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Urban Planner: March 11, 2010
Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to [email protected].
Artists of the National Ballet of Canada perform in Swan Lake. Photo by David Cooper, courtesy of the National Ballet of Canada.
DANCE: For hundreds of years, swans have held a special place in the cultural zeitgeist, from the myth of Zeus transforming himself into a swan, to Bjork’s infamous Oscar dress. The swan motif is perhaps best exemplified in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s iconic Swan Lake, which returns to the Four Seasons Centre tonight. Arguably Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, the ballet’s dreamlike beauty and haunting score is enhanced by former National Ballet artistic director James Kudelka‘s choreography. This production runs for thirteen performances between today and March 21, and each performance features a free-for-ticket-holders Ballet Talk with an expert before the show. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen Street West), 7:30 p.m. (see website for times of other performances), $20–$210.
MUSIC: Damn the man! As we reported last week, Brooklyn’s punk darlings, Japanther, have defected from Canadian Music Week due to a “falling out,” says a statement from the band. However, fans needn’t despair, because the band will still be playing an independent show tonight at the Whippersnapper Gallery. If corporate rock events aren’t your scene, here’s a potential alternative—the all-ages event will see Japanther set up a fort in the middle of the gallery, where they will be joined by Boys Who Say No, Rich Aucoin, and Doldrums. Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College Street), 8:30 p.m., $10.
PANEL: According to the International Press Institute, one hundred and ten journalists were killed in 2009—the highest number in a decade. This staggering statistic points to the inherent occupational hazards of covering news on location, and serves to highlight the courage of those reporters who risk their life to inform those back home of the world’s crises, conflicts, and wars. Tonight, the CBC hosts a panel discussion with four female journalists who report from dangerous locales, and who will speak about their challenges and personal experiences in front-line journalism. Moderated by Peter Armstrong, the discussion will feature the network’s Beirut correspondent, Nahlah Ayed, Maritimes correspondent Laurie Graham, CBC News‘ Alison Smith, and CBC Radio News‘ Latin American correspondent, Connie Watson. Glenn Gould Studio (250 Front Street West), 7 p.m., FREE.
ENVIRONMENT: Canadians are hitting the bottle at an alarming rate—the water bottle. Plastic waste and toxic emissions rack up enormous energy costs, and the bottled-water industry has taken a nasty toll on public water systems by privatizing the industry and turning nature’s gift into a commodity for the so-called elite. Today is Bottled Water Free Day, an initiative spearheaded by the Canadian Federation of Students, the Sierra Youth Coalition, and the Polaris Institute, encouraging Canadians to kick the habit and only drink tap water, at least for a day. As a bonus, learn more about the dark side of bottled water in this video from Torontoist’s own 2009 Superhero runner-up, Derek Forgie. Everywhere, all day, FREE.
MUSIC: Canadian Music Week continues today. You can find all of Torontoist’s coverage—daily previews, reviews, questionnaires, and more—right over here.
