For the month of January the Calgary Tower and Langevin Bridge will be lit up in yellow in recognition of One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo which is one indication of the arts festival’s cultural significance. Another is Renderrabbits the new exhibition by Tyler Klein Longmire in the Lightbox Studio in Arts Commons. The artist has created “looping animated portraits” (pictured) of the One Yellow Rabbit ensemble using footage from past performances that has been altered using rotoscope techniques which he describes as a form of tracing. “These artists have shaped the culture of Calgary and their performances are world-renowned” says Longmire in a media release. “I wish to pay tribute to these trail-blazers to these artists who define the scene in which I now take part.” Longmire a founding member of the Humble Wonder multidisciplinary arts collective will also be working on a new short film that will debut at the 2016 festival.
Meanwhile the Rodeo kicks into high gear this week with a one-night performance by Tanya Tagaq on Saturday January 17 at the Boyce Theatre and performances of One Yellow Rabbit’s What the Thunder Said at Big Secret Theatre Young Jean Lee’s Untitled Feminist Show at Theatre Junction and Beau Dixon’s Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story at Lunchbox Theatre (read more about those shows in this issue). Upcoming openings include What We Are Saying running January 21 to 24 at the No. 1 Legion; and Mump & Smoot with Knooma in Anything running January 20 to February 1 at Martha Cohen Theatre — this is the first new show from the Clowns of Horror in four years. In addition to Kenna Burima’s Carrillon composition ringing through the downtown during the noon hour The Trees sculpture at the west end of Stephen Avenue is featuring a multiambient soundscape created by Tona Ohama. Finally at noon on Friday January 16 the Green Fools and guests will hold their annual animal-free Plus-15 Musical Ride.
The Rodeo isn’t the only show in town. Alberta Ballet is presenting Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo an all-male troupe known for its parodies of traditional ballet. For this performance the company will reinterpret classics including Swan Lake and Paquita — so picture the delicate swans as men en pointe. The Trocks celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2014 and are popular around the world. The local performances take place January 16 and 17 at the Jubilee.
Front Row Centre’s current production also has a satirical side. The musical Urinetown is taking the piss out of politics capitalism and yes even musicals with a story about a drought-plagued future where private toilets are banned and using a public toilet will cost you. The award-winning show runs until January 24 at the Beddington Heights Community Arts Centre.
Writer John Vaillant known for the non-fiction books The Golden Spruce and The Tiger reads from his fiction debut The Jaguar’s Children on Monday January 19 at the John Dutton Theatre in the downtown library (read our interview with the author in this issue). The next night at Shelf Life Books Calgary writer Lynette Loeppky will launch her first book Cease about the eight years she spent living on an Old MacDonald-style hobby farm in southern Alberta with an unpredictable partner who suddenly took ill just as Loeppky was planning to leave.
