P.U.S.H. (PERSIST UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS)
Welcome to the ninth annual PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Be prepared for something special—in fact, a whole lot of special. The 2013 Festival is without question our most far-reaching and expansive yet.
A Facebook posting, recently shared with staff, interpreted the word “push” as an acronym to mean: persist until something happens. Well, something is certainly happening this January. Over three jam-packed weeks, the PuSh Festival looks to coax, cajole, tease, lure, persuade, entice, invite and charm you to cross the line... into new ways of thinking about art-making and the world around you.
Contemporary, innovative, lively and boundary-pushing—these are essential PuSh characteristics. True to form, this year’s Festival runs the gamut, offering something for both the aficionado and the uninitiated.
We are back on the street, so to speak, with a provocative series this year entitled Fiction(s). It’s a suite of pieces that explores the intersection of public space and contemporary art practice. Collectively, the series is one-of-a-kind, at times life-transforming and always perspective- stretching.
We are collaborating with UK-based caravan to bring three English companies to Vancouver. Through performances, workshops and conversations, we aim to encourage dialogue and understanding. Besides performing at Club PuSh, the companies will work with local artists to dialogue about practice, and to explore ideas and contacts in the hopes that this will lead to ongoing collaboration between English and Canadian artists.
Locally, we have joined forces with an extraordinary group of organizational partners. Tapping into their curatorial expertise, audiences and community profile, PuSh is once again embracing a spirit of cooperation. Take a survey of the myriad of dance, music, theatre, and visual art organizations associated with this year’s PuSh Festival, and you’ll have a snapshot of just how vibrant Vancouver’s independent arts scene is.
And it has its match in the private sector—local brands that are similarly driven to innovate, to define this city’s culture and evolving identity. We’re proud to be working this year with some of the finest. We’ve also hooked up with Tourism Vancouver and the Dine Out Vancouver Festival to celebrate our shared love of the culinary arts.
Join us for the 2013 PuSh Festival. Rediscover what’s made you a loyal patron, passholder, donor and supporter. Discover why you will soon become one. Come on, let’s go... cross the line!
Norman Armour Executive Director &
Peter Dickinson Board President
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival