You Gotta Be Here

Kokoro Dance: One of the many attractions at the Jan. 22 - March 21 Cultural Olympiad 2010.

Gotta hand it to those ancient Greeks.

They had a lot of great ideas — including the Olympic Games.

And they knew that culture and sports go together naturally.

The first Olympic Games were as important for cultural events as they were for athletic competitions.

It’s a beautiful tradition that the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will bring to a new level of excitement.

Get ready to enjoy the Cultural Olympiad 2010.

A prima ballerina from Russia — an alternative rock band from France, acrobatic dancers — large scale visual art created in public venues and so much more...

It’s a cultural extravaganza. It opened January 22 and runs until March 21, 2010.

Superb artists from across Canada and around the world will make the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Of course, a two-month event of this magnitude is also giving tremendous exposure and unique opportunities to many B.C. and Vancouver-based artists and performing arts companies.

“The Cultural Olympiad gives us an opportunity to expand our audience base and to make more international contacts," says Jay Hirabayashi, executive director of  Kokoro Dance. He’s also the driving force behind the 10-year-old Vancouver International Dance Festival, which this year runs March 12-21.  It’s also part and parcel of the Cultural Olympiad.  “We hope that this will help us build capacity for the coming years.”

You Gotta Be Here. 

Check it out at www.vancouver2010.com/cultural-festivals-and-events/

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