Music from Caucasus and Balkans: Friendship and Wine

Poster: "Friendship and Wine" - An evening of music from the Caucasus and the Balkans
Credit: Machari

...The Older, the Better.

Dear music lover,
You are cordially invited for an evening with mainly Georgian folk songs, with a Balkan ingredient as well.

"Friendship & Wine"

An evening of music from the Caucasus and the Balkans

Presented by:
Machari
Megobrebi
Trio Kundzuli

Friday, March 27th 2009
7:30 p.m.
Heliconian Hall
35 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto, ON
(1 block noth of Yorkville Ave)

$15 or pay what you can

For more information,
contact Bie @ 416-203-8907

Machari is an eight-member group of enthusiastic singers, whose name means "new wine", a metaphorical reference to the fomentation of new ideas.
Megobrebi is a twelve-member women’s group with friendship at its core and song as its expression. The name "Megobrebi" means "Friends".
Kundzuli means "Island" and is a trio of women singers from Toronto Island
Credit: megobrebi.ca

Note: We really enjoyed one of the previous concerts of the Toronto-based vocal harmonies in May of 2007. As Enhee put it: "Appreciation of different cultures is what brings us together, through songs, music and other arts. Perhaps the most direct, efficient, and certainly, most pleasant way.
Toronto is a great place to be to learn about the world…"

See you there!

links:
torontolife.com: Toronto Heliconian Hall
Megobrebi Means Friends: Torontonian Georgian Singing Groups Performance
smallworldmusic.com: Machari Ensemble: Georgian Ensemble Bio

technorati tags:
11 posts tagged megobrebi
manchari
trio kundzuli
5 posts tagged georgian music

March Events and Workshops at Wise Daughters' Creative Place

Screenshot: Wise Daughters Craft Market Newsletter, March 2009

A huge thank you to the Junction community for your warm reception of the unique merchandise and creative space at Wise Daughters.

Mary Breen, Owner
www.wisedaughters.com

March Workshops - Please pre-register

Beginner Knitting - Thursday, March 5, 7 - 9 pm
Workshop leader: Brooke Ali
Learn the basics and make a colourful face cloth.
Fee $50 includes knitting needles and yarn.

Quilling - Sunday, March 8, 1:30 - 3:30
Workshop Leader: Jennifer Pinsent
The artform of quilling involves twisting strips on paper in shapes, which are then glued into place to form a pattern.
Fee $50 includes all materials and a quilling tool to keep.

Make your own Felt Moose Head Trophy
Saturday, March 28, 1 - 4 pm
Workshop Leader: Wendo Van Essen
If you haven't seen the hilarious felt animal trophy heads in the shop, you are missing out. Mice, hippos, giraffes, and of course the classic moose, only with a goofy grin.
Fee $60 includes all materials.

Every Thursday is Sit 'n' Stitch night from 7 - 9 pm.
Drop in to knit, needlepoint, crochet or whatever you like to do, in the company of other crafty people!
No charge. Bring a mug for tea.

Want to take or lead a workshop? Contact:
Wise Daughters Craft Market
Local handicrafts and do-it-yourself workshops

3079B Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M5P 1Z9
(facing Quebec south of Crema)
www.wisedaughters.com
wisedaughters@sympatico.ca
416-761-1555

links:
The Arts Junction: Welcome Wise Daughters!
By Neil Ross
The Arts Junction: Wise Daughters Craft Market

Soviet Cult Films at Margret: Dersu Uzala by Akira Kurosawa

Poster: Soviet Cult Films Night at Margret February 28, 2009:

Dersu Uzala (1975) by Akira Kurosawa

Presented by Big Daddy's DVD Shop
Credit: Margret Bar / Lounge for the Junction

The Arts Junction presents
Soviet Cult Films at Margret Movie Night

Saturday, February 28, 2009
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Dersu Uzala (Дерсу Узала: Russian / Derusu Uzara: Japanese)

director: Akira Kurosawa
year: 1975
genre: Adventure / Drama
country: Soviet Union / Japan
language: Russian with English sub-titles
color: Color (Sovcolor)
runtime: 72 + 72 = 144 min
company: Atelier 41

Margret Bar / Lounge for the Junction
2952 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON

*Admission: Free

The sixth night of the Soviet Film club screens with a joint Soviet-Japanese film production, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Akira Kurosawa, known more for his samurai adventure films, directs this beautiful portrait of a man too noble to stand by as his world is swallowed up by civilization. Made at a turning point in Kurosawa's life (shortly after Kurosawa attempted suicide on December 22, 1971), Dersu Uzala is an exploration of loss, friendship and natural ties to the land we inhabit.
This film is set in the Sikhote-Alin region of Siberia in the period 1902-10 and is based upon the 1923 memoir of the same title by Russian explorer Vladimir Arsenyev. In the film, Arsenyev (played by Yury Solomin) leads a series of mapping expeditions in the region, where he and his team soon encounter an old local hunter, Nanai Dersu Uzala (1849-1908). In the film the Nanai people are referred to by their obsolete Russian name Gol'ds. Dersu Uzala (played by Maxim Munzuk) teaches the men many valuable lessons about wilderness survival and the meaning of life, eventually becoming a close friend of the explorer.
Dersu Uzala is the most Soviet movie for a Japanese director. Also the most Japanese movie shot in the USSR. From the Siberian wilderness Kurosawa crafted some of his most striking imagery. This movie about wisdom, friendship and harmony that now is almost extinct.
The film won the Grand Prix at the Moscow Film Festival and the 1975 Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film.

