Cultural Events

Cultural Events

Can-West championships Women's Basketball game

Upon arrival to this event there was absolutely no parking close to the university. The parking coordinators were out and the signs saying parking lot full were everywhere. With a ten minute walk I was finally in the university and now waiting in line for a ticket. I have never seen the kinesology building so full of people bursting with energy. Everyone seemed cheerful and hoping the University of Regina girls basketball team will win. This would ensuring them the title of Can-West champions. I got my ticket and found myself in another line to get in the door. I was handed a noise maker. This was also new to this cultural event as I have attended other games and did not experience this generosity. It was definitely a time of high energy. I finally made it into the doors and was faced with another challenge as both stands where filled with people. Finding a seat was nothing short of a challenge as I had to race another couple up to the top I ensured enough spots for me and my friends to sit. The Game started.

A person could feel the energy in the air. Everyone was completely immersed in the actions; the ball, bounce, bounce, past shot! Swish! “The Cougars Score!”, the announcer screams over the microphone. The actions of the crowd felt as one. One large living unit, it was as if we all knew what each other were thinking. When the ref made a call against the Cougars the crowd let out a loud “boo”. This venues sold alcoholic beverages. The social convention of drinking as a public practice was in full effect. University of BC was ahead by 10 points and when it was like this there was a huge amount of energy still as the hope of a comeback was in grasp. The cougars began to fade and so did the energy in the gym. Some people began to leave when it became apparent that the Cougars were not going to catch up. This shows that winning is a large aspect of sports, not just support of your home town team. No one remembers the losers.

Living Skies Film Festival

The event began with the signing up of which events you were going to attend. This festival lasted for two days with an awards galla at the end. There were three workshops on Special Effects, Independent Film Making and a special guest speaker. The guest speaker was Donal McWilliams on Directing the Personal Documentary. The events began with the first screening of films. These films consisted mainly of films created at the high school level. After about an hour of screening it was time for the special effects workshop. This workshop was given by Emersen Ziffle, a fairly successful independent special effects makeup artist. His presentation was a slide show of his latest works. It was more informative rather than educational.

The next day consisted of screenings at 10:30 in the morning. This is when my documentary had its showing. There were not many people for the early showing. After this screening there was a presentation on Independent Film Making by Angela Edmunds. Her presentation consisted of a slide show and in my opinion on how not to succeed in the film world. Her view was more based on living happily. There was another screening and then the final workshop by Donal McWilliams. He is on the Canadian Film Board. He talked on his take of documentary film making which was also on the boarder of being experimental. The last event of the Living Skies Film Festival was an awards galla. Again there was alcohol served. The awards lasted till around 10:00pm and then most people left to go to other bars.

No Parking Exhibition at the 5th Parallel.

The first thing that intrigued me about this exhibit in the 5th parallel was that there was a guy playing a guitar at the door. This indeed brought more attention to the exhibit because it caught the attention of more people. Within the gallery the pieces were set up with paintings on the wall and sculptures and ceramics in the middle. One piece that caught my eye was a suit of armor that looked as if it was made out of ceramics. The piece was complex as it was made with many hexagon shaped figures clipped together with metal rings. This would not be a practical suit of armor to wear to any location because it would break with the slightest impact. Therefore it must be a piece of art. There was another piece that interested me. It was untitled, and was a chalk drawing of the top part of a mans head looking straight at you. I find chalk drawings to be very interesting and I am not totally sure why. It might be because of the ability to draw such fine detail and still have a sense of cartoon to it. The atmosphere of the area was different from the rest of the university. Although there wasn’t anyone else in the exhibit I still felt that I had to whisper and maintain my distance from the pieces as though I would get in the way of other people looking at the piece. This is the overall sense that galleries generate.

Much Ado about Nothing

This was a play by William Shakespeare in the Shoe Box theatre in Ridelle Hall. Plays feel different from other cultural events because the people tend to stand outside the theatre until the last minute before rushing to their seats. Most people are dressed fancier than they would at other cultural events. Once we took our seats the atmosphere changed again. Everyone began to talk wildly, about other plays, the actors, or their dislike of the seats they occupied. Moments later the atmosphere changed again. The lights dimmed and actors rushed the stage and immediately began to talk. The talk of the audience quieted down just as quick. The play was now in full swing. The play felt different than a movie would. The actors presence changes the atmosphere of the room. The feeling that the actor can hear and see you changes how you would react. In this play the stage was very primitive when comparing it to a movie. Unlike a movie a primitive stage does not take away from the overall piece. It is also interesting how the stage does not change except the way it is lit and it completely adapts to fit every scene in the play. There was an intermission half way through. The people quickly left the theatre to go stand right outside the door and talk again. Just like the beginning of the play they stood out there until the very last second before rushing there seat and beginning to talk again. This time the talk was about the actors, their opinion on how well they are acting, and the scene they liked most. The actors rushed the stage again just like the beginning of the play with no warning. The play was on again. At the end of the play the actors came and gave a bow. The audience went hysterical with applause. Than audience rushed just outside of the theatre again and discussion broke out. This time, after a few minutes the actors came and immersed themselves in the crowd. This continued for a few minutes as people slowly disappeared into the darkness.