Hold onto Your Tongue is the community event brings together dance, music, spoken work, food, vendor, community groups and cultural activities that is held every year in a celebration of International Mother Language Day with a fun-filled day for all. FEATURE STORY:
Ground-breaking rapid learning technique helps Squamish Nation save its language
“Where Are Your Keys” creator, Evan Gardner, in a
special Canadian appearance, along with Dustin Rivers, from the Squamish Nation, will be presenting Evan’s ground-breaking rapid learning technique in a series of ongoing workshops at the Roundhouse on February 16, 12-4pm as part of the International Mother Language Day celebration. The continued success of the “Where Are Your Keys” technique relies on its ground-breaking ‘play to learn’ technique which creates “an environment of focussed play.”
Evan Gardener and Dustin Rivers are available for interviews. Please contact Brenda Racanelli [email protected]
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release | JANUARY 28, 2013
February 16, 2013 - International Mother language Day
A “fun for the whole family” festival held in celebration of International Mother Language Day (IMLD). IMLD promotes linguistic diversity, multilingual education and awareness of cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. Hold Onto Your Tongue brings together dance, music, spoken work, food, vendor, community groups and cultural activities acknowledging IMLD with a fun-filled day for all. Vancouver has been recognized by the City of Vancouver Planning Commission as having ethnic diversity that contributes significantly to the character of the city. Vancouver enthusiastically embraced the objective of the event in 2010 when the Mayor, Gregor Robertson issued a proclamation for International Mother Language Day on February 21. Vancouver was the first city in Canada to officially celebrate this day. This year IMLD celebration will include:
Featured Guest: Evan Gardner and Dustin Rivers present "Where Are Your Keys" Play a game, learn a language! Techniques for accelerated learning, community building, and language revitalization – a collection of techniques used for rapidly reaching proficiency in a target skill area, often used for acquiring languages. Kwhlii Gibaygum Nisga'a Performers: Kwhlii Gibaykw literally translates to English from Nisga'a as Flying Around, used to describe the performance because every Nisga'a performer is Always in Movement. Kwhlii Gibaygum Nisga'a is a dynamic, high energy group of performers who incorporate the stories, songs & dances of the Wahlingigat (Ancestors) into contemporary performances. The majority of the dance members can trace their ancestry to the Nisga’a, from Ksi-Lisims, the Nass River. Jade and Zaphirah bring the art of belly dance and the fusion of Latin and Arabic rhythms together through a performance that will deliver beauty and passion. With their nuance tendencies and their traditional sense of the art of belly dance, they are able to put on a show that will entice everyone to dance, to love their roots, and share the beauty that is found when different cultures are brought together. I Live Still Marion Landers and Robert Halley draw upon their heritage and their professional experience with African and Contemporary dance to explore new territory together. I Live Still is a full-length Afro Contemporary dance piece that speaks to the relevance of an African heritage, using historical events, current affairs, and artistic and cultural traditions as inspiration for the work. Dance sequences highlight strength, perseverance, struggle of human spirit and the delicate balance of relationships. World Poetry Reading Series presents Multilingual Brain Benefits, a special World Poetry Woven Word Tapestry group poem O Mother Tongue in English, French, Chinese, Romanian, Polish, Korean, Bengali, Spanish and Japanese. Jasmine Dance Club presents traditional Chinese dance. Established in 2010 by Jasmine Wang to help Chinese immigrant friends mitigate being home sick and depressed, the group was created to share traditional dances to help integrate and promote multicultural fusion. Both rural folk and classical dances will be performed. Kathara Dance Theatre Collective Canada continues to foster awareness of Philippine indigenous identity through theatre, traditional and contemporary music, dance, and martial arts. Their colourful costumes, indigenous sounds with unique instruments, variety of neo-ethnic dance, and martial movement, represents the beautiful diversity of pre-colonial Philippines. Vancouver Public Library Stories from around the world presents stories, songs, and rhymes for the whole family. All ages welcome. Also on February 23, 2013 join the VPL for stories and entertainment in celebration of International Mother Language Day at Mount Pleasant & Central Library (11am) and Britannia (2:30pm). Workshops and celebrations to follow each storytelling. Mother Language Lovers of the World ‘Ekushey’ to International Mother Language Day is a power point presentation (audio-visual) about the historical overview of ‘Ekushey’ (culmination of language movement on the 21st of February, 1952) in Bangladesh, UNESCO’s declaration of the International Mother Language Day in 1999, and the celebration of the day throughout the world; followed by live performance of Bangla songs and poems. Rio Samaya Band Original songs and poetry in a magical combination of latin, reggae and rumba with guitar, charango, quena, and accordion. The Rio Samaya Band is a musical caravan full of treasures and surprises. Rio Samaya Band, magnifico, bueno,emotionante,fresco... viva la musica.