The Arts Junction
http://www.artjunction.blogspot.com

** The AJ (artjunction) is an independent, local blog dedicated to arts and culture events in the Junction area of Toronto West, and Russian cultural events coming up in Toronto.

links:



youtube.com: Dersu Uzala. Interview with actor Vitaly Solomin. Part 2.

nytimes.com: Movie Review: Dersu Uzala (1975)
Contrasts Evident in Japanese-Soviet Movie
By RICHARD EDER
Published: October 5, 1976

kino.com: Dersu Uzala (Derusu Uzara): Synopsis
"Against a backdrop of the treacherous mountains, rivers and icy plains of the Siberian wilderness, acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai, Rashomon) stages an extraordinary adventure of comradeship and survival... "

criterion.com: From the Current: Dersu Uzala
"Kurosawa made the acquaintance of Desu Uzala thirty years earlier, when he read Vladimir Arseniev’s account of charting the Russian-Manchurian border in the earlier part of this century."
By DONALD RICHIE
Published: July 18, 1995

ruscico.com: : Dersu Uzala
"In the course of their travels, a real-life character, Dersu, was revealing to his friend, the secrets of the Ussuri taiga, the animals’ special ways, the traditions and beliefs of the indigenous people."

eventful: Soviet Cult Movies at Margret
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: Opening Night
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: The White Sun of the Desert
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: Ashik-Kerib
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: Seasonal Classic and Masterpieces of Animated Shorts
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: Ivan's Childhood
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: Dersu Uzala by Akira Kurosawa
Soviet Cult Films at Margret: The Dawns Here Are Quiet by Stanislav Rostosky

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5 posts tagged dersu uzala

Junction Literary Pub Crawl with Glen Downie

The Junction Literary Pub Crawl
Credit: Microsoft Office Online Clip Art: books, buildings, libraries (bl00684_.wmf)
2009 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

The Junction Literary Pub Crawl, April 18

We’ll be making literary history in the Junction on April 18. The Toronto Public Library/Annette Street Branch and the Junction Historical Society present the Junction Literary Pub Crawl with Glen Downie. Glen’s Loyalty Management won the 2008 City of Toronto Book Award and was just announced as TPL’s selection for Toronto's second annual Keep Toronto Reading One Book program. From now through April, the library is encouraging everyone to read Loyalty Management and join discussions and events throughout the city exploring the books themes, issues and ideas.
We begin at 2pm at the Annette Street Library -- celebrating its Centennial this year! – where Glenn will read. Mayor David Miller has said that Glen’s poetry "beautifully evokes Toronto and its neighbourhoods – from the Victorian houses of the Junction to the sculptures outside our skyscrapers, but also looks beyond our city."
Then, through the miracle of Quantum Metaphysics, one of the flowers of the Junction returns to read some of her spellbinding verse. Born at 38 Keele Street, the short lived and brilliant Gwendolyn MacEwen (played by Kristen Buckley) grew up here.
Junction journalist A.B. Rice (Neil Ross) will lead a historical literary tour through the streets of the Junction -- accompanied by Glen and Gwendolyn -- as we meet the mystery writers, novelists, comic book writers and swashbuckling poets who make up a unique literary heritage.
Our destination, appropriately, is the Troubadour (3071 Dundas Street West) where Glen will read some of his favourite poems. Then the day will be thrown open to Junction poets. Poets who would like to participate are urged to sign up at the Annette Street Library (145 Annette St. 416-393-7692). You can sample Glen Downie’s poetry and see a video of Glen in the Junction at: www.toronto.ca/book_awards/2008/loyalty-management.

2009 © Neil Ross

links:

Author Glen Downie discusses his book of poetry entitled "Loyalty Management"
Credit: torontopubliclibrary
November 20, 2008

Toronto Public Library Announces City's Second Annual Community Read
Related Events: The Junction Literary Pub Crawl
An entertaining historical/literary walking tour of the Junction. Wind up at a local pub for a reading of some of Downie's favorite poems.
Saturday, April 18, 2 p.m.
Meet at Annette Street Branch, 145 Annette Street, 416-393-7692

Make a Jane's Walk Happen in the Junction: Lead a Tour

Tour Guide Invitation: Lead A Jane Jacobs Walking Tour:

Third Annual Jane’s Walk in Toronto: May 2 & 3, 2009
Credit: maytree.com

"Jane’s Walk is not a tourism initiative, it’s a chance to go deeper in neighbourhoods you don’t know, or want to know better."
Tips For Tour Guides
compiled by Jane Farrow with contributions from Tim Groves, Heather McLean and Leigh Thorpe

LEAD A JANE JACOBS WALKING TOUR
3RD ANNUAL JANE’S WALK IN TORONTO
MAY 2 & 3 2009

Jane’s Walk is the street-level celebration of Jane Jacobs legacy. The Centre for City Ecology sponsors this event across North America which combines the simple act of walking with personal observations, urban history and local lore as a means of knitting people together into strong and resourceful communities. Over 6,000 people explored over 140 neighbourhoods across Canada during last year’s Jane’s Walk.

