By Haley Cameron Photos by Lydia Nagai For Salomé Nieto, dance is not just a career. “It’s my oxygen,” says the Butoh dancer. Twenty one years ago when her ex-husband asked her to relocate to Canada she agreed under a single condition. “I told him that if I could dance in Canada I would go.” Luckily the answer was yes and she has called Vancouver home ever since.   Salomé’s stylistic focus is initially surprising. The 47-year-old hailing from Mexico City calls herself a Butoh dancer, a post-war genre originating in Japan, however this was not always the case. “I was trained in contemporary dance with a traditional Western background,” she explains. It was Kokoro Dance, a local company she worked with upon her arrival in 1992, that introduced her to the modern Japanese style.   “I’ve spent a lot of years trying to show diversity but I am ultimately most comfortable with Butoh.” According to Salomé, Butoh deals with themes of humanity, fragility, renewal, and constant transformation. Translated as “firm step into the ground with arms opening away”, she explains that it is the strong sense of expression that spoke to her. “I love the imagery, the focus on sensation,” she says. When I point out that her arms haven’t stopped moving since we sat down to talk she laughs and tells me, “My thoughts are bigger than the words I have.”   Butoh has taken much of the world by storm. Salomé says she is continually amazed just how much the art form is appreciated worldwide, citing that South and Central America, Europe and Asia are all incredibly supportive of the genre. “I haven’t necessarily found my place in Vancouver,” says the local dancer who does most of her collaboration internationally. “It isn’t...

  Artist Sudè Khanian          Sudè Khanian is an Iranian born artist specializing in Qi (energy healing) and philosophical art (Vaguest art) that is sometimes associated with Surrealism movement. Sudè is a Persian born Muslim who practices a form of Qi meditation referred to as ‘pure Qi’. The influence of her monotheistic religion as well as Universalist philosophy of Qi is evident in her paintings, both in choice of colors and lines to accentuate a single yellow or white focal point as well as within her detailed use of optical illusion to interrelate and derivate.  In contrast, the influence of her Persian culture and her experience of war is less pronounced in the paintings and is limited to random poetic expressions within colors, shapes, and figures; something that is repeatedly observed in works of contemporary Iranian painters as well as the traditional Iranian Miniature.    Apart from the Qi healing aspect of her work –which can be very subjective and not acknowledged or accepted by all belief sets  –Sudè states that her use of optical illusion and the discovery journey that the paintings take a viewer through, according to latest science researches on optical illusion, stimulates many areas of the brain. This stimulation helps the viewer fee alert, yet relaxed....

By Katja De Bock   If you are a regular reader of Kerrisdale Playbook Magazine, you will have noticed the beautiful photos of our interviewees, capturing the essence of their personalities with just a short click of the lens. You might be surprised to it’s an emerging photographer, Vancouver-based Noriko Nasu-Tidball, who made the professional photos.   In my experience as a producer and interviewer of television magazines, the videographers dominate the set. They have to set up their gear of tripods, lamps and cables in what is usually a very short time. However, for the nervous interviewer and self-conscious interviewee, that time seemingly takes forever. Moreover, the videographer often interrupts the flow of the interview as the subjects move in and out of focus, or when camera cards are full or batteries empty.   Not so when I am working as a writer with Noriko Nasu-Tidball as my photographer colleague. When my editor-in-chief, Keiko Honda, and I are speaking with the interviewee, Noriko has the astonishing ability to become what they call a “fly-on-the-wall.” You don’t hear her, you don’t see her, and yet she manages to make hundreds of photos per session, of which only a handful will be selected for the magazine.   For most of the interviews in Kerrisdale Playbook, Noriko relies on ambient light (daylight) and does not ask the subjects to pose, as she wants to capture the gist of the moment. An exception is a group portrait at the end of the interview.   Noriko says her love for vérité-documentary style of photography began during her childhood. She grew up in Susami, a small town in the Wakayama prefecture (administrative district) in Japan, as a daughter to a banker and a kimono storeowner. Magazines were always around...

          Some upcoming NSG events include: June 7   1 Day Healing Sanctuary  with Jimena http://westsidensg.wordpress.com/sanctuary   June 7   Goodbye Gordon – School  http://westsidensg.wordpress.com/general-gordon/   June 14-15   Kitsilano Car-Free Days http://westsidensg.wordpress.com/kits-car-free-days/   June 19   Next Kits Recycling – every month on the Thursday before the 3rd Saturday – westsidensg.wordpress.com/recycling   Contact: Natasha at moretash@gmail.com   June 28  A Day With Evelyn Roth     http://kitshouse.org/recycled-videotape July 1 4-8pm Free Jazz Concert westsidensg.wordpress.com/jazz  ...

