Five events to celebrate the official arrival of summer in Vancouver this weekend
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Friday officially marks the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Let the sunburns begin.
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With the arrival of the beloved, if short, period comes an absolute blooming of events all across the Lower Mainland.
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So many events are being announced in the coming weeks that you can expect to see frequent updates like this one to keep you informed and adding to your weekly planner. After all, best to get out and enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures while they are here.
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When: June 20, 8 p.m.
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National Indigenous Peoples Day
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When: June 21, noon
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Where: Carnegie Centre and area of the 400 Block of Main and Hastings Streets
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Tickets/info: Free
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Opening remarks from local chiefs representing the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, food and exhibitor booths and live performers from such Indigenous music talents as JB the First Lady, Jez Dylan Bonham Band, TALON and more.
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Waahli, Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté
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When: June 21, 1 p.m.
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Where: Civic Plaza, 126 14th St. W, North Van.
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Co-presented with the French Cultural Centre and part of the North Shore Jazz Series of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Montreal-based artist of Haitian descent Waahli dropped his seventh album, Seven Bubbles, earlier this year. He is joined by Vancouver musicians Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté.
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CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Fiddling and jigging: 2 inseparable Indigenous traditions that run in families
Social Sharing This story is part of Resonate: Songs of Resilience in recognition of National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day. CBC Indigenous with CBC Unreserved celebrates communities and families through music. When Brianna Lizotte was growing up, she would watch home movies recorded by her grandfather of 1970s kitchen parties. In them, she'd see family members playing the fiddle and guitar and dancing to the music. "There was a huge era of kitchen parties and music in our family for lots and lots of generations," said Lizotte. Lizotte is Métis and grew up in Sylvan Lake, Alta., about 140 kilometres south of Edmonton. But the last fiddle player in her family died when she was about 10, and then there was a drift. "That was like a huge culture shock, I'd say, to not have any music anymore," said Lizotte. Then Lizotte had a dream where she was playing the fiddle at a kitchen party like the ones she would see in the home movies. "I woke up the next day and told my mom, 'Hey, can I get a fiddle?'" Fiddling is synonymous with Métis music, and has been part of Métis, First Nations and Inuit culture since the Europeans brought the instrument to North America. Fiddling and jigging go together, and many people say you can't have one without the other. "The thing that makes fiddle music in the Métis music world different from bluegrass or Irish or Scottish is that horse gallop rhythm," said Lizotte. "You could hear that rhythm pretty much in every tune that you play." She started getting paying gigs at about 13 years old with the Métis Nation of Alberta (now called the Otipemisiwak Métis Government), and by the age of 16 she had won the rising star award from the Alberta Men and Women of Country Music in 2016. "It just came very naturally," said Lizotte. "Looking back at it now, it definitely feels like some maybe ancestors and some blood memory kind of flowed in there while I was learning." WATCH | Brianna Lizotte and Ethan Graves play a tune: Watch Métis fiddle legend Brianna Lizotte perform 10 hours ago Duration 2:24 Lizotte and her husband teach workshops on Métis music, dance and history and this year, her second album Winston and I was nominated for a Juno award in the traditional Indigenous artist or group of the year category. "Being able to bring forward Métis music in that traditional category, it's really important to highlight that because that is a form of traditional Indigenous music," said Lizotte. On the walls of Lizotte's home in Sherwood Park, just outside of Edmonton, hangs her grandfather's fiddle alongside one made by one of Canada's most decorated fiddle players, John Arcand. Runs in families Arcand, known as the "master of the Métis fiddle," is from near Debden, Sask., and now lives in Saskatoon. He founded the Emma Lake Fiddle Camp in 1988, teaching children and youth to fiddle, and started the John Arcand Fiddle Fest in 1998, which ran for 22 years. Arcand comes from nine generations of fiddle players and learned playing by ear from his uncles using fiddles around the house. "Music runs in families; everybody that's got music in them will eventually show up and pass it on without them knowing it a lot of times," said Arcand. Arcand said he's likely taught more than 10,000 fiddle players over the years between the Emma Lake camp and his fiddle festival. He helped revitalize the tradition after a period when the instrument became less popular, which he attributes to the rise of rock and roll and people learning to play guitar instead of fiddle. "Prior to [the camp and festival], fiddling were just about non-existent in Saskatchewan," said Arcand. He's received the Order of Canada, a Queen's Jubilee Medal and two lifetime achievement awards: one for Outstanding Contribution to Old Time Fiddling from the Canadian Grand Masters, and one from the inaugural Lieutenant Governor's Saskatchewan Arts Awards. Now 83, he