Tapper’s delight: Q&A with Savion Glover

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2:08 pm

You know you’re on to something when you can stand up in front of an audience and hold its rapt attention for two hours. When Savion Glover performs, it is all about him. And we wouldn’t want it any other way. He is the undisputed king of tap dancing. Glover makes his way north of the border once or twice a year, and it is always an occasion.

We caught up with Glover in advance of his latest Toronto show, which is taking place tomorrow at Koerner Hall.

Tell me about your new show, SoLe Sanctuary.
SoLe Sanctuary is a production with myself and Marshall Davis Jr. It is a production that basically acknowledges our gratitude by recognizing the men and women who have taught us and the pioneers of the dance, the tap style, or approach that we do. The show is dedicated to those men and women who have paved the way.

It seems to have a very spiritual side to it.
There is a spirituality associated with everything that I do. In reference to the dance, there is a higher power, a spirituality, something else connected and working through us.

Do you feel as though you are contemplating the spiritual side of things more at this point?
I’ve always had a connection, a spiritual connection, and try to make that through the dance. Now it is more evident because I’ve matured since my young and aggressive days. My approach to the dance now is much different.

What are you hoping people take from the show?
I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just hoping they enjoy the evening, enjoy the sounds. I mean, everyone walks away with different impressions, interpretations of what they heard or saw that night. It’s not my job to predict what one would take away. I’m just there to do my part, which is to allow them to hear the musicality through the dance.

You are onstage from start to finish and have to hold the audience’s attention — how do you prepare for that pressure?
There is no pressure at all, just at a point, been at this point for a while. My performance is what I am. No difference: me in studio or performing, basically all the same. Can work out forever and try to come up with different tones or different ways to approaching the dance. Performance mode, no difference for me.

What keeps you motivated to continue to expand the reach of tap?
Every time I wake up in the morning and I’m still breathing, that’s enough motivation to do anything. So that’s basically it. If I’m alive and able, this is what I’ll do.

SoLe Sanctuary, Koerner Hall, April 20

Tony Aspler’s Weekly Wine Pick: an intensely citrusy white from Germany

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10:09 am

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Pale straw in colour, this Riesling has a nose of honeyed limes and petrol with a minerally note. It’s light on the palate, but its off-dry peach and citrus flavours are intense.

Food match: pour it as an aperitif before dinner or try it with light curried dishes

Studert-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2008, Mosel, $16.95.
Vintages #970129

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards and has been inducted into the New York Media Wine Writers’ Hall of Fame. He can be heard on 680News.

Weekend Warrior: 4/20 Day, Stomp, National Postage Stamp Show, Earth Day

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5:06 pm

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It’s Thursday, and the weekend is fast approaching. Need stuff to see or do? We’ve got you covered. In this edition, tokers light up Yonge-Dundas Square, a stamp collector's heaven, outdoor activities for Earth Day and more.

4/20 Rally at Yonge-Dundas Square

When: April 20
Where: Yonge-Dundas Square, southeast corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets
Details: Yonge-Dundas Square becomes one big hot-box on Saturday when marijuana-lovers gather to celebrate 4/20 and to protest against cannabis laws. Marijuana activist group Toronto Hash Mob, led by Matt Mernagh (a.k.a. Mernahuana), will swarm the square in their seventh year of demonstration against marijuana prohibition. A 4/20 comedy festival will also take place at Yonge-Dundas Square. Activities for the “high holiday” begin at noon with a cannabis cannon going off at the 4:20 mark.

Stomp

When: April 16 – April 21
Where: Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. West
Details: International stage sensation Stomp is back in Toronto for just under a week of performances. Playing at the the Royal Alexandra Theatre, North America’s oldest continuously running theatre, Stomp is a combination of percussion and dynamic physical theatre with performers using everyday objects like brooms, bins and matchboxes as percussion instruments.

