Burnaby students are strutting their stuff in a charity talent show next week.
The Burnaby's Got Talent show is being held on Wednesday, April 23 to benefit the Burnaby Children's Fund.
It's organized by student leaders from all eight of Burnaby's high schools, with help from teachers and administrators.
"It's an enormous task. We've been planning it since September," said Thalia Lang, president of the Burnaby district student advisory council, in a press release. "All of our members are committed to making this event a huge success. We have people working on the concession, ticket sales, publicity; it's a huge undertaking that students rarely get the chance to try out, but it's such a unique and educative process."
Students have been working hard over the past few months in all sorts of ways - hosting talent shows at their individual schools, setting up an online ticket reservation system, soliciting silent auction donations from the community, making a Twitter ad campaign and producing a YouTube video.
It's all coming together at the Michael J. Fox Theatre. The show, which starts at 7 p.m., will feature Burnaby students who were chosen from their high schools at their individual talent shows.
There will be a silent auction and a concession, and all proceeds go to the children's fund, which has been helping Burnaby kids in need since 1991.
Tickets are $7 for students, $10 for adults and can be purchased at all Burnaby high schools, at the door or reserved online at bit.ly/bgt2014tickets.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
Check out the promotional YouTube video at tinyurl.com/BurnabysGotTalent.
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Celebrate dance this weekend.
The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts is marking International Dance Day for its next Art on the Spot event on Saturday, April 26.
The celebration runs from 10 a.m. to noon.
The day will feature a series of modern dance performances by the resident companies at the Shadbolt - Continuum and Youth in Motion - along with special guests.
Just drop by the atrium at the Shadbolt Centre, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., to check it out.
See more information about what's up at the Shadbolt on the website, www.shadboltcentre.com.
And while you're at it, mark your calendars for the next Art on the Spot - on Saturday, May 10, the day will feature a short history and re-enactment of the famous 1871 painting Whistler's Mother.
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Also on the dance front, don't forget that next weekend is the Lyrids Folk Dance Festival - the first such festival hosted by the Burnaby International Folk Dancers.
It runs all weekend, April 25 to 27, at the Gizeh Centre at 3550 Wayburne Way.
New and experienced dancers are welcome to take part in the weekend, which includes workshops, lessons, cultural sessions, a marketplace and, of course, food.
Serbia and Turkey are the featured countires, with guest teachers Ahmet Luleci and Bata Marcetic.
Kafana Republik will be on hand to play the music of Eastern Europe at a Saturday night dance party.
Check out www.lyridsfolkdancefestival.org for all the details, or call Dale at 604-496-4236.
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Art lovers, don't forget about a couple of special events at the Burnaby Art Gallery next weekend.
Two exhibitions are currently underway at the gallery: Arts Alive, which features the work of secondary school students from the Burnaby school district; and the work of contemporary printmaker Saskia Jetten.
The weekend's special events are being held in connection with those exhibitions.
On Saturday, April 26, the gallery is featuring a Mandarin walking tour, led by Dong Yue Su. It runs from noon to 1 p.m. No registration is required, and it's open to all ages.
On Sunday, April 27, gather up the whole family and stop in for In the BAG, a hands-on experience that combines the current exhibitions with hands-on studio activities for everyone. It's for all ages, and no registration is needed - drop in between 1 and 4 p.m. to take part.
The gallery is at 6344 Deer Lake Ave. It's open by donation, with a suggested donation of $5. Check out www.burnabyartgallery.ca or call 604-297-4422 for information.
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Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@burnabynow.com, or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
