Nathan Phillips Square’s Asian Arts and Culture Festival

Nathan Phillips Square’s Asian Arts and Culture Festival

The month of May, most commonly associated with the onset of spring, has a lot more to offer than just simple gardening pleasures. The Federal Government has declared May as Asian Heritage Month (“AHM”)..

Through the efforts of Senator Vivienne Poy, May has become the source of pride for millions of Asian Canadians. It celebrates the cultural diversity Canada’s Asian people bringing appreciation to many distinct communities while harmonizing their similarities and shared geographical origin.

Festivities recognizing Asian Heritage Month have been prominent in other Canadian cities such as Montreal and Vancouver while in the United States, AHM has been celebrated since 1977. Within the Greater Toronto Area (“GTA”), the Canadian Multicultural Council, Asians in Ontario (“CMC”), a non-profit umbrella organization of over twenty Asian Canadian organizations, is leading the way in bringing together the culture of over 16 countries and regions of Asia in acknowledgment of their impact and influence in Canada. CMC represents Asian communities from countries such as China, India, Philippines, Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan, Japan, Thailand, Afghanistan, Burma, Malaysia and more. In honour of the contributions made by the various Asian communities in the City of Toronto, Mayor

David Miller recently proclaimed May as Asian Heritage Month.

In collaboration with various partners such as the Toronto Public Library, the Royal Ontario Museum (“ROM”), the University of Toronto’s Asian Institute Studies, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, AHM-GTA Citizen’s Group and other supportive organizations, CMC has put together a series of events in May to celebrate Asian heritage and culture.

Festivities began with an authors reading of Chinese Canadian fiction that included a free concert of world music by Juno Award nominee Randev Pandit. Other events include various film screenings, art exhibitions at the Toronto Public Library, free Asian entertainment every Friday evening at the ROM, a lecture by noted Toronto Star editorial page emeritus, Haroon Siddiqui on South Asians, a business seminar by Steve Gupta, owner of Cara Food Inc., an Asian Literary evening, a show with Andrea Nann and Michael Ondaatje at the Premier Dance Theatre and more. Visit the website of CMC at www.cmcasians.com for more information on the various AHM activities.

Asian Arts and Culture Festival

The highlight of the AHM celebration is the Asian Arts and Culture Festival at the Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday, May 15, 2004. The day long festival is FREE and showcases the rich intricacies of Asian culture. It offers several hours of entertainment including traditional dances, martial arts demonstrations, the drums of Asia, arts and crafts, product displays and culinary treats.

The crowd will be given an opportunity to learn the different nuances of Asian dances such as the Indian kathak dance, the famous Philippine bamboo dance and the intricate traditional Chinese dances. Some of the featured dance performers include the Payal Dance School, the only institution of its kind in Ontario were traditional and contemporary Indian dance forms are taught, Folklorico Filipino Dance Company of Canada a group that has performed in various festivals all over the world and the famous Chi Ping Dancers of China, an award winning dance company that has performed and competed internationally. The audience can also marvel at folk dance presentations from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma and Tibet.

Another superb tradition that will be featured at the festival is the percussive artistry of Asian drums. Audiences will be treated to the thundering rhythm of Japanese Taiko and Kodo drums performed by the Yakudo Drummers who combine complex choreography to synchronized drumming. In Japan, the practice of percussion was traditionally used for imperial court music while rustic drums were used for folk music. In addition, the energetic and textured sounds from the colourful and uniquely shaped kongo, ching, yeonggo and nodo drums of Korea will also be featured. In the ancient agricultural traditions of Korea, the exuberant drumming and joyous movement is believed to have the power to heal and improve health as well as shower blessings to a crowd.

The festival will also provide an opportunity to learn more about the intricacies of various martial arts disciplines, whose roots can be traced to Asia. Discover the meaning behind subtle moves of Thai kick boxing, Japanese judo, Tae Kwan Do and Chinese Kung Fu. Demonstrators will show how the slightest movement can deliver a powerful blow.

Revelers will also be treated to a selection of Asian culinary delicacies from Tibet, India, Philippines, Korea, Japan and China. In addition, there will be a variety of booths through Nathan Philips Square that will feature Asian arts and crafts, clothing and different products. Tables providing historical information and tourist attractions of participating nations will also be on hand.

The celebration will begin at 12 noon with the Lion Dance, considered to be a means of giving out good blessings of heaven to the whole community. It is almost always performed in auspicious occasions as a sign of good luck. To complement this colourful display of the costumed Lion is the parade of Nations featuring representatives of all participating Asian nations in their national costumes and traditional attires. A representative from each nation will form a line on stage showing the contrasting colours of the various Asian costumes prior to the singing of the Canadian national anthem. Later in the evening, there will be a fashion and culture show with models from different countries showcasing traditional and modern day creations.

The festival promises to be a multicultural celebration that raises our awareness of the diversity amongst Canadians. It provides an opportunity to appreciate distinct traditions by blurring the lines of division amongst many nations. It is truly what being Canadian is all about.