National Postage Stamp Show

When: April 19-21
Where: Direct Energy Centre, 100 Princes’ Blvd.
Details: If excitement is what you’re after this weekend then head over to the Direct Energy Centre for the National Postage Stamp Show presented by the Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association. Here you’ll find an assortment of stamps and adorable old people in sweater vests and bifocals. Stamp dealers from across North America and the UK will be present.

Chocolate Making Workshop

When: April 20
Where: Swansea Town Hall, 95 Lavinia Ave.
Details: Chocolate Tales — which offers chocolate-making lessons for home, corporate events, bridal parties and kids’ parties — will be hosting a hands-on, 90-minute long chocolate-making workshop at Swansea Town Hall. Activities include a brief history of chocolate and four tasters before the chocolate-making process begins using fine Belgian chocolate.

Earth Day Celebrations

When: April 20-21
Where: Various locations
Details: Earth Day 2013 officially takes place on Monday, April 22, but various locations in Toronto will be celebrating this weekend. Here are just a few of the events:

The Toronto Zoo (361A Old Finch Ave.), partnering with Earth Day Canada, is hosting a “party for the planet” that includes zookeeper talks, resources on environmental and conservation education, and programs like EcoKids and Backyard Naturalists.
Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview Ave.) is hosting an Earth Mudder Weekend complete with a public tree-planting event, a crafts activity using mud and clay, a guided nature tour, strawberry planting and even a bike tune-up session.
After several years of additions, the Toronto Botanical Garden (777 Lawrence Ave. East) is having its final public planting in its Woodland Walk and Bird Habitat garden. Visitors can participate in a guided nature hike and purchase native plants.

Trench revolution: Jeanne Beker picks Toronto’s best trench coats

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4:02 pm

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Combat April showers with Jeanne Beker’s picks for the city’s sleekest trench coats.

WINNER: Orange crush
MICHAEL KORS AT HOLT RENFREW, 50 BLOOR ST. W., $250
“Orange has become the new black. This coat is great because itʼs got a detachable hood, so for rainy days, itʼs very practical. Itʼs got beautiful tortoiseshell buttons, interesting pleating on the side and a monogrammed lining. This coat would really brighten up a rainy day. ”

Bold botanicals
DESIGUAL AT SPORTING LIFE, 2665 YONGE ST., $224
“This is a nice, very lightweight nylon coat. It’s really great for travel, especially if youʼre travelling somewhere down south and you donʼt expect any cold days but need something to keep dry and keep the wind out. It would look great with a pair of white skinny jeans. A cheerful little coat.”

Classic with a twist
TED BAKER, YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE, $420
“This has a very no-nonsense look about it. Itʼs really classic in terms of colour and fabrication and has nice mother-of-pearl buttons that give it a bit of a glamorous edge. But whatʼs especially glamorous about this trench coat is the beautiful silk floral lining.”

Drama queen
BURBERRY, 144 BLOOR ST. W., $2,195
“Burberry really knows how to do a trench coat. This one is very dressy, with a kind of a polished fabric. It has very elegant, chic lines. This is something you could wear in the evening with a little black dress. Very dramatic, very fashionable, yet with all the nods to classicism.”

Clean cut
SOIA & KYO AT MENDOCINO, BAYVIEW VILLAGE, $255
“This coat is designed in Canada. We always like that. I especially love the stand-up funnel collar, a very chic look, and the no-nonsense little black buttons. Itʼs got nice, clean lines to it and is curved at the bottom, which adds a bit of a feminine vibe.”

Theatre Review: Race

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3:37 pm

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Jason Priestley and David Mamet both achieved tremendous success in the ’90s. One as a virtuous heartthrob on a primetime soap, whose sideburns made teenage girls swoon; the other as a hard-edged playwright whose acrimonious writing made the theatre world stir.

But Priestley and Mamet are two names one wouldn’t usually associate with the other until now, as Priestley takes on the lead role in the Toronto premiere of Mamet’s controversial play, Race.

During my time as a dramatic literature student at a U.S. university, Mamet was one of those American playwrights — along with Shepard, Miller and Williams — that were thrown at me to admire and analyze. But unlike his peers, I never really “got” Mamet. I was alienated by his flagrant cynicism (such as in American Buffalo), his “Mamet-speak” (played to the tilt in Glengarry Glen Ross) and his seeming misogyny (hinted at in both Speed-the-Plow and Oleanna). Race is no exception.

