Indoor performances are an ideal way to escape cold winter days.
As Niagara stares down the barrel of a bitterly cold winter, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) has several upcoming performances to keep people warm and thoroughly entertained. Ranging from music to dance, the many options provide multiple choices to suit audience members’ interests.
Below are a few performances occurring in the coming weeks.
Jan. 28 – NSO Classics 3: Earthbeat
As part of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra’s classical music series, the upcoming performance titled “Earthbeat” is a perfect way to celebrate the Lunar New Year. With an array of guest performances on top of the orchestra’s performance of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, his final and widely considered his most emotive.
The event will feature guest artist Snow Bai, an erhu player regarded for her dynamic skills and performances rich with expression.
Canadian composer Vincent Ho will showcase “Earthbeat,” the event’s titular performance inspired by the landscape of Niagara Falls and the Indigenous diaspora in Canada. The work seeks to echo traditions of Canada’s First Nations communities and bring people closer to Earth’s “heartbeat.”
The performances are linked by their shared themes of environmental awareness and our relationship with both the natural world and the universe at large.
Tickets may be purchased from the PAC website or from the box office. Student pricing is in effect as long as ID is presented when purchasing tickets.
Feb. 1 – Lessons in Temperament
Like any instrument, it is impossible to tune a piano to perfection. For musician James Smith, however, there is perfection to be found in the pursuit of fine-tuning itself. Written and performed by Smith as a memoir, “Letters in Temperament” uses the metaphor of tuning a piano to shed light on Smith’s mental health struggles and past family challenges. Smith emphasizes the struggles he and his brothers endured with neurodivergence, OCD, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Described as deeply intimate and vulnerable, “Letters in Temperament” is the ideal show for enjoyers of theatre and music alike. More information about Smith and the show can be found on the production company’s website.
Feb. 2 – Humans 2.0
The Australian-based performance company Circa unpacks the visceral sides of human behaviour in “Humans 2.0.” Created by circus choreographer Yaron Lifschitz, the show intertwines acrobatics with contemporary dance, pushing performers to their athletic limits and audience members to the edge of their seats.
The use of performers’ bodies in “Humans 2.0” emulates humanity’s continuous evolutionary highs and lows. As empires rise and fall, is the primal urge to adapt what defines our species and allows it to triumph over challenges?
Further information about events and ticket sales may be found on the FirstOntario PAC website.