| So many festivals to choose from, so
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| | sounded like Irish folk music and the
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| little time..... This weekend Toronto had
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| | polyphonic harmonies were very pleasing
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| so many special events to offer, there
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| | to the ear. This innovative combination
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| simply wasn't enough time to attend them
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| | of music, unusual instruments, dance and
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| all. Here are just a few samples of some
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| | physical performance was highly
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| of the major events offered on the July 7
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| | extraordinary yet extremely aesthetic,
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| to 9 weekend: - Afrofest, a celebration
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| | and Lelavision attracted a sizeable crowd
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| of African culture, located at Queen's
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| | of fans who stayed behind after the
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| Park - The Bud Light Beats, Breaks &
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| | performance to chat and find out more
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| Culture ,Toronto's Electronic Music
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| | about this unique art form. Inspired from
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| Festival at Harbourfront Centre - Italian
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| | this creative performance I got hungry
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| food and lots of live music at the Corso
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| | and rode a bit further south along Yonge
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| Italia Toronto Fiesta - Toronto's best
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| | Street until I landed at the Scotiabank
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| known theatre festival: the Fringe of
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| | Jazz Café that featured a sitting area
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| Toronto Theatre Festival - High-speed
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| | with tables, followed by a variety of
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| high-octane fun at the Molson Grand Prix
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| | restaurant booths that were providing
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| of Toronto at Exhibition Place - The
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| | samples of their cuisine. I ordered a
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| Canada Dry Festival of Fireworks at
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| | butter chicken with basmati rice from the
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| Ontario Place - The Taste of Lawrence
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| | Bombay Bhel restaurant and sat down to
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| Festival on Lawrence Street East, and -
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| | listen for a few minutes to the pleasant
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| The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition
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| | sounds of the Donna Barber Trio. I joined
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| features more than 500 artists at Nathan
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| | a retired gentleman at a table, who
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| Phillips Square. The number of choices is
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| | looked at my bike and started a pleasant
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| virtually endless and with limited time
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| | conversation about biking in the city. We
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| it's sometimes difficult to choose which
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| | both agreed that Toronto offers superb
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| event to attend. I had a few hours today
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| | biking opportunities all throughout the
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| and decided to hop on my bike to check
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| | city. After almost 50 years of marriage
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| out the Celebrate Toronto Street
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| | his wife had passed away last year, but
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| Festival, and if there was any time left
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| | he has been working on adjusting to his
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| over I would also drop by at Afrofest.
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| | new life and likes to come out and enjoy
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| Equipped with my camera and a big
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| | Toronto's outdoor festivals and events.
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| backpack I cycled in through Toronto's
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| | Just recently he had attended a free
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| ravine and park system. On my way in I
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| | outdoor performance of the Toronto
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| was able to almost completely avoid
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| | Symphony Orchestra at Harbourfront. After
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| regular roads and enjoy the serenity of
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| | I had finished my lunch he said goodbye
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| some of Toronto's many nature areas. In
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| | since he was going to catch a performance
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| Sunnybrook Park huge groups of people
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| | at the Big Band Stage. My next stop was
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| were unloading entire regular-sized
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| | at the "Comedy Stop", at a stage
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| barbecues from their minivans for a day
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| | featuring the "Monkey Toast Players":
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| in the park. Through the tranquil
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| | Lisa Merchant (of "Train 48" fame), David
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| tree-framed streets of Leaside I made my
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| | Shore (an instructor at the Second City
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| way west to finally arrive on Yonge
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| | Training Centre) and Carolyn Taylor (a
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| Street, just north of Eglinton. It wasn't
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| | Second City alumna). Together with
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| quite noon yet and the big street party
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| | several other performers they make up an
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| hadn't yet fully gotten off the ground. A
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| | award-winning group of standup comedians
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| variety of rides were set up for kids and
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| | that performs regularly at the Drake
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| slowly but surely lineups started to form
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| | Hotel. Today they were performing a
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| in front of each high-adrenaline
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| | variety of improvised sketches that
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| attraction. Various restaurants had set
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| | involved various elements of audience
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| up booths featuring samples of their menu
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| | participation. For one sketch two
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| at reasonable prices and a big concert
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| | audience members had to come on stage and
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| stage would showcase a variety of talent
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| | finish the comedians' sentence on cue.
