ART
Watch poetry get competitive as eight top poets battle to win a chance to represent Victoria at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam — taking place in Vancouver in late spring. Each poet will go through a round each of one-, two-, three-, and four-minute slam sessions. The competitor with the highest cumulative score will be deemed 2016’s Vic Slam Indies Champion.
Thursday, Jan. 21 at 9 p.m.
Northern Quarter, 1724 Douglas St.
$10 at the door; ticket comes with a $3 food or drink voucher
MUSIC
Painted Fruit, Wares, Marlaena Moore, and Smoke Eaters
Painted Fruits changed their name to Painted Fruit but they still sound like lovely garage pop princes. Complementing their style is Smoke Eaters, who also play relaxed alternative pop. Marleana More is a unique singer-songwriter whose chill music reminds me of Kim Deal’s solo venture from the Pixies. Wares is probably the liveliest (noisiest) music of the night and features songs from another female writer, Cassia J.
Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Lucky Bar, 517 Yates St.
$8 at the door
Double Denim Night at Felicita’s
Help support the I-witness Holocaust Field School with a Double Denim Night right here on campus. $5 gets you into Felicita’s for a night of Canadian tuxedos and live music, featuring the likes of Adam Fallon and Capital City Syncopators!
Saturday, Jan. 30 at 8:30 p.m.
Felicita’s Campus Pub
$5 at the door
COMMUNITY
Dance Days is back in Victoria, which means free dance classes for all levels in an open environment of learning and expression. Styles include zumba, salsa, swing, flamenco, yoga, and nia. Classes will be held at various studios around town, so be sure to check out the online events calendar. In addition, a performance series called Rough Cuts will move through town featuring some of the best dancers on the West Coast. These shows are also free! Only one dance event costs money during Dance Days, but it’s well worth it: Out Innerspace Dance Theatre will also present their world premiere of a new work, called A Major Motion Picture, on Friday and Saturday.
Friday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, Jan. 31
Rough Cuts showing at 2750 Quadra Street Jan. 29 and 30
Dance Days Guide available for pick up at Serious Coffee locations; calendar online at DanceVictoria.com
Classes and Rough Cuts free; A Major Motion Picture $28.50
Sunday is the perfect time to lift and be lifted by your fellow humans. This is an inexpensive chance to continue or try practicing acroyoga, and it’s happening every Sunday! There’s no formal structure to the practice so you’re free to bend and connect how you wish, and experienced acroyogis will be present to guide you. You’ll want to wear comfy yoga clothing, and bring water and a mat if possible.
Amethyst Dance & Fitness, 733 Johnson St.
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2–4 p.m.
$2–$5 donation at the door
Join the Free Herb Skool for an environment lover-fueled stroll around Thetis Lake. Meet and mingle with “plant nerds” and discover local and introduced flora present in the park. The group will meet at the south entrance.
Thetis Lake
Sunday, Jan. 24 at 12 p.m.
Admission is free
James Daschuk, Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life
James Daschuk, award-winning author of Clearing the Plains, speaks on important and difficult moments in Canadian history involving ethnocide and subjugation. This reading will address root problems challenging Canadian equality today. Following the reading, Daschuk will be publically interviewed by Open Space’s Aboriginal Curator-in-Residence, France Trépanier. In addition, Daschuk will hold a workshop called Making History Matter, which examines issues in historical research.
Reading/interview Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Open Space, 510 Fort St.
Second reading Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. at Royal BC Museum, 675 Belleville St.
Workshop Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Open Space, 510 Fort St.
Reading admission is free; tickets by donation at openword.xyz; workshop registration at
openword.xyz/daschuk-workshop; workshop admission is $60.