Dear Readers, Introducing the May 2014 issue, I turn to Joseph Campbell’s quote for a sense of camaraderie. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!  ~ Joseph Campbell Recently I spent a delightful few hours with a Canadian writer Joy Kogawa over lunch. No surprise to me. Her clear and palpable compassion and dedication toward humanity comes from her personal pain and unlimited imagination. We quickly focused our attention on creative collaborations in the face of of platitudes about reconciliation, whether sorting our personal relationships or both sides of the nuclear energy issues. She pondered what collaborative actions would come out by individuals and groups if we realized a potential risk to our own existence. Imagine our capability to transform an enemy into friend…..What seemed out of the question now seems possible, even probable. Joy continues touching many lives by asking relentlessly hard questions that matter. This being our compassion-theme Issue, I’d like to shed light on the inner trials faced by artists; Kagan Goh, a published author, award-winning filmmaker and an established spoken word artist whose personal mission has been to educate people about mental health issues and fight the stigma against the mentally ill, Shannon Selin, a Canadian writer of historical fiction, asking “What if Napoleon escaped and made it to America?”and keeping curiosity alive beyond the history textbooks. Since Mom-and-Pop storefronts are alarmingly disappearing in Vancouver, one shop that caught my eye was The Bake Shop, setting the pulse, life, and texture of their communities. And last but not least, nothing better and more delightful to support young emerging talents in art!  “15 EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.” will be showcasing 15 original paintings created by newcomer gifted youth. All are welcome! Please check our...

  By Katja De Bock Photos: Courtesy of Shannon Selin   When Shannon Selin’s father took his daughter to the site of Napoleon’s 1815 surrender in Waterloo, Belgium, little did he know the trip would eventually result in a remarkable novel about the defeated emperor.   After three years of research and writing, Shannon Selin presented her novel Napoleon in America on April 6 in Marpole’s Historic Joy Kogawa house, with the renowned Japanese-Canadian author present at the launch party.   Incidentally, Selin lives only three houses away from the Joy Kogawa House, where Kogawa lived as a child. The historic residential building now houses a writer-in-residence program.   “The spirit of writing emanates from having Joy Kogawa so close – it just washes down the street,” Selin says of her prominent neighbour.   As you may remember from history class, Napoleon never made it to America, but died in exile at the age of 51 on St. Helena, a remote island in the Atlantic. But Selin, who was interested in the state of mind of the man who had achieved so much, yet was confined to a small island, chose his last months at St. Helena as the starting point for her book. The literary fiction genre in which historical events unfold differently than they did in real life is called “alternate history,” but Selin wasn’t aware of that when she wrote the book, at first purely for her own interest.   Selin starts the novel in February 1821. Asking “What if Napoleon escaped and made it to America?” she sets in motion a series of astonishing and amusing events. Shrewdly, she places Napoleon’s arrival in New Orleans on May 5, 1821, the official day of his death in real life, thus enabling the emperor...

By Dave Wheaton Photos: Noriko Nasu-Tidball These days, it’s not hard to feel like the world has become a touch impersonal. Online shopping is becoming more popular, most of us buy our groceries in big department stores, and, often times, we don’t really know where our food is coming from. The Bakeshop at 4021 MacDonald street is a family owned and operated store that brings some personality back into our lives. It’s not every day that you find a bakery like this, where the people who sell you your baked goods are the same people who make them. Family togetherness is one of the defining features of The Bakeshop. Mike and Meg are as close as a brother and sister can be, and together they own and operate the store with their mother, Donna Nelson. Although it’s only been a year, there’s a rhythm to The Bakeshop that could only be possible though the kind of family relationships that are brought to the kitchen. As we talk in the kitchen of The Bakeshop the three of them take turns explaining what it is that makes The Bakeshop such a unique place. For them, going into business as a family felt like the natural thing to do. They tell the story like this: Mike: Right out of high-school Megan enrolled in the baking and pastry arts program. And so she had a wedding cake business for around ten years. It got to the point where she either needed to expand or quit Meg: I also needed a location to work out of. We were working with a caterer over in New Westminster and it was just so far from all the wedding venues in the city Mike: A month before we bought the bakery Megan...

