Author: S W

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Dancers Exploring Vancouver Island Funkanometry Music Vancouver Island Talent

Funkanometry’s Fast Footwork Wows the Crowd!

Flashback to the Ladysmith Days Festival on July 31st, 2022. The Events Program indicated that a Dance Duo named Funkanometry would be performing. Word got around that these young men were becoming a huge hit! As a former dance instructor, I was curious to watch their performance and be introduced to their unique style of dance.

Soon after locating a bench seat in the front row of the Ladysmith Transfer Beach Amphitheatre, a small group of people arrived at the side of the theater. The group included two young men dressed very casually in dark pants, white runners, and T-Shirts with the letter F on the front. Hmmm….Was this the duo?

A large group of teenagers started screaming as the duo walked towards the center of the outdoor floor. Interesting reaction? The duo seemed confident, calm, and approachable. When the music commenced, I quickly understood the appeal of this gifted dance duo! Wow!

Funkanometry performed in Ladysmith July 2022. Video by Sandra Walther

Rush and Fryer are pros! They were highly entertaining! They demonstrated amazing musicality and unique choreography. They were energetic and clearly loved dancing.

When a young girl ran up wanting to join in dancing, they did not falter or hesitate–they kept performing and adapted to the situation. Their dancing and presentation resulted in smiles and happiness across the multi-generational audience. We all wanted to see more of Funkanometry.

Funkanometry performance July 2022 video by Sandra Walther

Rush and Fryer had unique moves and really played with the audience. We were totally engaged. This Vancouver Island duo was talented and definitely had the potential to “go places” much beyond our beautiful island.”

Funkanometry plays with the audience July 2022 Ladysmith. Videoed by Sandra Walther

I believe it…you’re hot all right! Funkanometry combines many types of dance to create a unique and fun style of their own.

Each dance number had its own individuality, and interactive humour was the constant element between the duo. The dancing felt positive and uplifting.

Funkanometry Duo having a great time performing in Ladysmith July 2022. Video by Sandra Walther

In this dance number Jacksun and Carlow really seemed to be relaxed and having a wonderful time interacting with the audience. Their smiles and energic moves certainly had me smiling and tapping my toes! I feel so proud that these talented young men are from Vancouver Island, Canada.

Funkanometry Duo Jacksun & Carlow at Ladysmith July 2022. Video by Sandra Walther

Rush and Fryer made it to the semi-finals of America’s Got Talent in 2022 and danced a risky, judge controlled choreography as one of eight acts selected for the finals of Canada’s Got Talent on Tuesday, May 14th 2024.

Jacksun Fryer and Carlow Rush continued to amaze the audience and raise the bar! They definitely received my vote. Go Funkanometry! You barely missed obtaining first place and the 1 Million dollars prize! As the Runner-Up performers for Canada’s Got Talent 2024, you have successfully made Funkanometry a household name across Canada! Congratulations!

You are living the dream! We’ll continue to be watching and sending our positive energy from Nanaimo! @Funkanometry

Categories
Adventure Beaches Exploring Vancouver Island Parksville Summer Festivals

Parksville Sand Sculptures & Beach Festivals

This blog post will explore the “Wonders of the World” from the Parksville Sand Sculpture/Beach Festival held during the summer of 2023. (A World of Wonder was the winner of the People’s Choice doubles award).

The artistic creations truly took our breath away. I always found building sand castles using buckets, sand, seaweed, shells and various seashore items, enjoyable as a child until sections collapsed or the waves quickly eroded my ‘fortress’. Therefore, I am totally in awe of these artistic creations which manage to withstand weeks of display in varying weather conditions throughout the summer.

Vancouver Island hosts a wide variety of summer festivals and outdoor experiences. A popular event for families or individuals (which runs for over a month starting in mid July) is the Parksville Sand Sculpture competition and Beach Festival.

If you have arrived from the B.C. mainland via B.C. Ferry and are based in Nanaimo, the community of Parksville is a mere 35 minutes drive on Highway 19 North–only 40 km away.

The beaches are mostly sandy and during low tide, offer a wonderful area to explore. Locals and visitors enjoy playing in the sand or swimming in the Pacific ocean. Famous Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park has campsites, forests and sandy beaches. If you hope to camp during the summer months, book early!

Parksville beaches have public access and a lovely easy boardwalk adjacent to the sandy beach.

These photos depict the Parksville beaches beside the boardwalk during an August low tide. There are multiple websites available to assist your planning when coming to explore our central Vancouver Island paradise. Here is a link to more information and photos promoting Parksville/Qualicum beaches, lodgings, and upcoming activities.

https://www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/

The photos in this blog post were taken during a visit to Parksville in mid August 2023. The location of the sand competition is adjacent to the Parksville beach/boardwalk/park area. The creation of the sculptures occurred from July 13th-16th when artists had 30 hours to create their elaborate sand interpretations. There are two main categories artists may select–solo or doubles.

This year’s theme was “Wonders of the World“. Karen Jean Fralich was the winner of the solo category with her “Great Barrier Reef” sculpture. Fred Dobbs and Ted Siebert won the doubles award for “Wonderland“. (Shown below).

Thomas Koet won the solo competitor’s choice award for “Two Wonders of the World“. Edith van de Wetering & Wilfred Stijger won the competitor’s choice for doubles with “Dreams“. People’s choice awards went to Peter Vogelaar in the solo category for “Age of Wonder” and Doubles went to David Ducharme & Susanne Ruseler for “A World of Wonder“.

