Vancouver Celebrates Diwali

Vancouver Celebrates Diwali on The Express!

Rebecca — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:33:31 +0000

Johanna Ward hosted The Express from Shaw TV at our Diwali Downtown celebration on Sunday, October 23. Here’s the final result!

Part 1

Part 2

Today! Diwali Downtown, noon to 6 at The Roundhouse!

Rebecca — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:17:35 +0000

This day-long event takes over the entire Roundhouse and includes dozens of performances taking place on multiple stages all across this famous Yaletown facility. Color! Music! Food! Neighbors! Culture! Get Mehndi tattoos and help to build a giant rangoli!

Bring the entire family down to enjoy a full day of music, dance, crafts, interactive performances, and of course, tons of great Indian food. This event is open to the entire community, with admission by donation.

Rangoil built at the 2010 Diwali Downtown

Artists include:

bharata natyam dancers Malavika Santhosh and Sujit Vaidya
sitar / tabla combo Mohammed Assani & Sunny Matharu
bhangra glitch-hop musical group Banyen Roots
the amazing Senior Ladies Garba dance team
a carnatic musical experience led by Vidyasagar Vankayala
a dance fusion experience featuring kathak dancer Anita Sharma with Celtic sensation Fred Nguyen
sitar / tabla combo Freedom & Leela,
fresh-on-the-scene bhangra dance sensations Jawani Bhangra,
a showcase dance performance from Shiamak’s Bollywood Jazz Dance

Lady Garba performs for the crowd at last year's Diwali Downtown

See you there!!

Performer Profile: Vidyasagar Vankayala

Rebecca — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:46:25 +0000

Rooted in the ancient Vedic hymns, Carnatic Music is one of two major systems of music from India. Carnatic music represents the classical form of music from Southern India.

Performing at Diwali Downtown on Sunday October 23 at The Roundhouse, the Sangeetamaruti Arts Academy group is led by Dr. Vidyasagar Vankayala, a well-known performer and teacher of Carnatic music in the Lower Mainland. He has performed extensively in several international venues. The performance today also features four young performers who are all currently learning Carnatic music from Vidyasagar. The music uses the voice as the main performance medium, with a very complex system of Ragams (modes) and Talams (Rhythmic Structures). The compositions used cover a range of themes including devotion, philosophy, romance and descriptive poetry.

Soho Road Nann Kebab

Rebecca — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:03:51 +0000

About a year ago, Vancouver started issuing licensees for food carts in the city. Prior to that, the only food carts allowed on our streets were hot dog carts, but a whole new era of gourmet street food has now been unleashed on our lucky Vancouver taste buds!

One of the newest food carts (they’ve just been up and running for about a month) is Soho Road Naan Kebab. Owned and operated by Sarbjot Mund, this cart serves up Indian and Pakistani delights. Sarb has a Tandoor oven built right into his cart, in which he makes kebabs and fresh naan bread right in front of your eyes, and then wraps the freshly-roasted, spicy meat in the warm, pillowy naan, sauces it up, and hands it to you.

Menu includes: Tasty Tandoori Chicken, Delicious Butter Chicken, and a vegetarian option. Soho Road is located daily between 11 am and 3 pm at 840 Howe Street, but you can sample Sarb’s Naan Kebabs this Sunday, October 23 at Diwali Downtown at The Roundhouse.

Chef Dale MacKay, who recently won the very first Canada’s Top Chef Contest on the Food Network, recently tasted Soho Road Naan Kebab on a culinary tour of Vancouver’s food trucks, and proclaimed “The tastiest thing I’ve had today… It’s just got really good flavor.”

Watch the clip on Global TV:

Soho Road Naan Kebab on Facebook

Soho Road Naan Kebab on Twitter

Performer Profile: Shiamak's Bollywood Jazz Dance

Rebecca — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:07:43 +0000

Shiamak Davar is the guru of contemporary dance in modern India whose award winning work in Indian films has changed the way the world looks at Bollywood Dance today! With centres across Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary, the Shiamak Bollywood fever is surely spreading across Canada The performers are from Vancouver, and will display Shiamak’s unique style of choreography called Bollywood Jazz fusing Indian dance styles with western techniques and spiced up with the colour, energy and flavour of Bollywood!

You can catch Shiamak’s Bollywood Jazz Dance at 5:30 pm on Sunday, October 23 at Diwali Downtown at The Roundhouse.

Performer Profile: Banyen Roots

Rebecca — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:18:01 +0000

Banyen Roots is a dirty fusion of glitch-hop, bhangra and dancehall rhythm and rhymes, with some instrumentals and surprise vocals in the mix. Rupinder Sidhu, Nadia Chaney and Tarun Nayar bring a thumping vibe of rawkus, conscious, fundamentally wicked sounds from the underground. For more information please visit: banyenroots.com.