We are inviting you to lead a tour in an area where you live, work or play. It simply involves planning a route, thinking through the stories, places and people you want to talk about, then walking participants through it – you decide what’s important. If you like, you could share the guiding duties with a few other resourceful friends or colleagues....

Jane’s Walk is an exceptional opportunity for Torontonians to discover their city – both places they think they know well and places they want to explore. We hope you’ll join us in offering an insider’s take on your city’s vibrant and fascinating neighbourhoods.

Jane Farrow, Executive Director, CCE & Jane’s Walk
director@janeswalk.net 416-642-5779 www.janeswalk.net

For more information, download the Tour Guide Invitation or the Partnership Outline document.

See a few photos of last year's Walk in the Junction's "West Bend"

Jane’s Walk in the Toronto Junction's "West Bend" with Duncan Farnan, May 3, 2008"

Photos @ artjunction.blogspot.com

link:
Jane’s Walk in the Junction's "West Bend"
By Hilary Bell, West Bend resident
May 16, 2008

Art as Inspiration for the Semantic Web

Artist-in-Demand: Art in an Era of the Semantic Web
2009 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

The inspiration for this post was a recent conversation about art museums and their contents.
What makes a thing become a piece of art?
This image was an attempt to express the meaning of an object as a particular piece of art.
The influence of Malevich's works and a semantic web tagging technique is obvious. And the rest is up to You and Google.

Invitation to Fundraiser for the Film "Final Dance", Screenplay by Vladimir Milman

Poster: "Final Dance" by Frank Caruso

Caruso Visual Productions
Presents a Film by Frank Caruso

Final Dance

It's about artists, immigrants
and lonely souls that just don't fit in.
It's also about love - and dance!

Based on the Award Winning Play
Couldn't We Be
by Vladimir Milman

Starring
Jane Milman & Srdjan Nikolic

Original Score: Vezi Tayyeb
Director of Photography: Jason Guerriere
Executive Producer: David J. Woods
Director & Producer: Frank Caruso

I invite my friends and colleagues to attend this Friday night fund-raising wine and cheese party for the feature film by my screenplay. It is being organized by film producer and director Frank Caruso. I'd simply much appreciate it if you come and if you could further spread a word.

Date: Friday, Feb. 6, 2009
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: 2765 Lakeshore Blvd. West, suite 207 (just east of Islington)

Thank you!

Vladimir Milman

link:
The Arts Junction: First Impression: Couldn't We Be, Phoenix Theatre, Toronto
by Anya

Special Junction Premiere: Nation of Irony Mongers: Roots of the Canadian Sense of Humour with Neil Ross

Poster: Nation of Irony Mongers:

Roots of the Canadian Sense of Humour with Neil Ross

West Toronto Junction Historical Society Presents

Nation of Irony Mongers:
Roots of the Canadian Sense of Humour
With Neil Ross

NATION OF IRONY MONGERS is a new series of two minute radio vignettes produced by CBC's Content Factory, tracing the historical development of humour in Canada from aboriginal times to the present. The series begins February 9, airing on local morning shows for nine weeks.
See a special preview this Thursday, February 5, at the Annette Street Library at 8:15 pm. Written and presented by Neil Ross, the sketches recreate key moments in the Canadian comic continuum. Episodes include:

• Trickster: The Cosmic Comedian
• High Concept on the High Seas: (Well, on the waves off Port Royal)
• Brigadier General Townshend: The Cartoonist Who Decried Wolfe. MP3version attached.
• The Jokes of Bengough and Sir John A., eh?
• Doc Kelley: New Found Pie Gag in New Found Land.
• Madly Back from All Directions: Stephen Leacock, Casa Loma and the Birth of Modern Humour
• Marie Dressler and Mack Sennett: Tillie's Punctured Romance
• Beatrice Lillie: Go and Never Darken My Dior Again!
• The Dumbells: Cross-Dressing for Your Country

"Twice as Long as a Heritage Minute and Three Times as Funny!"

With Special Junction Feature:

Jimmy Frise and Greg Clark, Jesters of Baby Point

Thursday, February 5, 8:15 pm

Junction Historical Society Meeting
(Business Meeting, 7:30)

Annette Street Public Library
Lower Level, Committee Room 1
145 Annette Street, Toronto, ON M6P 1P3

(One and a half blocks west of Keele)

Admission: Free