Nova Scotia to Host a Youth Arts Showcase

Nova Scotia will host a Youth Arts Showcase in November as part of provincial millennium celebrations. The showcase will feature youth presentations of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and literary arts in six performances.

"As a government, we are profoundly aware of the vital role that artistic expression plays in the process of cultural, social, and economic development," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Youth Secretariat. "This event will provide compelling evidence of the important contribution youth make to this process."

The Nova Scotia Youth Secretariat will oversee the project, which is supported by the Canadian Millennium Partnership Program.

"The Government of Canada is proud to support Nova Scotia's Youth Art Showcase with a partial financial contribution of $32,428 through the Canada Millennium Partnership Program," said Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for the federal government's millennium initiative. "Through this program over 100 talented young Nova Scotia artists will feature in a series of performances, Youth Arts Showcase: Shaping Our Destiny, that they will create themselves."

This program funds up to one-third of eligible project costs, while other organizations and the private sector provide the remaining two-thirds. Projects supported by the Canadian Millennium Partnership Program promote Canadian history, youth, arts and culture, environment and the development of communities. The Youth Arts Showcase is still in the process of acquiring corporate support.

Numerous arts and cultural organizations are involved in the initiative. Some of those organizations include Halifax Dance Association's Young Company, Dance Nova Scotia, the Honour Jazz Band, the Neptune Theatre School, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, the Nova Scotia Choral Federation's Youth Choir, the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, and students from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. As well, the project will involve members of the Mi'kmaq, Acadian, and African-Nova Scotian communities.

"Youth Arts Showcase will bring together youth from a variety of artistic disciplines and allow them to learn from each other while they share their expertise and celebrate their achievements," said Tim Cross, executive director of the Nova Scotia Choral Federation.

The showcase consists of a series of workshops and public performances featuring young musicians, dancers, artists, and writers. Three performances will take place in Halifax, including one scheduled as part of the 14th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers -- an international gathering hosted by the province of Nova Scotia in late November. The showcase will also be presented in three communities across Nova Scotia.

The performances are being developed by five youth leaders who will determine the theme, content, and presentation of this first-time event. The youth leaders will also direct more than 100 of their peers, under the guidance of five adult mentors and a professional artistic co-ordinator.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for creative young people to present their ideas and talents collectively to their communities through a high quality project," said youth leader Jeannie Taylor.

For more information on the project or on the Government of Canada's millennium initiative, visit the Canada Millennium website at www.millennium.gc.ca, or call 1-800-O-Canada.