You can catch Banyen Roots at Diwali Downtown, on Sunday, October 23 from noon to 6 pm at The Roundhouse.

Chai House on Main–Tonight!

Rebecca — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:44:55 +0000

Chai House on Main Street, Tuesday, October 18, 8 pm, at Heritage Hall
Admission: $10

Presented by the BCGEU, this scaled-down and intimate performance has long been a favorite amongst VCD’s community of artists and fans, with a groovier vibe.

The spectacular line-up includes classical Indian musician Akhil Jobanputra, bhangra glitch-hop musical group Banyen Roots, bharata natyam dancer Anusha Fernando, sketch comedy superstars Bollywood Shenanigans, kathak dancer and vocalist Bageshree Vaze, ghazal / tabla from local wonder Cassius Khan, and last, but certainly not least, our headliner for the evening will be Grammy award-winning Canadian phenomenon Chin Injeti.

Performer Profile: Mohamed Assani

Rebecca — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:44:56 +0000

Mohamed Assani is a celebrated sitarist with a unique sound. He is widely known for his authentic raga performances as well as his creative ability to adapt his instrument to different genres, including Western Classical, Jazz & World Fusion. You can catch Mohamed in performance on Sunday, October 23, at Diwali Downtown at The Roundhouse.

Apart from his Indian Classical work, Mohamed has also worked with some leading Western musicians, including contemporary composer Ian Wilson, the Callino Quartet, the Grand Union Orchestra and the Black Dyke Brass Band. His band, Indus, (featuring sitar, santoor, Western flute and tabla) has received critical acclaim for their original music including being hailed as ‘ones to keep a beady eye upon’ by the UK’s award-winning froots magazine.

Mohamed has also taken his music to the stage, composing and performing for acclaimed playwright Rani Moorthy’s ‘Dancing within Walls’ and a production of Kipling’s ‘The Man Who Would be King.’

Mohamed’s musical journey began at Dartington College of Arts in England, where he did a degree in Western Classical and World music. Mohamed began his training on the sitar from Sri Dharambir Singh and later learned from Sri Mehboob Nadeem. He is now a disciple of Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan of the Poonch Gharana. Mohamed plays sitar in the emotive style developed by the late Ustad Vilayat Khan, in which the sitar is made to emulate the human voice through bending its strings. Mohamed is also trained in tabla and is an experienced accompanist & performer.

As a dedicated and experienced teacher, Mohamed has inspired students of all ages in their musical journeys. During his extensive teaching career, he has taught at the Royal Academy of Music (London, England), the University of Huddersfield and the BRIT School of Performing Arts (London, England). He currently teaches Indian music at the VSO School of Music in Vancouver.

Mohamed has just released a brand-new CD of Sitar music entitled Spirit of Tradition.

Mohamed’s Website

Listen to an interview with CBC’s Sheryl MacKay on this past weekend’s North By Northwest

Performer Profile: Senior Ladies Garba Group

Rebecca — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:11:23 +0000

The Gujarati Hindu Senior Association is proud to showcase their traditional folklore and stories through the art of dance. All over the age of 65, they redefine the meaning of “old age” as they sing and dance to the beat, carrying on the traditions and stories of days past. When they are not dancing, they can be found volunteering at the local temples where they touch the hearts of nearly every Hindu family with their commitment to their community.

You can catch the Senior Ladies Garba Group at Diwali Downtown at The Roundhouse, on Sunday, October 23.

Performer Profile: Bollywood Shenanigans

Rebecca — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:51:54 +0000

Bollywood Shenanigans is an entertainment company inspired by South Asian culture and cinema. Created in 2008 it is made up of a collective of writers, actors, and dancers whom have been in numerous films and commercials.Bollywood Shenanigans has been brought together to inspire the world through comic sketch, song and dance… to visible minority or not.

Bollywood Shenanigans will be performing at the Chai House on Main Street, Tuesday, October 18 from 7:30pm – 10:30pm. This laid-back cabaret event sets the lights low and the energy high, as some of Vancouver’s and Canada’s most eclectic contemporary performers bring you the best in the city’s South Asian music and dance. Also included in the lineup is bhangra glitch-hop musical group Banyen Roots, bharata natyam dancer Anusha Fernando, kathak dancer and vocalist Bageshree Vaze, ghazal / tabla from local wonder Cassius Khan, and the headliner for the evening, Grammy award-winning Canadian phenomenon Chin Injeti. Admission: $10.

Bollywood Shenanigans Website