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| throughout the day. I stopped at the Fit
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| | For another sketch two audience members
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| One booth which was going to hold a
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| | got to move the comedians' limbs and
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| cheerleading competition at 12 noon. An
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| | bodies to provide the physical backdrop
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| emcee picked out three moms and three
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| | to the conversation. Finally, audience
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| dads from the crowd. The moms were going
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| | members got to choose a location which
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| to rehearse the Fit One Cheer, while the
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| | would fit on the stage ("New York City",
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| men were learning a brief sequence of
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| | I guess if you try hard enough NYC will
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| dance steps that would be judged by the
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| | fit on the stage after all) and they had
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| growing audience. The three men gave it
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| | written down a variety of phrases that
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| their best and the winning contestant
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| | the comedians had to integrate into their
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| added a few additional flashy dance steps
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| | performance which featured a scene
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| to his performance and definitely managed
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| | involving a hot dog vendor in New York
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| to charm the crowd. Then the ladies came
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| | City. The show was very much along the
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| on the stage and they got to perform
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| | lines of "Whose Line Is This Anyway?" and
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| their cheer as a group and then
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| | the crew's improvisational talents were
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| individually. Again, the winner would win
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| | quite impressive. Now it was time to
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| a prize for their performance. With the
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| | cycle further south so I went past Bloor
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| amateur portion of this contest complete,
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| | Street, where the sidewalks on the east
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| two young men and a young women came on
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| | and west side of Yonge Street really
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| to show off their acrobatic cheerleading
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| | started to fill up with regular shoppers
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| act. The two guys kept twirling the girl
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| | and weekend revelers. I went west on
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| around, lifting her up so she would stand
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| | Wellesley until I hit my final
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| upright on their hands. They had had
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| | destination: Queen's Park, which was
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| several years of training for this
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| | hosting "Afrofest", Toronto's celebration
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| performance. It was time for me to move
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| | of African culture and music. The
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| on, and as I pushed my bike on the
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| | festival is in its 18th year and is now
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| sidewalk, I saw three generously
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| | officially North America's largest and
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| proportioned "ladies" doing poses and
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| | longest running African music festival.
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| hamming it up. At one point one of them
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| | The audience was very colourful and
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| fell over with her legs up in the air,
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| | virtually every ethnic group in Toronto
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| and an audience member was asked to join
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| | was represented in the audience
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| in to help her up. I am not quite sure if
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| | somewhere. A big stage was designated for
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| they were indeed ladies, but the members
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| | the feature performers and several other
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| of "Cie Colbok: "Niki" have been
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| | areas were set up for drummers and other
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| enchanting crowds at street festivals in
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| | musicians. A multitude of booths was
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| France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain and
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| | selling African clothing, arts and
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| many more with their flirtatious clowning
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| | crafts, and a big area was dedicated to
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| around. My ride on Yonge Street, usually
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| | children that featured dance performances
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| one of Toronto's busiest streets, was
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| | and a variety of arts activities for
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| extremely peaceful and tranquil since the
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| | children. Young ones were receiving body
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| majority of motorists had decided to
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| | paintings and a huge food court served a
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| avoid the Yonge Street corridor
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| | variety of tasty African and Caribbean
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| altogether due to the street closures of
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| | delicacies. I had a chat with several
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| the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival.
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| | women from Congo who were sitting
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| It's a strangely empowering feeling
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| | together peeling and cutting plantains.
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| cycling down one of Toronto's main
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| | Right next door several young girls who
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| thoroughfares without having to worry
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| | originally came from Zambia and were
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| about getting pushed off by sometimes
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| | selling their local delicacies at a
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| inconsiderate drivers. St. Clair was the
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| | stand. The crowd had spread out their
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| next festival location and the Scotiabank
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| | blankets on the lawn and the festival was
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| Big Band Stage was going to feature a
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| | truly an event for the whole family. By
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| variety of jazz, big band and even
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| | about 4 pm it was time for me to head
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| operetta music. I happened upon the
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| | home and I started cycling east on the
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| highly unusual and innovative performance
| |
| | Danforth. Traffic was fairly light, I
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| of "Lelavision", composed of Ela Lamblin
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| | guess many people were glued to their
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| and Leah Mann - two musicians and
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| | television screens to watch the Soccer
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| performance artists from Seattle. When I
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| | World Cup finals between France and
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| arrived they were wearing drums on their
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| | Italy. Sure enough, at about 4:30 pm I
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| heads, hips and knees and were performing
| |
| | started to hear horns honking, people
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| a playful drumming act with one another.
| |
| | screaming with joy and crowds streaming
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| Shortly after they pulled out an
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| | out of some of the cafes and bars on the
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| instrument called the "Violcano", a
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| | eastern part of the Danforth: Italy had
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| cone-shaped metal drum equipped with
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| | won the World Cup!!!!! Hundreds of people
|
| strings, apparently a mixture between a
| |
| | were coming out into the street,
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| viola and a volcano. The two artists
| |
| | cheering, chanting "Italy" and waving
|
| played the instrument with strings,
| |
| | flags. Proof after all, that Toronto's
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| plucked it and even climbed in and out of
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| | vibrant multicultural mosaic is alive and
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| it, adding an element of physical
| |
| | well, and everyone is invited to
|
| acrobatics to this unusual way of
| |
| | party....
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| producing music. Finally, they played the
| |
| | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web
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| "Longwave", a horizontal harp with
| |
| | portal for unconventional travel &
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| strings that are not plucked but brushed
| |
| | cross-cultural connections.
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| with gloved hands. Some of the music even
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| |
|
