Volume 8 Issue 7 - April 2003

Swing Band: Bum the Floor
circumpolar creators, inspired by
northern themes. Three of the
productions are by C.anadian
companies: the Canadian
Children's Opera Chorus's A
Midwinter Night's Dream by Harry
Somers and Tim Wynne-Jones;
Pacama.mbo by Zack Sette! and
Wajdi Mouawad of Montreal, and
Caribou Song by pianist and
playwright Tomson Highway. Two
visiting productions round out the
festival: Thorarinn Eldjarn's The
Prophecy from Reykjavik, Iceland,
and Nuts about Nosh by Kirmo
Lintinen, Karla Loppi and Paivi
Loponen from Helsinki, Finland.
The shows take place at the
Isabel Bader Theatre and · the
Bluma Appel Theatre between
April 28 and May 11 .. Call 416-366-
7723 for tickets and details.
been with the show since its
inception four years ago, explains
that . the form is most popular in
England, Germany and Russia. She
says that the transition from
competition to entertainment has
been good for Roby and her dance
partner Jason Gilkison, who's now
the show's director/choreographer.
"As a competitor, you can go a long
way without any gratification," she
says. But for the performers, the
show is "like winning every night."
"On a personal level," she
continues, "Jason and I have spent
our whole lives in the competitive
industry. Our dream has been to
bring it out to the general public ~ "
Burn the Floor runs from April 22
to 26 at the Hummingbird Centre.
Call 416-872-2262 for tickets or
visit www.ticketmaster.ca.
BURN THE FLOOR
GOT IT ON THE LIST?
No Blundtstone boots this time, but And finally, in early May, Toronto
we're getting another big dance Operetta Theatre presents The
show out of Australia. This one's Mikado, one of the best loved of the
called Burn the Floor, and anyone G&S operettas, in a lavish
who's seen Baz Luhrman's film production with Elizabeth
Strictly Ballroom will be on solid DeGrazia as Yum Yum, Eric Shaw
ground with it, as it's built out of. as Nanki Poo and Keith Savage as
the routines of some of the world's KoKo. It runs from May 2 to 11 .at
best champion ballroom dance the Jane Mallett Theatre.
couples .
In fact, the Ice Capades are to
competitive figure skating what
Burn the Floor is to "Dancesport"
- as the discipline is· known by its
aficionados. Peta Robv. who's
Watch for Sarah B. Hood's
upcoming book Toronto: The
Unknown City, co-written with
Howard Akler, to be published by
Arsenal Pulo Press in Fall 2003.
THE SECOND (ENTIJRY
OF OPERA ON ScREEN
by Phil Ehrensajl
Opera is now three years into its during the age of Caruso. Oh for
secondcenturyofperfonnanceon H.G. Wells' time machine!
screen. Early good fortune for The philosophy underlying
permanently capturing opera 118 a Wlaschin's labour oflove is one that I
total art arrived in the form of entirely share: "Though audio has
Thomas Alva Edison. Alongside his dominated the home experience for
invention of the phonograph and the the past 100 years, video is likely to
cinema, Edison was totally seized and dominate the next 100. As opera has
enchanted by opera. The biographical always been as much theater as
entry for Edison in Ken Wlaschin's music, this change should make the
Opera On Screen, the indispensable art more popular."
reference work in the field, offers the . Opera on Screen, published in
followingjob description: "opera film 1997 by Beachwood Press, is
visionary."
available both as a book and search-
Back in 1893, the New York able CD-ROM (beachwoodpress
Times interviewed Edison about this @earthlink.net). Since most opera
dream of creating "kineteoscope DVD's are remasterings, the book
operas with phono." Edison still catches the bulk of what is availexpressed
his intention "... to have able in the new format.
such a happy combination of photo- Wlaschin, director of creative
graphy and electricity that a man can affairs at the American Film Instisit
in his own parlor; see depicted tute, took four years to assemble this
upon a curtain the forms of the play- exhaustive encyclopedia of operas,
ers upon a distant stage and hear the operettas, zarzuelas, singers, compvoices
of the singers." Now we're osers, writers, and conductors in
there, and things can only get better. opera and film from the earliest days
The pioneering step took place in onwards, plus biographies, docwnen-
1900, when Edison filmed 15 minutes taries on producing operas and the
of an opera dear to the hearts of both use of operatic music in films.
Caruso and tum-of-the century Entries are usually descriptive but
audiences: Friedrich von Flotow's can take a wry tum. I'll bet you
Maltha. Edison's promotional didn't ·realize that our own Teresa
literature suggested that local church Stratas' first film was "an Americansingers
be engaged to s~ the parts
behind the screen. Alternatively,
~tyle ~ Wes~m" ."'.hose
... plot JS basically JUSt pitting the
promoters could hire a quartet of Mounties against the Sioux."
singers to travel along with exhib- Highly informed and witty subject
itions of this new wonder of the entries complement the mix. The
world. Parsifal followed Martha in best way to approach this book is to
1W4andsixothertitles by 1912. first take the introduction's list of
Combining these silent films with twenty-four subject entries and then
corresponding hi-tech restorations of react' each gem. My favourite is the
historical recordings yields us some "Worst Opera on Film."
inkling of the glories of the Met stage I won't give it away: get the book!
MIRELA TAFAJ ·VOCAL INSTRUCTION
Tel: 416-485-1042
• First prize - Umberto Giordano
International Competition (Italy, 1998)
•Available for private instruction in my
studio, all ages/all levels
• Whether a beginning singer or an
aspiring professional, I can help you
realize your untapped potential.
- 1 O years as professor of voice in a European university
- concert & opera professiorial soloist experience in Europe
and North America
.: appeared as Musetta, 2002-2003 season, Opera Hamilton
OFFERING - voice training
- audition and competition preparation
- vocal problem diagnosis and resolution
- repertoire development
April 1 - May 7 2003