Vancouver, B.C., March 26th, 2008 –Vancouver will host RBC desiFEST, Canada’s only South Asian Canadian music festival, for the first time on May 3rd, 2008. RBC desiFEST showcases approximately 20 outstanding, local South Asian Canadian artists, gives them exposure and helps to increase their profile in the mainstream music industry. RBC desiFEST presents the very best in South Asian Canadian music and dance with contemporary indo-jazz fusion and world music, along with cutting edge DJs from the Asian underground music scene. The festival also features dance and music workshops, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts vendors and traditional South Asian delicacies.

RBC desiFEST originally launched in Toronto in 2007 and was an overwhelming success! As a result, plans to expand the festival are underway, with a kick off in Montreal March 29th, 2008. This national event will feature a DJ competition and the winner will be invited to be the ambassador at the grande finale event in Toronto on May 31st, 2008. The festival’s second stop will be right here in our hometown, Vancouver, where there will be a 10-hour South Asian talent search contest. The winner of this contest will be invited to travel to Toronto for the grande finale event on May 31st, 2008.

Graham MacLachlan, RBC regional president for BC, said, “RBC is pleased to support RBC desiFEST and to see top South Asian Canadian talent being shared with a wider audience this year. We hope all of the dancers and musicians enjoy the festival and are inspired to continue performing.”

“TELUS and its team members are committed to give where we live,” said Rizwan Jamal, senior vice-president of Consumer Solutions at TELUS. “As such, we are proud to present an event like the RBC desiFEST which plays an important role in promoting and keeping alive the South Asian cultural richness across the country.”

Last year, RBC desiFEST featured headlining artists like internationally acclaimed indo-fusion duo JOSH, The Bilz, best known for their international hit single 2Step Bhangra, Canadian R&B sensation Deesha who recently picked up a 2007 JUNO nomination in the R&B/ Soul Recording of the Year category, rock band Zameer which was nominated for the ‘Best Independent Artist’ award at the 2006 Toronto Independent Music Awards, and internationally renowned dance group Shiamak. This year, performers will include master tabla player Trichi Sankaran, Friends of Raagas, Toronto’s #1 DJ Baba Kahn, katak phenomenon Monika Monga and the mesmerizing dancers from Kama Entertaiment. The 12-hour music extravaganza will end with an explosive finale featuring DJ Amita & Bollywood Grooves.

Audition details for RBC desiFEST can be found on www.desifest.ca or call Sathish Bala at 1 888 321 0006. For all other inquires including media, call Rina Gill at 778 688 4973 or email: rina@iccc.org

RBC desiFEST Vancouver presented by TELUS
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Water St. in Gastown
FREE Admission

For up to date information on artists, events and daily prize giveaways please visit us at www.desifest.ca

Over and above wanting to learn valuable hands on knowledge about the latest in social media and web tools, the successful candidate will have:

• Superior English oral and written communication skills;
• High level of energy and self-motivation;
• Post secondary education or equivalent;
• Proficiency in software skills such as Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

The successful candidate will also:

• Be available at least once a week to complete work duties;
• Be focused on outcomes;
• Be positive, motivated and creative;
• Work successfully within an overall company strategic plan;
• Be comfortable with learning to employ new technologies and innovative techniques (digital, web-based, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, etc.);
• Excel as part of a tight-knit team.

The successful candidate should expect a challenging, rewarding and fun position with the potential of moving into a part time, paid role. Additionally, the position affords opportunities to attend and enjoy exclusive events in town.

Interested applicants should email a résumé and cover letter to:

President: Rajesh (Raj) Taneja (raj@urbanmixer.com)

No phone calls please. Short-listed candidates will be contacted directly to arrange an interview.

Regional Heroes, as defined by Wine Australia, are wines and producers that have blazed a trail for their region’s profile with varietal choice and/or style dictated by who made them, where they were made, and why.

The Regional Heroes Tastings occur in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto between September 18th and 27th, 2007:

Wine Australia, Canada will roll out its fall tasting series this autumn with a focus on regionally distinct wines. Regional Heroes, as defined by Wine Australia, are wines from somewhere, rather than just anywhere. The tasting will showcase wineries and producers who have blazed a trail for their region’s identity through varietal choice and style, portraying a distinct sense of place. Gain a deeper understanding of Australian wine-growing regions and learn about food & wine pairing at our food stations at this unique tasting with a Down Under flair.

