From film to poetry, indie music to swing dancing, there’s something on offer for all tastes at the upcoming Momentum Youth Arts Festival.
The annual festival is designed to showcase and support local artists and local youth, and it features a jam-packed weekend of activities Oct. 14 to 16.
“We’re really excited,” says youth coordinator Julian Legere, who’s working with a youth panel to pull together the festival.
The youth fest kicks off Friday at Massey Theatre with a Korean drumming workshop at 5 p.m., followed by an indie band showcase with Smash Boom Pow at 7 p.m. Cheondoong Korean Drumming returns to the stage at 9 p.m. for a performance.
Saturday is a workshop-based day, with events taking place in the flex space on the main floor of the Anvil Centre (just inside the main doors).
Programming includes workshops in dance, DJ’ing, creating graphic novels, poetry and painting. (See full schedule below.)
A highlight will be an Art 2 Heart event at 6 p.m. – a panel discussion and Q&A with professional artists in a variety of disciplines, including music, acting, filmmaking and graphic design.
Legere notes that the youth panel wanted to include a Q&A-style event to give young, emerging talents an idea of how to enter professional careers in the arts.
The evening wraps up with a swing dance session that’s part workshop, part party – you can take a swing lesson and then dance the night away, with the fun running from 9 to 11 p.m.
On Sunday, the fest moves to the Moody Park Youth Centre for Momentum Open Stage – a living room-style open mike event that’s open to anyone who wants to take part. It’s being run by Two Gents of New West, who hosted a series of Open Stage events at the Queen’s Park bandshell over the summer and who’ll be bringing the same format to the festival event.
But that’s not all: the festival is also partnering with the New Media Gallery, DOXA Documentary Film Festival and the New West Film Society to present a special event called Mediated Visions on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at the Anvil Centre. There will be a media arts workshop at 4 p.m. and a film screening and discussion at 7 p.m.
Also, throughout the month of October, Momentum is presenting a Young Art Makers exhibition at the Massey Theatre’s Plaskett Gallery. The exhibition includes work in a variety of mediums, created by students in the NWSS visual art program.
For more on the festival, see www.momentumyouthfest.com.
MOMENTUM EVENTS: SOME HIGHLIGHTS
Friday, Oct. 14 – Massey Theatre
5 to 6 p.m.: Cheondoong Korean Drumming workshop
7 to 8:30 p.m.: Indie band performance by Smash Boom Pow, with guest Julien Amar
8:30 to 9 p.m.: Art Rotate live painting event with DJ Jordan Whittaker
9 to 10 p.m.: Cheondoong Korean Drumming performance
Saturday, Oct. 15 – Anvil Centre flex space (main floor)
1 to 2 p.m.: DJ workshop
2 to 3 p.m.: Dance workshop
3:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Creating Graphic Novels workshop
3:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Poets and painters workshop
6 to 7 p.m.: Art 2 Heart professional artist Q&A
9 to 11 p.m.: Royal City Swing, lesson and dance party
Sunday, Oct. 16 – Moody Park Youth Centre
5 to 7 p.m.: Momentum OpenStage, a multidisciplinary open mike event
Tuesday, Oct. 18 – Anvil Centre
4 to 5:30 p.m.: media art workshop
7 p.m.: Mediated Visions film screening and discussion, presented with DOXA, New Media Gallery and the New West Film Society
