R.C. Palmer Censorship Debate

Come watch the students of R. C. Palmer as they debate on the topic of censorship in the library, on Saturday March 2, 2013 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm. The debate will be held in the Kids’ Place Program room at the Brighouse Branch of the Richmond Public Library.

 

“Out of the Stacks” – A Book Club for teens!

Can’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon than reading a great book? Then why not meet up with like-minded teens and share your love of reading. The “Out of the Stacks” – A Book Club for teens meets the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Brighouse Branch of the Richmond Public Library @ 4:00pm. Starting March 27^th.

Teens in grades 7 -12 are welcome to attend. Interested? Email us at teens@yourlibrary.ca

Richmond Multicultural Community Services (RMCS) hosted the second audition for the Culture Club Diversity Talent Show on Wednesday January 30^th 2013. The goal of this talent show is to provide youth with a platform to express and celebrate diversity through the arts (dance, drama, music, song, etc). The auditions are open to Richmond youth aged 13-24. The top 10 finalists will perform at Gateway Theatre on February 28^th 2013. Youth reporter, Caitlyn Lam, fills us in on how the second audition went.

Splendid Seconds

by Caitlyn Lam

The second auditions were extremely entertaining and definitely showed the diversity of talent in the city. We witnessed seven acts – acrobats, singing, dancing, instrumental music, and even a poem!

A group of eight girls from J.N. Burnett Secondary school were dressed in a uniform white t-shirt with a golden heart (thus their group name iHeart) and white denim shorts. Their dance to a Korean song was really upbeat and showcased girl power and the ability to be confident in loving themselves! I really enjoyed the way they added sass into their movements and their poker faces. Jon Lee-Son, one of the judges, commented on his appreciation of how they all held hands when they took a bow at the end to represent unity. Deirdra Kiai, another judge, loved their performance and commented on the synchronized choreography, but wishes for more facial expressions and perhaps more connection with the audience.

Cindy Ye played an instrumental traditional Chinese song that “shows her culture because it is so well known.” Seeing as it is played on a recorder, I thought she played it extremely well: the sound was crystal clear and the notes were played to their full value, meaning there was no awkward pauses in between. She even had the piece memorized! Deirdra praised her, saying that she has a “really consistent, nice tone throughout on the recorder, even on the high notes!”

The last performance was the most memorable in my opinion. 14-year-old Angelica Poversky wrote her own poems and read them out! Her clear and strong voice held so much emotion; you could hear the passion bursting from within, and understood that she meant every single word. The three judges were blown away by her poems, all stated that she was amazing and passed their scale of expectation.

All in all, I have to say that I really enjoyed watching all the performances and learnt a bit about each contestant. The final audition is coming up on the 20^th of February, and I can’t wait to see what’s left!

The Top 10 finalists will be announced at the audition on February 20^th and tickets for the Grand Finale on will be on sale. Plus, you the audience will be the 5^th judge at that Grand Finale and can help decide who the winner will be. Tickets are $5 for youth/senior and $7 for adults. The Grand Finale is at Gateway Theatre on Thursday February 28 2013.

This project is funded through the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

RMCS Talent Show - “Fantastic Firsts”

Richmond Multicultural Community Services (RMCS) hosted the first audition for the Culture Club Diversity Talent Show on Wednesday January 16^th. The goal of this talent show is to provide youth with a platform to express and celebrate diversity through the arts (dance, drama, music, song, etc). The auditions are open to Richmond youth aged 13-24. The top 10 finalists will perform at Gateway Theatre on
February 28^th 2013.
Youth reporter, Caitlyn Lam, fills us in on how the first audition went.
 

“Fantastic Firsts”

By Caitlyn Lam

 Bionca Go and Sabrina Oh were the first two brave souls to try out! Bionca performed a Chinese contemporary dance to represent one half of her ethnicity. Stepping into the ballet shoes of a distracted schoolgirl, Bionca was in character right away. It was incredibly easy to get lost in her graceful acts – with standing flips, the splits both standing and on the ground. I was mesmerized by her movements. John Lee-Son, one of the judges, noted that Bionca was in her “zone” immediately. Trisha Romani, another judge also commented, saying she was exquisite and very light on her feet. Deirdra Kiai, the last judge thought she was lovely and quite enjoyed the choice of music; later adding that it had an ambient sound.

 Sabrina chose to portray her talent in a different form: singing. Strolling in with a sea-green guitar and a self-created medley of what she called “reminiscing songs (songs that generate memories),” her soulful voice captured the attention of the audience. The judges all agreed that she has a full, beautiful, raspy voice and that her rhythm is on par! John was especially impressed with her “impeccable rhythm and finger picking”, as he too is a guitar player. When asked what message she wanted to give to the audience, Sabrina responded saying she liked the message from Jessie J’s song Price Tag: value is not always monetary.

 I was completely blown away by the talent shown here at the auditions! The two ladies did a fantastic job – congratulations and the best of luck to Bionca and Sabrina! The next audition is Wednesday, January 30^th at 5pm at Richmond Cultural Centre. What surprises will they bring, stay tuned to find out! J

This project is funded by the Government of Canada and Embrace BC. Please visit www.iamrichmond.ca for more details.