  By Haley Cameron Photos: Noriko Nasu-Tidball   When Kagan Goh describes a particularly taxing trek through Mexico he doesn’t just say that it was warm. Demonstrating an incomparable gift for self-expression he relays the heat of the Aztec sun with such clarity that I can feel the back of my own neck start to itch with the onset of an imaginary sunburn. Raised in an exceptionally artistic family – he still lists his physician father as his favourite novelist – this writer/poet/documentary film maker always knew he would pursue a creative career. “I’ve been surrounded by artists all my life,” he says, explaining how his entrepreneurial father, Goh Poh Seng, was largely responsible for exposing Singapore to international culture. His primary role model brought famous musical acts into his restaurant, chaired a national theatre association, and helped start Singapore’s first ballet company. And the family’s list of artistic accomplishments only continues as Kagan describes his mother’s editorial work and the various creative pursuits of his three talented brothers. While natural artistry may be hereditary for Kagan, other factors have greatly influenced his creative production and inspiration over the years. For many years, Kagan’s life was completely dictated by manic depression. These days he dedicates most of his efforts – both artistic and otherwise – to advocacy and awareness of the illness. The Vancouverite speaks as candidly of his struggle with mental illness as he does his romantic pursuits or headstrong fight for film school admittance; all stories he shares so openly that you can’t help but give him your trust. One word that comes up repeatedly when speaking with Kagan is ‘maverick’. He has a huge amount of respect for those brave enough to go against the grain in the pursuit of their...

The inaugural 15 EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS. THE CHOICE IS YOURS, a new contemporary art exhibit, opens its doors on Saturday, May 17th, 10 am – 4pm, in Senior Centre Lobby at Kerrisdale Community Centre @ 5851 W. Blvd.  The 15 selected original artworks created by newcomer youth from VSB Settlement Workers in School (SWIS) Program and the Canada Youth Arts Development Foundation will be on display. Come mingle with these young artists and add a fresh piece of art to your collection! Open to All Ages. No RSVP Required. It’s FREE!                                    15 EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS. THE CHOICE IS YOURS is part of the  “Art Shines for Love: A Newcomer-Powered Fundraiser for the Kits House Redevelopment” event. The youth art and silent auction is from 6:00 to 6:45pm and the multicultural variety show featuring newcomer’s talents from schools across the VSB district is on Friday, May 23rd , 2014 from 7:00 to 9:00pm in the Auditorium of Lord Byng Secondary School at 3939 West 16th Ave. Information at 778 772 2084 . Invite your friends, family and co-workers to attend our Arts Shine for Love Fundraiser on Friday May 23rd from 6pm – 9pm at the Lord Byng Auditorium (3699 West 16th Avenue).   Get your tickets at artshinesforlove.eventbrite.ca   $5 General Seating and $15 VIP...

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Dear Readers Spring is here! A time of birthing. It feels like the city has come back to life with Sakura in stunning full bloom. Like flowers, when we are in full bloom, we are like a magnet attracting ideas, people, and opportunity to us, with beauty, power, and purpose. So here we are, this month our feature offers a roundup of true achievers in full bloom from around the globe who’ve called Vancouver home, some of whom I proudly consider friends. Architect Gregory Henriquez, whom I’ve known through our mutual friend, plays serious parts on the creation of a new landscape for how we engage in community and life, Yayoi Hirano, one of the finest and rarest mime-dance artists and Noh mask makers that Japan has produced, continues her quest to blend of Japanese and Western transitions, Mary poppins-esque Sara Troy, having made a name for herself as DIVA, has found her groove in life both personally and professionally, and Executive Director of KOM Community Policing Centre Tony Bulic, a citizen of both Canada and Croatia, contributes to the richness of the harmony, the aliveness, and the safety of our community beyond imagining. I hope this issue will support you in blooming in the richness of who you are! Keiko Honda Editor-in-Chief              ...

By Dave Wheaton Photos: Noriko Naru-Tidball   In Oru Restaurant one Tuesday afternoon we met with superstar architect Gregory Henriquez, managing partner of Henriquez Partners Architects.  As one of Vancouver’s most influential community figures, Gregory has received wide recognition for designing Woodward’s redevelopment in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. Today, Gregory and his architectural firm are working on several projects to promote community, social justice, and sustainability across Vancouver. As if that wasn’t enough, Gregory’s buildings are designed to have a distinct style and are some of the most recognizable pieces of Vancouver. As expected, Gregory keeps busy.   “We’re doing all sorts of things – everything from Oakridge, which is very large, to little projects like the York Theater on commercial drive, where we’ve brought an old theater back to life. We’re turning a prison into social housing over on Main Street, and creating the first immigrant services building in North America which is going to integrate temporary housing with non-profits to help immigrants from other countries, which is exciting. We’re doing our first project in the Middle-East. We’re doing a myriad of different re-zonings around town – most of which are for complex mixed-use. We’re redoing a church into rental and social housing. It’s an amazing project. So we’re pretty busy.”   But despite these staggering contributions to Vancouver, Henriquez Partners Architects is a relatively small team. They employ only 51 people while most competing firms are multi-nationals that employ thousands. Gregory’s architectural style is famous for incorporating an ethical component to the buildings he and his team design.  “Each project is about finding the soft spot and the thing that is required in order for a community or an issue or an idea to be brought to light”, Gregory explains, his inspiration...

