The Cowichan 2018 BC Summer Games will kick-off on Thursday, July 19 with an Opening Ceremony that will inspire, delight and entertain. From local dancers to pipes and drums to performances by Shane Koyczan and his band The Short Story Long, Asani, and Circus West, the athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers will be treated to a night to remember.
“Our volunteers have been hard at work for months planning all aspects of the opening ceremonies to create lifetime memories,” explains Jennifer Woike, President Cowichan 2018 BC Summer Games. “To make this a truly community event, the opening ceremony is free for everyone to attend – regardless of their involvement with the Games.”
“Laketown Ranch is hosting the Opening Ceremony, so there is lots of room for the community and family and friends of the participants to come out, take in the entertainment and cheer on the athletes as they enter with their zones,” says Kirsten Schrader, Director, Ceremonies & Special Events.
“Entertainment begins at 6 p.m. to help get everyone in the celebration mood before the athletes parade starts at 7 p.m. Asani, from Edmonton, will sing the most memorable version of Oh Canada many people will ever hear.”
Cowichan 2018 BC Summer Games Opening Ceremony Performers
Local amateur performers
Judy Hogg Dancers
Steps Ahead Dance Academy Dancers
O'Brien Dancers
Carlson Dance Stomp Crew
Little Miss C's (from Carlson School of Dance)
Carlos Rush (from Carlson School of Dance)
DDT Drumline
Procession with Dais and Games Protocol
Emcee, Shanel Pratap, Global BC
City of Duncan Town Cryer Ben Buss
Constable Erin Stevenson on horseback
Cowichan Pipes and Drums
Legion Colour Guard
Cowichan Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders, Rangers
First Nations Welcome from Lake Cowichan Tribes and the Port Alberni Dancers
Athlete Oath read by Jada Lauzon (local athlete)
Torchbearers
BC Games Alumni message by Olympian, Brent Hayden
Professional Performers
Shane Koyczan and his band The Short Story Long
Shane Koyczan is one of the greatest spoken-word poets in Canadian history.
He is the winner of the US Slam Poetry Championship and the Canadian Spoken Word Olympics and has a long list of national and international awards and honorary titles under his belt (Outstanding Book of the Year 2014, Best Spoken Word Album 2012, CBC Radio National Poetry Face-off 2004, Honorary Fellowship of the Literary & Historical Society, Dublin Ireland 2014 and many more).
In a realm where poets rarely intersect with stardom, the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics introduced us to Shane Koyczan. With a collective “wow” across Canada and beyond, we found the poet of our generation. And we weren’t even looking for one. Powerfully engaging and authentic in attitude, his explorations are relevant to our times in the way that Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Downie and Leonard Cohen are to theirs. But unlike the musicians that he’s often compared to, poets rarely infiltrate pop culture. Koyczan emerges in a new wave of contemporary poetry that dares to belong to the people and speak directly to them in their own voice.
Asani
An Aboriginal women’s trio from Edmonton who draw from their cultural heritage to create music that is accessible to a wide audience, but delivers a powerful message from their hearts. The group includes Debbie Houle from the Elizabeth Metis Settlement, Sherryl Sewepagaham from the Little Red River Cree Nation and Sarah Pocklington from Edmonton, Alberta.
Asani has performed across Canada and internationally at such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C. and the Saddledome in Calgary.
Circus West
www.circuswest.com
For those not able to take in the Opening Ceremony in person, Shaw TV South Vancouver Island will be Livestreaming the Ceremony on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/shawtvsouthvi/live