Incredible Talent Abounds at WinterCity Festival

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Toronto’s seventh annual WinterCity Festival, presented by RBC, celebrated culture, creativity, and cuisine with a series of free stunning spectacles at Nathan Phillips Square, specially created indoor entertainment at Toronto’s cultural venues, and one-of-a-kind culinary events with some of the city’s most revered chefs and restaurants.

“From ancient mid-winter festivals in Greece and Rome to mid-winter festivals across the world today, common themes are found: feasting, fire, parades, processions and performing arts,” said Rita Davies, Executive Director of Culture, City of Toronto. “The city came alive this winter as we explored these themes through music, theatre, dance and food.”

WinterCity is 3 festivals in 1: the WOW! Series at Nathan Phillips Square, the Warm-Up! Series at Toronto’s cultural venues, and the ever-popular restaurant promotion and culinary event series Winterlicious.

One of the highlights included Compagnie Les Passager, one of Europe’s most innovative and visually compelling theatrical and artistic troupes. The French company transforms public space through scaffolding, pyramids, cables, ropes and nets to create a massive 210m2 colourful vertical fresco. High above the audience’s heads, the actors perform dance and acrobatics on the vertical stage’s landscape, changing to reflect the three separate and visually stunning shows.

Time Is… is inspired by traditional and contemporary Chinese culture. Through specialized choreography and martial arts training, the performers take audiences through the seasons as time flows around them.

Namastey is a theatrical and choreographic spectacle based on famous themes from the Indian movie world. It is a Bollywood-inspired performance that revolves around the story of a young Indian woman travelling to London, where she falls in love with a Royal Navy captain.

Cosmogonic recounts the Book of Genesis in a succession of 12 scenes played and danced on a background of projections of images portraying the Elements, urban labyrinths and the mystery of life over a soundtrack of dramatic industrial music.

The Flaming Lotus Girls is another incredible show that sets Nathan Phillips Square aglow with large-scale interactive fire and steel installations. Angel of the Apocalypse is an elegant sculptural environment that rises from the earth like an abstracted bird. As Angel’s head and wings come alive with fire, audience members are invited to move around and between the blazing feathers. They can interact with the sculpture by operating the propane flame effects of the inner wings.

Tim Horton’s Ice Breakers Skating Parties added international fare to the festival with celebrations of the music and traditions of mid-winter festivals worldwide on the iconic rink at Nathan Phillips Square.  These included the Chinese Lantern Festival, Paris Carnival, Winter Carnival Holiday, Brazilian/Caribbean Carnaval, Festival du Voyageur, and Nightly DJ skating parties.

Audiences also enjoyed Mythical Ice, in which teams of ice carvers bring to life gods and goddesses that reflect winter, snow, and ice. The sculptures were inspired by figures from around the world, including Yuki-onna, Ullr, the Inuit Sea Goddess, Jack Frost, and Snegurochka.

Winterlicious at Toronto’s Restaurants complimented the events at the square as Winterlicious, presented by American Express®, offered tasty specials at various of the city’s most popular venues.