There is no release date as it appears the film is either still in production or is being scrapped/held due to lack of funding. I hope it gets completed!
Drummers In Exile last night at Trinity-Bellwoods Park was definitely one of the most amazing things that I’ve seen in Toronto since I’ve been living here…. WOW!
I could definitely hear the drums from Queen St West from the moment I stepped into the park it was loud and clear where “the pit” where all the drummers were drumming was located. To look down the valley and see so many people, drums, blankets, henna painting, crazy colours, dancing, hula-hoops, tree swing, and then as the sun went down the fire twirlers, oh and of course the unmistakeable scent of mary j floating around the park which just added to the total sensory experience… INCREDIBLE!
The whole time the rhythm did not stop. I joined the people in the middle dancing to the drums, closed my eyes and let the music guide my body. I was in a trance. So powerful are the sound of the drums, and the voice instruments (yells, screams, tribal noises, etc), it was so easy to get lost in the beat and forget that I was in Toronto (and not in some tribal nation somewhere)!
I didn’t get any good snaps of the drummers unfortunately. I arrived when there was little lighting and I haven’t worked out how to take decent shots with my point’n’shoot just yet. I did manage to get some pics of the fire twirling (so awesome!) and a video of the drumming.
Drummers In Exile is a weekly event in Toronto. For more info on upcoming locations and the summer schedule refer to www.drummersinexile.com
Highly recommended for anybody who hasn’t been yet.
After our trip to Presqu’ile Provincial Park last weekend I have a re-discovered love for camping, and like most trips the company can really make the difference.
So on Friday afternoon/evening Neesa, Nadja, Maria and I packed our bags and things into the Maria-mobile and headed off for Presqu’ile. Being the fun people that we are we tried to remember camping songs along the way. One song that we all knew, well except for Neesa who had never been on a camping trip before (yes, she was mega-excited as you could imagine), was The Ants Go Marching. This song would become the anthem for the trip.
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With tents, sleeping bags, overpacked backpacks (I’m talking about myself here), food, water, games, bug repellent, cutlery, and other camping items in the back seat and boot (”trunk” as the North Americans refer to it) of the car and now armed with our new anthem we were on our way.
So a group of us are heading to Presqu’ile for a tramping trip this weekend. We’ll be leaving tonight and will be back on Sunday evening.
From the website it sounds like an interesting place:
A mecca for birdwatchers every spring and fall, this peninsula south of Brighton is a major flyway for migrating birds, home to waterfowl and shorebirds, and a staging point for Mexico-bound monarch butterflies. A long boardwalk crosses wetlands where marsh birds live and fish spawn. On islands to the west, colonies of gulls, cormorants, terns and herons nest. At the tip of the park are Ontario’s second-oldest operating lighthouse and the original lighthouse keeper’s cottage.
The last time I actually slept in a tent was in eleventh grade on a school arranged camp trip, so this will be fun. The sun has come out to play too today, after a week of gloominess and rain, so hopefully it will carry through the weekend.
I’m excited!
In other news today I have my first official volunteer photographer gig for The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (LKTYP). I joined their volunteer photographer roster a month before I left for Sydney but couldn’t make it out to photograph any events then. The assignment sounds simple enough:
Thom has requested a photographer for a summer drama school teacher training session here on Friday June 20 from 12:30 - 1:30. During this time there will be some role-playing activities that we would love to have documented.
I recharged my camera battery overnight so I’m good to go.
Great little note that I received by email yesterday (just read it now):
Belong (create a healthy social network). Yes, it is the power of friendship. It is the power of supportive people who care about you, who motivate you and who you feel are on your side. Your lifespan increases when you feel supported. Your lifespan decreases when you feel you bear the weight of the world alone.
The best thing you can do to have great friends is to be a great friend to them. Be supportive. Help them. Smile. Forgive things that might seem irritating, especially small things that really don’t count. Most importantly, remember that love is not a feeling; it’s a verb.
