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arts editorial Note From The Editor A nd so another year has passed. It's hard to believe thai it's already 1998 (although it's really still only 1997 as 1 write this). January and February are i-always difficult months to get excited about: the days are short, the weather is usually awful: Christmas is over and spring break is a distant light way off in the future. Despite the drawbacks of the season. I think that the January/February 1998 issue of ArtsAlive offers one of our most interesting collections of stories. We have two articles related to dance this time around. H*Art*Chaos is a modern dance troupe from Japan that has been dazzling audiences around the world with their audacious performances. Judy Phillips has a review of their December show at Centennial Theatre. Still in the realm of modern dance. George Affleck has written a profile of the ever innovative West Vancouver dancer Jennifer Mascall. founder of the improvisational Nijinsky Gibber Jazz Club. Music is also on our minds at Arts Alive. The North Vancouver Elementary Band and Strings Program has hooked up with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for a series of exciting concerts on the North Shore. Music instructor Valerie Wood has the details. We also have an article on Checo Tohomaso and the Vancouver Outreach Community Soul Gospel Choir, seen most recently on the North Shore performing a Christmas concert at Lonsdale Quay. Did you know that North Vancouver is the home of several highly acclaimed international artists? In this issue we profile four accomplished visual artists who have recently immigrated to Canada and are now struggling for recognition on the North Shore. Arts Alive also has an interview with a little known but highly original local sculptor named A l Emsley who has spent several decades creating imaginative driftwood pieces at his North Vancouver home. The January/February issue also provides coverage of stories that are particularly important to women. The Women in View Festival kicks off its tenth season on February 20. Arts Alive profiles two of the festival's participants: North Vancouver actress Corrine Koslo and local illustrator Julie Brown-Fox. Fif Femandes has also contributed a moving article describing the official unveiling of the Women's Monument that took place on December 6. To round things out. the January/February issue of Arts Alive features an essay on modernist architecture on the North Shore, a profile of local actor Todd McGillivray. and a step by step guide for arts groups interested in exploring the possibilities of corporate fundraising. Particularly alert readers will also notice a new section on the inside back cover: listings and commentary for IheArts Alive television show written by producer Fif Femandes. It's a very exciting issue indeed! I hope that you enjoy it. "¡"CKcuvwMt, n r i o J i X Ä A J t Escape the winter blues and watch the arts come alive on ARTSo T E L E V I S I O