By Haley Cameron Photos: Noriko Nasu-Tidball The first half hour I spend with Yayoi Hirano provides a notable clash of cultures. The slight Japanese woman sits across from me in a traditional kimono complete with tabi socks, as we explore the boundaries of our linguistic restrictions over a few slices of pizza. It’s during this casual dinner that I learn Yayoi-san relocated to Canada from Japan twelve years ago. And later, as we discuss her interesting career, I learn that merging various cultural extremes is rather habitual in her lifelong East-meets-West artistic dialogue. Having a piece of Ham and Pineapple while dressed in traditional Japanese garb no longer seems quite so unusual.   It’s unfair to limit Yayoi-san to a single title, considering her vast talents in a multitude of creative outlets, but above all else she identifies as a mime artist. “Since I was a child I loved to act,” she tells me, sharing that in her very first elementary school production she was so determined to be on stage that she performed through a fever of 102 degrees. Yayoi-san’s interest in drama continued to develop through her youth. She recalls watching a European theatre group present Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor in high school, considering it an important milestone in her own developing love of drama. Despite the language barrier, Yayoi-san was able to recognize the underlying story and therefore relate to the movement, costumes, and sets. “I was dearly fascinated. I fell in love,” she says.   While Yayoi-san was exploring various means of artistic expression she met Lecoq mimes (the traditional French mimes typically associated with the art form). Having already realized acting’s ability to transcend linguistic barriers, miming struck a chord for the young artist. She began to...

 By Katja De Bock Photos: Noriko Nasu-Tidball   When you hear her warm, soft voice speak in a confident tone, you wouldn’t guess the woman behind the mike describes herself as shy and suffering from anxiety and depression.   Sara Troy, who grew up in England, lived in South-Africa and travelled intensely before settling down in B.C. some 34 years ago, had to overcome asthma, chronic pain and fatigue from fibromyalgia, as well as a divorce before discovering what she truly loves – helping others gain self-esteem through radio.   “I am an abundant woman,” says Troy, and what she means is how her life was enriched by her predicament, but also by her talent to listen to the need of others – sharpened through years of work as a spiritual counselor.   “I feel the pain in life, the pain from others and how to take it on,” she says. “I can empower others to find their own solutions.” And if anyone asks how to do that, Troy has a witty reply: “Instead of saying ‘There’s an app for that, I say, there’s a show for that.’ ”   The show, that’s Ask Sara, a half-hour online radio show about issues such as hope, fear, regrets, or what makes a woman. The content is largely improvised in the studio. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do until I turn the mike on,” Troy says. “It’s whatever comes at that time.”   The show airs live Mondays, with repeats on Wednesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. Pacific Time on Positive Living Vibration (PVL) Radio, the internet radio station she started in April 2013 with her producing partner Bill Mackie. They produce and broadcast from their Pitt Meadows home.   All shows, including those by...

By Katja De Bock Photos: Noriko Nasu-Tidball  When Tony Bulic is out on patrol canvassing Kerrisdale’s streets for suspicious activity, more often than not someone will come out and thank him for his work. That’s no surprise, really, as Bulic has been a well-known face in the community even before he took on the job of Executive Director of Kerrisdale Oakridge Marpole Community Policing Centre (KOM CPC).   Bulic, 40, was born and raised in Vancouver as the son of Croatian immigrants. As his father was a builder, the family moved around a few times, before settling in Kerrisdale, where Bulic visited Kerrisdale Elementary. He continued his education at Vancouver College and took a leadership course at BCIT.   Bulic says he has strong roots in Kerrisdale and was pleased to grow up in such a family-friendly environment with all the great amenities and parks.   “I don’t think there was a block in Kerrisdale that didn’t have 10, 15 kids when I was growing up,” he says. “It was a very positive, energizing place. We didn’t need fitness centres to get in shape, we just went outside and the kids were there.”   As a citizen of both Canada and Croatia, Bulic had to attend one year of military service in his ancestral country and left in 1998. It was after the Balkan war and just before the Kosovo crisis.   “It was a real honour to serve,” says Bulic, who speaks Croation fluently and stayed away from Vancouver for 1.5 years. “Croatia is a beautiful, peaceful country, part of NATO and the European Union. They are always looking to assist other countries on peace missions.” It’s this pride of the successful transition from war to peace and prosperity in Croatia that inspired...