VANCOUVER: Tuesday, September 18th • The Rocky Mountaineer Station
6:30pm-9pm • $55+GST
Tickets are on sale now @ www.ticketmaster.com (search Australian Wine)
or call 604-280-4444 – See the Vancouver wineries list here: Participating Wineries

CALGARY: Thursday, September 20th • Artists of the World
6:30pm-9pm • $50+GST
Tickets are on sale now @ www.ticketmaster.com (search Australian Wine)
or call 403-777-0000 – See the Calgary wineries list here: Participating Wineries

MONTREAL: Tuesday, September 25th • The Montreal Science Centre
6:30pm-9pm • $50+GST
Tickets are on sale now through Réseau Admission 514-790-1245 – See the Montreal wineries list here: Participating Wineries

TORONTO: Thursday, September 27th • The Design Exchange
6:30pm-9pm • $60+GST
Hosted by the Australian Consulate General, this event is by invitation only – See the Toronto wineries list here: Participating Wineries
Click here to obtain your personal invitation to the Toronto event.

It’s Saturday November 18th, 2006 and Bhangra Nation is about to start for the 10th time. As one of the founders of North America’s premiere Bhangra and Dhol (traditional drum) competitions, I was proud to see that 10 years later, the spirit still lives on. Furthermore, we continued to have the support of our loyal and long-time sponsors: Payal Banquet Halls, Canada Power Products, the Voice and National Video Lab. Joining us for the first time on a national level were Telus and President’s Choice foods.

14 Teams competed in the following categories: Best Traditional (live music only, simply vocals, the dhol and some auxillary instruments like the Algoja (a flute), Best Freestyle (pre-recorded bhangra tracks were used as the backbeat), Best Male Dancer, Best Female Dancer and Best Dressed Team. The grand prize for the Best Traditional and Best Freestyle were $5,000 to the winning teams.

MCs for the evening were City TV Toronto’s Nalini Sharma, Star TV’s Husein Madhavji and OmniTV’s Sarabjeet Singh.

And the winner’s are:

Professional Category:

1. Gurman Folk Dance Academy all the way from Barnala, India
2. Nachdi Jiwani, Toronto
3. Rooh Punjab Di, Toronto

Freestyle

1. Shaan-e Punjab, Toronto
2. Bulldawg da Raag, University of Georgia Co-Ed Team (note: 4 of the dancers were not even of an Indian descent)
3. Bhangra Beats Co-Ed team, Abbotsford, BC

Best Male Dancer: Tejinder Singh, Gurman (India)

Best Female Dancer: Mira from Bulldawg. She learned bhangra in 3 months and is not even east-indian. Wow!

Best Dressed Team: Nachdi Jiwani, Toronto

A special thanks to BC Cultural Group who travelled to Toronto from Vancity.

Balwinder Safri came from England to perform and DJ Amita rocked the house with a few tunes.

The BN executives were proud to announce that with the support of the Ontario and federal governments to the tune of $100,000 over 3 years, BN will be able to open a free dance studio in Brampton where anyone of any age or background may come in to learn bhangra, giddha, the dhol or other instruments used in the art. Proceeds from ticket sales will also be directed towards this endeavour as BN is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art of bhangra and punjabi culture across Canada.

Finally, BN has the esteemed honour and sole authority to assemble an offficial university-level bhangra team representing Canada (Team Bhangra Nation), who will participate in 3 intercollegiate bhangra competitions in the Punjab this October….all expenses sponsored by Guru Nanak Dev University.  Talk about WOW!

Nina

Stay tuned for: the release of the official Bhangra Nation LP produced by Sahib-G in England from MusicWaves and ofcourse…more details on BN West!

Joining us for the evening were representatives from all 14 (yes…14 teams) including the University of Georgia, Bhangra Beat from Abbotsford, BC Culture (Vancouver), Rooh Punjab Di (UK) and our star performers, the Gurman Folk Dance Academy all the way from Punjab, India. This is the first time that a team from India has traversed the oceans to participate in any North American Dance Competition.

In attendance were Rina Gill, Niche Marketing Specialist from Telus and her team, Balwinder Safri, our UK DJs, National Video Lab (sponsor), Canada Power Products (sponsor) and Fotosbyavtar (sponsor).

Other notables for the evening:

• Bhangra Nation West to launch in 2007 spear-headed by yours truly.
• BN will also open a free bhangra dance studio in Brampton over the next 3 months. This effort has been fully funded by the federal and provincial governments. Let’s hope we can duplicate this effort in BC.
• BN has been invited to assemble a Team Canada of university/college dancers to send to the Punjab next October to participate in 3 inter-collegiate competitions there….all expenses paid and finally,
• the official BN album (produced by Pammi Saib) to be released by Vancouver’s own Music Waves in the next few weeks….let’s hope its before BN West goes live!!

Will have all the excitement for you tomorrow as I head over to the hall now. Since my ticket was paid for by BN, the executives are putting me to work!!

Nina

http://www.bhangranation.com/newsletter9.html