. For McCurry, this photo didn’t come easily. He spent months in refugee camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan, being smuggled between the two countries to avoid Russian troops who had banned western journalists from Afghanistan. McCurry’s snapshots were the first images of the Russian war in Afghani- stan that many westerners saw. Bulger, owner of the Stephen Bulger gallery in Toronto and president of the board for the Association of Interna- tional Photography Art explained what makes a photograph worthy of inclu- sion in a gallery during his talk on Oct 25th. “What elevates a photograph to the art of photography is an appreciation of beauty,” said Bulger. “Did the photographer intend it to be art when taking the picture?” A: part of its ongoing Photography Dance fest brings dose of culture to Marpole EVENTS coming U in Maole MARPOLE MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY CHRISTMAS SALE Saturday, Nov 10 Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Baking and preserves, silent auction, refreshments, crafts, local vendors and a raffle. LEND ME A TENOR BY KEN LUDWIG AT METRO THEATRE Nov 3- Dec 1 Time: 8 p.m. An operatic comedy CHRISTMAS IN MARPOLE VILLAGE Dec 22 Time: 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. This festive holiday event involves a Santa Claus stroll, as well as seasonal musical entertainment Source: www.marpoleonline. com This first annual dance festival brought a taste of international flavour, food, and dance to South Van- couver over the weekend. By GILLIAN HAMES val took place this weekend, show- casing various dance styles from around the world. Performances were held at both the Scottish Cultural Centre and the Tai- wanese Cultural Centre last Saturday, where attendees were exposed to both traditional and contemporary dance styles. The festival featured Scottish High- land dancing, ballet, and jazz, as well as shows by Yuaikai Ryukyu Taiko, a folk group that features Okinawan- style drumming. In addition to numerous perfor- mances, those in attendance were treated to food and drinks for sale by the different dance organizations. Audience members lined up to enjoy freshly squeezed lemonade, coffee, pancakes and a variety of traditional Taiwanese and Scottish snacks, includ- ing sushi and various cookies and cakes. The festival was free to attend, and the Scottish Cultural Centre in Marpole was packed full of people by 1 p.m., T: inaugural Marpole Dance Festi- where people of all ages from around the Lower Mainland braved the rain in order to attend. The Inverglen Scottish Dance School came all the way from Abbotsford to participate in the festival. Between performances, they were hard at work selling baked goods and flowers. “We are trying to get to Scotland next year,” said dancer Alexis Warmer- dam. Best sellers for this dance school in- cluded traditional Scottish shortbread cookies. “The tulips are going pretty good too” said Warmerdam, gesturing to a small but colourful arrangement of flowers. “Tt’s been a busy day,” said event co- ordinator Yawen Wang, who spent the day organizing performers backstage and introducing the different groups. She also organized the volunteers who sold food and gave away door prizes. A festival highlight with an audience participation dance, which was clearly a favourite among some of the younger children, who were jumping around and laughing during the dance. The Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society believed that the event was a success, having received positive feed- back from both participants and audi- ence members. The group said they hope to put to- gether more community events like this in the future. GILLIAN HAMES photo Students of Inverglen Scottish Dance School sell flowers and baked goods.