plays the fiddle every day saying, "If you don't play, you'll lose it." He also says when it comes to fiddle playing, you can't separate it from dancing. "You've got to learn to dance to be a good fiddle player," said Arcand. "You learn to play fiddle while watching people dance. You've got to follow the people taking their steps and play along with them kind of thing." Arcand said once at a Back to Batoche festival in the 1970s he played the fiddle for 18 hours straight while people danced. "Without the two components, one of them will die off and people won't know what they're playing for," said Arcand. The joy of jigging "The way to drive a Métis crazy is to nail his moccasins to the floor and play the Red River Jig," is a folk saying recorded by musicologist Lynn Whidden. This saying might be true for the members of United Thunder, a square dance and jigging group in Manitoba. The eight-member group formed in 2017 and has had great success winning competitions like the Norway House Cree Nation Treaty and York Boat Days competition for a $20,000 prize. "When I'm dancing, I forget about absolutely everything, and I'm just in that moment, and it's a very pure feeling for me," said Brandon Courchene, a member of United Thunder from Sagkeeng First Nation. Courchene was formerly part of the jigging group Sagkeeng's Finest that won Canada's Got Talent in 2012. Now he dances for United Thunder when he isn't working as a school bus driver and educational assistant and teaching kids how to jig for a dance group called Sagkeeng Anicinabe Dancers. "I'll dance till the wheels fall off," said Courchene. According to the Manitoba Métis Federation, Métis jigging was created in the Red River area around Winnipeg in the mid-1800s and the most famous dance is the Red River Jig. Stories differ about exactly how the tune came to be but there are three main stories. Some say it came from a fiddler imitating a Scottish bagpiper playing by the Forks, where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet in Winnipeg, according to an account from the Winnipeg Free Press published in Drops of Brandy: An Anthology of Metis Music. Bagpipers would play on the west bank and Métis and French would listen on the east bank. One evening a Métis fiddler imitated a bagpiper across the river and played a melody that became the Red River Jig. Another story is that the Red River Jig came from Québec in the early 1800s and was originally called La Jig du Bas Canada or La Grande Gigue Simple. The most widely accepted account of the origin of the Red River Jig is that it was played as a wedding dance for a Métis couple at Red River in 1860. The fiddler composed a new tune for the wedding and the priest at the wedding called it the Red River Jig. Ashley Harris, a member of United Thunder from Ebb and Flow First Nation, comes from a family of champion jiggers, and taught herself to dance after years of watching her family perform. Her favourite dance is the Red River Jig. "It just comes naturally," said Harris. "I just think it's the Métis anthem." Harris said jigging is an important part of celebrating Métis and First Nations culture, and is part of who she is. "I feel like the Métis dance is just a powerful, powerful dance and it brings people together," said Harris.
Cision Canada
6 hours ago
- Cision Canada
Environmentalist and Executive Producer Dax Dasilva Celebrates World Premiere of YANUNI at the 2025 Tribeca Festival
Directed by and executive produced by Dax Dasilva–with Leonardo DiCaprio, Anita Ladkani, and Juma Xipaia serving as producers–YANUNI premiered to a standing ovation at the 2025 Tribeca Festival Closing Night Gala, tracing Xipaia's powerful fight to protect her Amazon homeland. MONTREAL, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ - Global environmentalist, Lightspeed Commerce Inc. Founder and CEO, and Emmy award-winning executive producer, Dax Dasilva celebrates the world premiere of YANUNI - which debuted as the Closing Night Gala at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 14. Executive produced by Dasilva, Founder of environmental non-profit Age of Union, and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Richard Ladkani, alongside producers Leonardo DiCaprio, Anita Ladkani and Juma Xipaia herself, among others, YANUNI chronicles the extraordinary rise of Juma Xipaia, a fearless Indigenous warrior and the first female chief of her people in the Middle Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon, and her fight for environmental justice and sovereignty of her ancestral territory. The film follows Juma's journey from her remote village in the Amazon to becoming Brazil's first Secretary of Indigenous Rights, a path marked by extraordinary resilience as she survived six assassination attempts while defending her territory from illegal mining, logging, and land grabs. Set against the backdrop of a dramatically escalating environmental crisis, the film unfolds as Brazil grapples with the extractive industry and threats to Indigenous lands. YANUNI not only offers an intimate portrait of Juma Xipaia, an environmental warrior, mother and chief, but also illustrates a searing indictment of extractive industries, political inaction, and systemic neglect that continue to endanger the Amazon and the people who call it home. Speaking to the global significance of the Amazon and Juma's leadership, Leonardo DiCaprio, producer of YANUNI, said during his introduction speech at the festival, "Juma's resilience and clarity in this film underscore the urgency of protecting the Amazon. As a producer, I'm honoured to help bring this story to the world—a story we can no longer ignore. The Amazon may feel distant, but its fate is deeply tied to us here at home. It regulates our climate, holds more biodiversity than anywhere on Earth, and sustains life far beyond its borders. Yet it survives only because of people like Juma, who refuse to let it disappear." " YANUNI is a powerful reminder of how film can illuminate the courage of those fighting on the frontlines of environmental justice," says Dax Dasilva, Executive Producer of YANUNI and Founder of Age of Union. "Juma's bravery and unwavering commitment to protecting her people and the forest embody the