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Amplify celebrates young artists

Music, dance, spoken word, theatre, visual arts, pottery and much more ...
Movementality - B852557work_corr
Last year, the hip hop dance crew Movementality brought the house down breaking, popping and locking. They return to Amplify Festival this coming Friday night showcasing more freestyle moves. MARC J CHALIFOUX/Photo

 

PREVIEW

Amplify Festival

Oct. 18 to 19

Kinsmen Banquet Centre

47 Riel Dr.

Tickets: $10 at eventbrite.ca

 

St. Albert’s sixth edition of Amplify Festival celebrating youth talent gets underway this coming Friday and Saturday.

Launched in 2012, the arts festival provides a special opportunity for individuals from Grade 7 to age 21 to present their art on their own terms.

It showcases talent from a variety of disciplines, including dance, music, songwriting, visual arts, pottery, theatre, poetry, special effects makeup, cooking and calligraphy, to name a few.

For Kathleen Bell, Amplify Festival associate, the event goes deeper than an arts showcase.

“I’ve seen it grow over the past six years. Art is important. It lets youth be successful and discover what they like. It builds confidence and gives them a new skill set they can fall back on in a pinch. You’re allowed to find the thing you like and be successful. It’s a creative, engaging base for youth, and it helps grow civic pride and leadership while investing in our youth,” said Bell.

The festival is organized and run by The Amplify Advisory Council, a volunteer committee of 15 youth, many of whom are artists themselves.

The youth-led cultural strategy is broken into three main categories: workshops, free stuff and concerts. This year’s theme is Explore the Uncharted, an otherwise gentle nudge to take fresh risks into unmapped artistic territory.

Singer-songwriter-musician Amy Polczer, 17, never looked back after performing her first gig in 2015 on the acoustic stage.

“It was a huge step for me. It was my first chance to perform and sing. Now I sing across Alberta and I’m in the band Redacted,” said the Paul Kane High student, a triple threat on piano, drums and guitar.

In just a few short years, she’s picked up momentum singing on average 20 to 25 concerts per year at events such as Autism Speaks Walk, March of Dimes and Canada Day, and she’s run open mics.

“Amplify encouraged me to sing in the first place and it gave me credit. Without Amplify, I wouldn’t be singing and performing like I am today.”

Just this past year, Polczer also joined the youth advisory council.

“I wanted to join and help other artists explore their art in the way Amplify helped me explore my art.”

Wrap-up dance

Traditionally, the single most popular event is the Saturday night wrap-up dance party. This year’s headliner is the dynamic Arlo Maverick, an Edmonton-based hip-hop singer-songwriter who fuses jazz, electro and soul into a gritty signature sound.

“He’s coming with a six-piece band. He was the second opener last year and he blew everyone away. The band is incredible – so high-energy. The crowd jumped and clapped. Within seconds he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand,” Bell said.

This year’s opener just prior to Maverick is Winnipeg singer Roman Clarke.

“He’s our long-distance performer. He has a cool R&B pop vibe. He’s on YouTube and he plays all the instruments and posts online. He sings very catchy, soulful songs,” said Bell.

And in a surprise move, Cypress is the party’s first opener. Originally, it was slated to be Sydney Barbeau, winner of last year’s The Show 5.0 competition.

“She had an opportunity to go on a mission with her church and travel the world. So she handed her slot to second place winner Cypress.”

Bell goes on to say that a couple of Cypress' musicians met at Amplify and decided to start the group.

“They just released a new record and they’ve had 22,000 plays on Spotify. They were also the first band in the battle of the bands to get an encore.”

The Show 6.0

The Show features a diverse lineup of local bands and solo singer-songwriters who battle it out for a prize package that includes a guaranteed spot opening for next year’s headliner.

The Friday night of entertainment kicks off at 7:15 p.m. with roots-pop singer Rhian Sorotsky, a student at Dominelli School of Music.

Immediately following at 7:55 p.m. is The Zits, an indie-pop six-piece from St. Albert Catholic High.

“Quite a few musicians in the band play as Sidney Barbeau’s backup band and they helped her win last year.”

King Casserole, an all female a cappella foursome performing at 8:40 p.m., place their focus on harmonies.

“They applied with an a cappella video. It was a really bold move."

Redacted, a multi-instrumental six-piece from Paul Kane High performing at 9:25 p.m., has repeatedly demonstrated it is a strong challenger.

“They do the gamut of rock and pop history – anywhere from Blondie to Amy Winehouse. They don’t stick to any one era. The make lots of bold choices and it’s very energetic music.”

And the last band competing is Sweatercuff, a band that plays original instrumental music.

“They’re not afraid to not sing. They’re interesting, kooky, fun and positive.”

In between sets from the five competitive groups, organizers have booked variety acts that range from DanceCo performers and break dance crew Movementality to acro-yoga performers Holding On Circus and Ivy League, the festival’s first drag queen.

“We reached out to Yeg Drag and asked to be put in touch with a performer. Ivy does the more classic older songs.”

Workshops

The popularity of Saturday workshops increases yearly and organizers are providing new and exciting presenters that promise to fuel creativity and expression.

The only workshop that is currently sold out is Kathryn Joel’s sushi cooking class.

“Everyone loves to eat and it’s very trendy. But it can be scary to start. You don’t need much instruction and Kathryn makes it a fun, casual environment.”

For aspiring actors, Dawn Sadoway, head of voice at MacEwan University’s Theatre Arts Program, leads a workshop exploring the difference between accents and dialects.

“She’ll also help participants develop character accents and she’ll be getting people to practice different monologues.”

Alberta’s first artist-in-residence, Lauren Crazybull, passes on her tips and tricks in creating beautiful self-portraits.

“Her paintings are big, bright and beautiful. She has a lot of experience teaching youth courses. She taught at iHuman. Her presentation is a real coup for us.”

For struggling musicians pushing to get out that first song, Arlo Maverick is stepping up to share a few tips in a songwriting workshop.

“He’s super smart and a clever lyricist and rapper.”

Just in time for Halloween, makeup artist Noreen Jani returns with her treasure trove of special effects – scars, gashes, bruises, gross wounds and other ghoulish makeup techniques.

Organizers are debuting an introduction to calligraphy, an elegant art form that transcends modern lettering. In addition, creative gardeners can learn to build miniature gardens and/or shape a clay, hanging planter.

Admission to all workshops is $10.

Free stuff

Not all events at the festival require a charge. There are plenty of free events. The acoustic stage is jam-packed with vocal and musical performances. It runs parallel to a visual art exhibit contributed by local students.

A new presenter this year is Silverius Materi, a tarot card reader.

“This is a great opportunity to explore the uncharted or the future,” Bell adds.

Also new this year, is bracelet making from hexagonal metallic nuts.

Returning events include caricaturist Simon Glassman, silk screening, button making, T-shirt tie-dye and creating a candy bouquet.

Polczer added, “No matter if you partake or are just interested in Amplify, it is a fantastic place to be introduced or explore an art form. It provides the means to get started or perform their art."

Amplify Festival runs Oct. 18 and 19 at Kinsmen Banquet Hall, 47 Riel Dr. Tickets to all workshops, The Show 6.0 and the Wrap-Up Party are $10 each. Visit eventbrite.ca.

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