The consistency of the sand is crucial to the success of the sand creations. I learned that the sand is actually transported to the competition site from a quarry in nearby Coombs. The sand requires fluvial deposits (river sand) a mixture of silt and clay. The competitors often commence using wooden forms; a strong ratio of sand to buckets of water is used (8:1 ratio was quoted by one of the volunteers); and when the sculpture creation is completed, a spray containing a type of glue is applied to harden the sand.

After the conclusion of the annual competition, the sand is returned to the quarry where the winter rains successfully break down the hardener enabling the sand to be re-used/re-cycled the following year. What an impressive concept! Here are a few of the amazing sand sculptures this year.

Homepage
If you are interested in further information about the 2023 Sand Sculpture competitors or plan to attend this Vancouver Island festival next year, the Parksville Beach Festival website is a great source of information. Click the “homepage” link .

There were so many imaginative sculptures expressing visual messages. I have only provided a sample of some that intrigued me for varying reasons. This sculpture won my token for the People’s choice award. This is a personal experience…I look forward to next year’s theme and the powerful messages and beauty created in sand and shared by these talented artists.

In addition to the famous sand sculptures, Beachfest included summer concerts and activities for all ages. Thank you to all the volunteers who help to make the Parksville summer Beachfest such a positive, friendly, relaxing and fun experience. Well done Parksville!

See you next year. 🙂

Categories
Canadian Celebrations Exploring Vancouver Island FiLoMi Days Port Hardy Seashore Summer Festivals

FiLoMi Days at Port Hardy, B.C. (Fishing/Logging/Mining).

This series of photos were taken mid July 2023 at Port Hardy near Fort Rupert (Kwakwaka’wakw Territory). The top 2 photos are of Storey’s Beach area. It’s a beautiful area to kayak, paddle or explore and we often encounter Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall’s porpoise, and sometimes the odd whale. The bottom photo is an art display depicting First People’s art and culture which is located at the Port Hardy Airport.

Port Hardy is located on the northern end of Vancouver Island, B.C. With a population of under 5,000 people, it is the largest community on the north island. It is also the southern BC. Ferry terminus for the the inside passage voyage north to Bella Bella, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii, or Alaska. Port Hardy and the surrounding small communities are known as the “Gateway to Adventure”. Near the town of Port Hardy, you will notice the motto on the welcome signs “Live the Adventure” illustrating a black bear and salmon. The pristine outdoor options are a nature lover’s delight. There is also a small airport offering flights down island or to Vancouver and small planes also connect to fishing resorts and smaller coastal villages.

This blog post describes a special annual summer event that occurs during mid July in Port Hardy. FiLoMi Days weekend is a definite highlight for locals and tourists who are lucky enough to locate accommodation during this summer festivity. There are campgrounds, cabins, motels, and B&B but they fill quickly–especially during ferry nights or special celebrations. Here are a couple of the options…

The FiLoMi acronym symbolizes the 3 major industries of the town (Fishing, Logging, and Mining) although ecotourism is quickly becoming a 4th major industry here. Each year the FiLoMi days theme represents one of the 3 industries and in 2023 the theme was Fishing. This is a huge event for this town and visitors will discover a friendly, busy weekend with many former citizens venturing “home” to reunite with friends and community members.

Early on Saturday morning, you will see floats and vehicles being decorated around town prior to the parade marshalling. Ribbons are allocated in a multitude of classes based on the creative interpretation of the theme–2023 was Fishing! Later on Saturday morning the locals and visitors are generally either in the parade, or sitting watching it, as it meanders from the local Thunderbird Mall to the Tourist Information Center and main Carrot Park area.

FiLoMi Days parade 2023. The Port Hardy Seniors were one of the many groups in fine form. There was an enthusiastic audience gathered to view and support the event. Here is a short video sharing a few highlights from the parade and other events, such as, the Taiko Drummers, Boat Building competition, Beach Volleyball tournament, Music, Beer Garden, Buck a Shuck Oysters, Children’s Play area, Float Plane fly pass, Free Seniors Bingo, and Food and Crafts Booths. The Free Movie in the Park, Rubber Duck Races, and Fireworks also were crowd favourites; in addition to the “Sold Out” FiLoMi adult dance.

As a former teacher in Port Hardy area for over 35 years, one of my favourite aspects of FiLoMi Days weekend is when former students come up and reconnect sharing their life stories, new partners, children, successes, or challenges. It warms my heart and is so gratifying and uplifting. 🙂 I won’t list names, but here are a few of these special individuals from FiLoMi Days 2023.

The Boat Building competition is another crowd favourite. The boats are usually designed prior to the event then each team has 3 hours to build their creation then launch it and try to steer the boat around a buoy and back to shore first without sinking! Each year we wonder what materials and designs will be effective (or not) and how many “boats” will successfully complete the voyage around the buoy. This year was particularly special as two of the competitors from the winning boat team were former students of mine. Congratulations Buddy and Adam!

Here are a few more random photos taken during FiLoMi Days in Port Hardy. It was a family friendly event and the weather was great! Although heads up…the ocean water is pretty chilly!

I hope you enjoyed this taste of FiLoMi Days weekend in beautiful Port Hardy, Vancouver Island. Thanks so much to the dedicated organizers of the event. I look forward to FiLoMi Days 2024! Cheers Sandy