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festivals by Louise Aird The Harmony Arts Festival Celebrating the artists and arts that flourish on the North Shore particularly interesting g r o u p : E q u i n o s c i o . T h i s is a s i x - p i e c e L a t i n - W e est V a n c o u v e r will s o o n be A m e r i c a n band h e a d e d by N o r t h Vancouver singer/composer Marez, w h o m o v e d here f r o m G u a t e m a l a in 1989. E q u i n o s c i o , w h i c h y o u may have seen p e r f o r m i n g at v a r i o u s night spots and c o m m u n i t y events o v e r the last t h r e e years, plays jazz a n d bossa nova classics. A n o t h e r event of n o t e takes place at A m b l e s i d e Beach o n Sunday, A u g u s t 16, f r o m 1-5 p m . T h i s is the H a r m o n y A r t s Festival S k a t e b o a r d Ballet. It w o n ' t be Swan Lake, b u t you'll be a m a z e d t o see w h a t can be d o n e o n s k a t e b o a r d s -- a n d the w a y in w h i c h the s k a t e b o a r d e r s interpret notably enlivened by t h e n u m e r o u s activities a n d exhibits offered by the H a r m o n y A r t s Festival. T h e increasingly p o p u l a r ten-day festival, w h i c h runs f r o m A u g u s t 7 t o 16, is n o w in its eighth year. T h e c o n c e p t w a s b r o u g h t t o W e s t V a n c o u v e r in 1990 by t h e n - m a y o r M a r k Sager, w h o had seen a similar festival in C a r m e l , C a l i f o r n i a , and t h o u g h t it w o u l d w o r k h e r e . H e w a s r i g h t -- l a s t year, o v e r 15,000 p e o p l e a t t e n d e d a n d , this year, that figure is e x p e c t e d t o rise dramatically. T h e H a r m o n y A r t s Festival is a m u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y festival w h i c h s u p p o r t s a n d p r o m o t e s established and e m e r g i n g N o r t h S h o r e artists, i n c l u d ing visual artists, artisans, d a n c e r s , a c t o r s , musicians, a n d even s k a t e b o a r d e r s . T h e festival brings t o g e t h e r local businesses w i t h t h e arts a n d helps build a healthy cultural c o m m u nity, all w h i l e p r o v i d i n g a f o r u m t o e d u c a t e t h e public a b o u t t h e arts a n d t h e value o f t h e arts t o c o m m u n i t y spirit. T h e festival is W e s t Van's flagship cultural event, p o p u l a r w i t h residents and v i s i t o r s a l i k e . T h i s year, t h e efforts of 3 0 0 v o l u n t e e r s a n d 175 individual a n d c o r p o r a t e s u p p o r t e r s have o r g a n i z e d exhibits by 2 7 5 visual artists and 2 2 0 p e r f o r m a n c e artists. E v e r y t h i n g is free of charge, a n d t h e r e really is s o m e t h i n g f o r e v e r y one. T h e c e n t r e p i e c e of the festival is a juried G r o u p A r t S h o w w h i c h features m i x e d - m e d i a w o r k s by N o r t h S h o r e artists. In a d d i t i o n t o highlighting t h e w o r k o f the late r e n o w n e d local painter Sam Black, t h e r e will be v a r i o u s d e m o n s t r a t i o n s , slide s h o w s , and l e c t u r e s . T h e G r o u p A r t S h o w is at the F e r r y Building G a l l e r y ( o n A r g y l e at 15th Street). Its h o u r s a r e 10 a m - 8 p m , and e v e r y o n e is invited t o a t t e n d the o p e n i n g r e c e p t i o n o n A u g u s t 10 at 6 p m . A t 7 o ' c l o c k that same evening, t h e r e will be a p e r f o r m a n c e by o n e their music. T h e ballet features N o r t h Vancouver's A l e x C h a l m e r s , a C o l l i n g w o o d graduate w h o t o o k up s k a t e b o a r d i n g at age t e n a n d b e c a m e so g o o d at it that he realized he c o u l d take it t o the professional level. H e n o w d o e s stunt w o r k f o r film a n d t e l e v i s i o n , and he s t a r t e d c o m p e t i n g in national c o m p e t i t i o n s this year. In January, C h a l m e r s e n t e r e d t h e N o r t h A m e r i c a n A m a t e u r Finals in T a m p a , placed ninth in a field of 170, a n d has just b e e n signed t o a professional arrangement with a California skateboard company. C h a l m e r s is n o w o n e of a handful of V a n c o u v e r s k a t e b o a r d i n g stars, a n d he h o p e s t h a t his a p p e a r a n c e at the H a r m o n y A r t s Festival will make an i m p o r t a n t point. " W e w a n t t o s h o w p e o p l e t h a t s k a t e b o a r d e r s aren't b a d kids o r punks. S k a t e b o a r d i n g is a s p o r t a n d a h o b b y a n d it helps k e e p kids off the streets," he says p a s s i o n ately. " V a n c o u v e r is a m e c c a f o r skateboarding already--there are m o r e s k a t e b o a r d i n g parks h e r e w i t h i n a t h r e e - h o u r d r i v e than t h e r e are in C a l i f o r n i a . B u t w e ' d like t o w o r k t o w a r d s getting a larger park in W e s t V a n c o u v e r . T h e r e a r e a l o t of N o r t h S h o r e kids w h o take s k a t e b o a r d i n g seriously and it's a healthy lifestyle. S o w e ' d like all c o m m u n i t i e s t o s u p p o r t s k a t e b o a r d e r s a n d give t h e m g o o d parks a n d areas t o skate A n c i e n t Y e l l o w C e d a r Snag & the H a p p y W a n d e r e r . Egg Tempera on canvas board with c o p p e r leaf. Medley. 120 cm x 61 cm. By Ursula T h e s k a t e b o a r d i n g d e m o n s t r a t i o n fits in w i t h this year's festival t h e m e Living In Our Landscape--which, in t u r n , is tied t o the c u r - r e n t International Year of t h e O c e a n . Festival o r g a n i z e r s have e n c o u r a g e d a w i d e i n t e r p r e tation o f the t h e m e , a n d festival-goers will see these i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s all o v e r W e s t V a n , particularly at t h e v a r i o u s A r t B e a t l o c a t i o n s . North Vancouver singerì composer Marez, band leader of Equinoscio.