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February 2 edition: Changemakers, boundary-pushers, big thinkers

February 2 edition: Changemakers, boundary-pushers, big thinkers

Meet the rest of The Breakouts.

February 02, 2024

Hello! Welcome to a special bonus edition of our newsletter. Yesterday we introduced you to five of The Breakouts: big talents who are making our city better across a variety of industries. Today we’re bringing you the other five, who are all equally deserving of your attention.

Pick up a print copy of The Breakouts issue today, and thank you again to our presenting sponsor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Enjoy your weekend! Don’t worry it’s probably going to rain.

— Sara
Editor-in-Chief

BREAKOUT BAND

The self-assured arrival of Post Modern Connection

Post Modern Connection has finally found its sound. The members of the Vancouver-based indie-rock duo—Tega Ovie and Georges Nasrallah—spent their formative years experimenting with styles, trying to figure out who they were as a band.

“Those early days were all about jamming,” Ovie says. “For me, it was kind of wading in and discovering all these new sounds. I didn’t grow up listening [to indie rock], so I wasn’t confined to a particular sound.”

BREAKOUT VISUAL ARTIST

Emiko Venlet fuses the realistic and the playful

Emiko Venlet has always been an avid collector: of antiques, of beautiful things, of images that caught her attention in magazines. That magpie nature is reflected in her still life paintings: eclectic collections of objects, texture, and shape that she configures into whimsical works of visual storytelling. But although Venlet has always been creative, she didn’t initially pursue a career as an artist.

“I became a therapist. And I realized: ‘What the hell am I doing? I’m making other people’s dreams come true, not mine,’ ” she reflects. “I had collections of cutouts from magazines that I had stored for years and years—and looking through, I realized, ‘This is cool. I love this part of me.’”

KPU Arcade: Game Design Workshop & Showcase

Don't miss out on engaging with the vibrant gaming community at KPU Arcade.

Dive headfirst into the epic realm of video game creation as KPU gamers unite to craft an exciting new game using the latest industry techniques. Gain valuable insights on video game asset creation from the experts at KPU Entertainment Arts, and network with fellow Game Development students and industry pros.

Enjoy exciting prizes, refreshments, and an exclusive look at the newly renovated Entertainment Arts department spaces and equipment. Join us in celebrating our talented participants and making connections within Vancouver's Video Game industry.

The KPU Arcade: Game Design Workshop & Student Game Showcase is on Friday, March 8th, from 4 - 7 PM at KPU Richmond (8771 Lansdowne Road, Richmond, B.C. V6X 3X7).

BREAKOUT DANCER

Livona Ellis’ magnetism of movement

Where change tends to be scary for most of us, dancer and choreographer Livona Ellis sees it as absolutely essential—something to be embraced if one is to move forward in life.

“I’ve always been the kind of person that needs a big push to get myself to try things that I wouldn’t do,” Ellis says. “I have to put myself in a situation where I have to adapt quickly and see what comes out. But this push has been less scary, and maybe more exciting as I’ve kind of been wanting to shift for a while.”

The self-orchestrated push in this case was her decision to leave dance powerhouse Ballet BC last year following a run of more than a decade. After coming out of the Arts Umbrella program, Ellis joined the company in 2010, establishing herself as both a dedicated team player when necessary, and a magnetic standout.

BREAKOUT PLAYWRIGHT

Christine Quintana keeps it deliciously local

The question is a pretty good barometer of how much one loves their community: “If you won the lottery, would you move?”

As a long-time resident of East Van, playwright and actor Christine Quintana doesn’t have to think about her answer for more than a heartbeat, which is also the time it takes her to put a clever twist on things.

“If we win the lottery, we might be able to stay in the neighbourhood,” she says with a laugh.

Arts Umbrella presents Strings of the Universe

Arts Umbrella presents Strings of the Universe, a musical performance inspired by renowned Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow’s weaving, composed by Jack Campbell.

Jasper Wood (violin), Joy Yeh (harp), and Meaghan Williams (double bass) will bring the composition to life at the Jack and Darlene Poole Theatre on February 25 at 2pm.

BREAKOUT ACTIVISTS

Climate Recentered takes a true grassroots, hands-on, mutual aid approach

Zoha Faisal, Naisha Khan, Dana Cachero, and Arshia Uppal may have been teenagers when they founded Climate Recentered in 2021, but they were already veteran organizers. The four met when they were part of youth climate organizations—and realized that they wanted to do things their own way.

“I faced a lot of microaggressions, and tokenism, being a racialized person in a very predominantly white space,” says Khan, who is fresh from doing winter coat distribution at Surrey SkyTrain Station along with the others when we talk. “I really wanted to create something new—something that was centred by the people, for the people. Something that was a safe space, where I could feel heard, where I could feel like I was more than a resource.”

ICYMI

Vancouver author’s book flagged by American right-wing site, putting it a risk of being banned
Here’s your chance to be on The Great Canadian Baking Show
Cap U makes theatre a little more accessible with its series of relaxed performances
Commentary: Remembering Black history is important, but so is celebrating Black excellence
Bits + Bobs Market gives new life to “samples and seconds”
Mark Your Calendar: Sea shanties galore at Chor Leoni’s The Return Voyage
Future Islands are coming to play the Malkin Bowl

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

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