kind of leadership the world needs. At Age of Union, we believe in storytelling to elevate voices like Juma's to honour their courage, share their knowledge, and inspire urgent action to safeguard our collective future. We are honoured to have played a part in this film and to have celebrated its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival." Dasilva, who joined the project from its earliest stages as Executive Producer, has been a vocal supporter of Indigenous-led conservation movements through his non-profit organization Age of Union. This collaboration with Xipaia extends well beyond the screen. In December 2024, Age of Union announced a USD $287,000 investment to Juma Institute, founded by Juma Xipaia, to protect Indigenous heritage, territory, and knowledge. The central objective of the Age of Union partnership with Juma Institute is to value, rescue and share the ancestral knowledge rooted in the Xipaya Indigenous territory, promoting the empowerment of a new generation of young people through environmental and cultural education activities over an initial period of two years. As of May 2025, Juma Institute broke ground on a traditional medicine centre in the Kaarimã village, which will serve as the cultural centre to host education activities, traditional medicine workshops, community events, and gatherings for Indigenous communities. It will also host the new Amazon chapter of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots youth program. Slated to open by Fall 2025, the centre is vital to Juma Institute's vision to honour, revive, and share ancestral knowledge deeply rooted in the territory. The film and partnership mark a continuation of Dasilva's work in the Amazon. In October 2023, following his appointment to The Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation's Council for Hope, Dasilva journeyed with Dr. Jane Goodall into the Amazon Forest to visit with Juma Xipaia. This initial introduction has grown into today's partnership focused on strengthening the Juma Institute institutionally to guarantee future effectiveness and improvement of projects aimed to value, retrieve and share ancestral knowledge rooted in the territory. YANUNI is produced by Malaika Pictures in association with Appian Way, Nia Tero, Age of Union, Tellux Film and the support of the Austrian Film Institute. It is directed by Richard Ladkani and produced by Juma Xipaia, Anita Ladkani and Leonardo DiCaprio, and executive produced by Dax Dasilva, Joanna Natasegara, Laura Nix, Eric Terena, Martin Choroba and Philipp Schall. Follow updates via Tribeca Film website and social media here. About Age of Union: Age of Union is a non-profit organization committed to uniting humanity with nature. It supports and makes visible a global community of changemakers working on the ground to protect the planet's threatened species and ecosystems. Launched in October 2021 by tech leader and environmental activist Dax Dasilva in Montreal, Canada, Age of Union seeks to ignite a flame within every person through conservation efforts, film, and immersive experiences that hope to solve critical environmental challenges around the world and inspire high-impact change by showing the positive impact that every individual can make. About Juma Institute Juma Institute was created in October 2020 by the Indigenous leader Juma Xipaia. It is a non-profit organization focused on the protection of the forest, human rights, heritage, intellectual property and territories of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities within the Brazilian Amazon. Juma Institute's mission is to preserve the Amazon Forest through strengthening the Indigenous worldview. For more information, please visit: On social media: Instagram, LinkedIn About Malaika Pictures Malaika Pictures is an Austrian production company dedicated to storytelling that drives awareness and change. Specializing in powerful narratives that explore urgent environmental and social issues, it has produced award-winning films recognized at major international festivals. Recent projects include The Ivory Game and Sea of Shadows —both executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio—as well as Arctic Ascent, a Disney+ Original series featuring climber Alex Honnold. From uncovering environmental crimes in the Amazon to portraying stories of hope and resilience, Malaika Pictures creates films with meaningful global impact.
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Five events to celebrate the official arrival of summer in Vancouver this weekend
Article content Friday officially marks the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Let the sunburns begin. Article content With the arrival of the beloved, if short, period comes an absolute blooming of events all across the Lower Mainland. Article content So many events are being announced in the coming weeks that you can expect to see frequent updates like this one to keep you informed and adding to your weekly planner. After all, best to get out and enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures while they are here. Article content Article content Article content When: June 20, 8 p.m. Article content Article content Article content National Indigenous Peoples Day Article content When: June 21, noon Article content Where: Carnegie Centre and area of the 400 Block of Main and Hastings Streets Article content Tickets/info: Free Article content Opening remarks from local chiefs representing the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, food and exhibitor booths and live performers from such Indigenous music talents as JB the First Lady, Jez Dylan Bonham Band, TALON and more. Article content Waahli, Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté Article content Article content When: June 21, 1 p.m. Article content Where: Civic Plaza, 126 14th St. W, North Van. Article content Co-presented with the French Cultural Centre and part of the North Shore Jazz Series of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Montreal-based artist of Haitian descent Waahli dropped his seventh album, Seven Bubbles, earlier this year. He is joined by Vancouver musicians Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté.
