Articles — Stir

From contortion to krumping, OUROFEST shines a spotlight on form-pushing street dance

OURO Collective’s second annual festival features mainstage performances at Massey Theatre by the likes of TARANTISM and RubberLegz

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithNovember 4, 2025Ouro Collective, OUROFEST, Massey Theatre, Homepage feature

Stir Vancouver wins first Webster Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting

At ceremony last night, prize went to Janet Smith’s investigative article on touring funding; Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Keith Baldrey, the Bill Good Award to Sean Holman, and Shelley Fralic Award to Laura Palmer

NEWSJanet SmithNovember 4, 2025Jack Webster Awards

Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival closes with Rhythms of Thunder: An Evening of Taiko, November 8

Thrilling evening features performances by Uzume Taiko, GO Taiko and Taiko 55, and Onibana Taiko

Chor Leoni sings of healing and hope in The Songs Will Remain

The Vancouver choir reflects on war and peace in its annual Remembrance Day concerts, featuring works by Kate Bush and former composer in residence Don Macdonald

MUSICJanet SmithNovember 4, 2025Chor Leoni, Remembrance Day, Kate Bush

Shadbolt Centre hosts the Nightcrawlers with jazz vocalist Ale Avery Nunez, November 28

Quintet highlights the lively sound of the Hammond B3 organ, while Toronto-based singer draws on soul and swing

MUSICStir VancouverNovember 4, 2025Partner Content, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Shadbolt Centre, Cory Weeds

Arts Club and Touchstone Theatre lead winners at Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards

Casey and Diana, Burning Mom, Behind the Moon, and Yaga shared the spotlight with prizes for Bard on the Beach’s The Dark Lady, Theatre for Young Audience category’s Otosan, Small Budget dominator The Sound Inside, and much more

Dance Nation traces vulnerability and narcissism of preteen competitive dancers, November 13 to 23

The Search Party’s hilariously offbeat theatre production gets a remount at the Anvil Theatre

THEATRE, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithNovember 3, 2025Anvil Theatre, The Search Party

At Chutzpah! Festival, 8 Gays of Channukah sparkles with songs and stories of togetherness in troubling times

Performers Gila Münster, Yan Simon, and Sarah Freia bring their diverse talents and individuality to a glittering celebration of queerness and representation

THEATRE, FESTSJanet SmithNovember 3, 2025Chutzpah! Festival, Homepage feature

Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs hosts a festive weekend of winter concerts, December 6 and 7

Offerings include Bach’s jubilant Christmas Oratorio and annual favourite Christmas With the Bach Choir, featuring nearly 500 singers

Julietta Singh speaks about history, home, and matriarchs at Beyond Siloed Stories, November 5 at the Chan Centre

Event screens The Nest, the writer’s form-pushing NFB documentary re-animating her childhood home’s past, co-directed with Chase Joynt

WHAT'S STIRRING, SCREENJanet SmithNovember 2, 2025NFB, National Film Board, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, UBC

At TRANSFORM Festival, cellist Cris Derksen brings Indigenous classical musicians to centre stage

Ahead of Where the Rivers Meet, the Juno-nominated artist reflects on a multifaceted career as performer, composer, and advocate

MUSIC, FESTSJanet SmithOctober 31, 2025Transform Festival

Stir Q&A: Dark thriller The Effect probes the crossover between authentic feelings and chemical manipulation

Presented by Rumble Theatre and ITSAZOO Productions, Lucy Prebble’s play is about two people who fall in love after testing a dopamine-regulating drug

THEATREJanet SmithOctober 31, 2025RUMBLE THEATRE, Rumble Theatre, Homepage feature

Royal Winnipeg Ballet's distinctly Canadian Nutcracker returns to Vancouver, December 12 to 14

Presented by Ballet BC at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the production puts a fantastical twist on the classic story, all set to Tchaikovsky’s score

DANCEStir VancouverOctober 31, 2025Partner Content, Ballet BC, BALLET BC, Nutcracker, Holiday 2025, Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Curious Cats serve up a fateful night of laughter and tears in The Best Restaurant in the World. Ever.

For its second production, the company turns to an expanded version of the award-winning play by Rick Dobran that became a Fringe favourite back in the days of Y2K

THEATREJanet SmithOctober 31, 2025Curious Cats Theatre Collective, Jericho Arts Centre

The VSO hosts pianist Zlata Chochieva for Mozart & Shostakovich 11, November 28 and 30

Conductor Joshua Weilerstein leads the concert, with a program featuring works by Shostakovich, Mozart, and Canadian composer Samy Moussa

MUSICStir VancouverOctober 30, 2025Partner Content, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Whistler Film Festival to open with documentaries Forward and You Had to Be There, December 3

Featuring more than 70 percent Canadian films, 25th annual fest will close December 7 with The Choral

SCREEN, FESTSJanet SmithOctober 30, 2025Whistler Film Festival

Movement and emotion fuse with wide-ranging influences in rising dance artist Sofia Nappi’s unique style

Ahead of a premiere at Ballet BC’s TRILOGY, the fast-rising Italian-born choreographer reflects on a creative journey that began locally and led her around the globe

DANCEJanet SmithOctober 30, 2025BALLET BC, Ballet BC

Alliance Française Vancouver hosts its annual V-Unframed exhibition, November 20 to 23

Themed “Storytelling Across Media”, event unites art and technology through a dance performance, immersive experiences, and more

New from Glitch Theatre, Faye’s Room shines the spotlight on lived experiences of autism

Emerging playwright Alex K. Masse depicts challenges and changing views of neurodivergence with a story that is both deeply personal and reflective of society-wide shifts