Leanne Koziak has added a new word to her vocabulary — embracism.
“It’s the opposite of racism,” she says. “It’s the idea that we can celebrate in everyone else’s cultures. It brings us more understanding and more compassion.”
Koziak is the artistic director of Vinok Worldance and, for the 25th year running, the troupe will present Christmas Around the World, a mash-up of international holiday traditions told in dance. Hosted by writer, director and entertainer Timothy J. Anderson, the show will feature dance and costumes from a variety of countries, from Hungary to Mexico, Croatia to Türkiye, Ireland to Newfoundland. And, it comes with a holiday buffet.
“Every year we choose different countries, we have different choreography, but the concept itself is the same,” says Koziak. “It’s Edmonton’s version of A Christmas Carol, in some ways. It’s the thing that sparks the beginning of the season for a lot of people. We’ve had a lot of audience members comment that now that they’ve been to Christmas Around the World that they can start their Christmas season – start their shopping, start their decorating.”
It’s not easy to put on any kind of dance show in a venue that wasn’t built for it. A stage is installed at the Chateau Louis Conference Centre. Lights and backdrops are set up. But, with so many different cultures being represented, that means a regular series of quick-fire costume changes for the cast. And that’s where Anderson comes in, bridging the gaps between dances with anecdotes and maybe a few Christmas songs thrown in.
“It’s very important what Vinok does, to bring these cultures together, in a unique and different way” says Koziak. “It’s a little bit of a Rubik’s Cube, trying to figure out what we’re going to do… It’s more than cast, it’s a family. Many of the cast has been with us for many years.”
Christmas Around the World
Nov. 20-24
Chateau Louis Conference Centre