In it, a rich white man (played by a meek Matthew Edison) is accused of raping a black woman. He seeks legal counsel at a firm headed up by one white lawyer, Jack Lawson (Priestley) and one black lawyer, Henry Brown (Nigel Shawn Williams), who have recently been joined by a new intern, a black woman (Cara Ricketts).

Race is a very American play. As my companion commented, “When it comes to the U.S., it seems to be only black and white; there isn’t any, so to speak, grey area.”

As much as Mamet tries to make Race work like a legal procedural drama, at its crux is his take on the contentious racial relations existing today in the U.S. between whites and blacks. He tackles everything from affirmative action to O.J. Simpson, but despite the urgent tension of its subject matter, and the legal twist-and-turns, Race lacks real dramatic tension. Mamet, for all his usual verbal jousting and four-letter expletives (a.k.a. Mamet speak), has nothing new to say on racial issues.

The actors, for the most part, deliver. Both Ricketts and Williams are outstanding. Ricketts has an almost quiet but powerful presence onstage, growing from (seemingly) naïve cub to ferocious lioness by the play’s end. Williams seems made to say Mamet’s words, with the angry verbosity flowing from him with such ease, he makes four-letter words sound almost pleasant to the ear.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Priestley. The Mamet banter didn’t seem to come naturally to the star, who seemed a bit stiff at the beginning of the play. He relaxed a bit further on, and his turn is decent, but his casting in the play seems more of the stunt kind, which is pretty much what can be said about Mamet’s Race as whole: all style, little substance.

Race, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E., 416-368-3110. Now – May 5

Shop Talk: Annie Aime opens on Ossington

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12:34 pm

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With the arrival of several new restaurants and stores in the past year, the Ossington strip continues to set the standard for all that’s hip. The latest addition is Annie Aime (which is French for “Annie likes”), a European-inspired boutique that encompasses menswear, womenswear and its owner’s passion for good design.

“The store is all about what I love,” says owner Annie Mesenge. “When I travel through Europe and North America and I find something interesting, I will bring it to the store. They have to be unique, wearable and something that will never fall out of style.”

Mesenge is no novice to the retail business. Fifteen years ago she opened the French Accents boutique in Yorkville, which still operates today. But where French Accents was strictly image consulting, Annie Aime gives Mesenge the room to further explore her creativity while interacting with customers on the spot.

“The idea is that the store will change constantly depending on my creative mood. At this point in my life I just want to have fun with a store, be in touch with what’s hip,” says Mesenge. “I picked the Ossington strip for this exact reason. If you’re shopping here, you’re hip. From age 19 to even age 60, when they’re on Ossington, they’re at the forefront of fashion.”

Upon entering, one is struck with the store’s spaciousness and warmth. Design firm +tongtong has given the 800-square-foot space a unique look, featuring off-kilter racks and stacked bricks at the center of the floor that serve as a shoe display (whilst simultaneously anchoring the room). The graffiti on the walls and floor — designed by local artist Pascal Paquette — lends an air of playfulness to the space.

Annie Aime carries more than few exclusive labels, but it’s Italy’s Veeshoo and Saisei that stand out. Veeshoo’s lightweight traveling shoes are smart, yet casual enough for cocktail hour or for strolling through town ($395 for men, $335 for women).

Some of her top sellers have been the waxed bags by Saisei, which are made from recycled army tents ($300-$450). Among some of the other goods are skin care products from Toronto’s own Crawford Street, and fragrant organic tea by Løv Organic. Not to be outdone by other labels, Mesenge is also aiming to release her own T-shirt line this summer.

“It’s not about brand names here. It’s about designers that are doing something different, unusual and interesting,” says Mesenge.

The store is currently in its soft-launch phase, but it will have its grand opening in May.

Annie Aime, 42 Ossington Ave., 416-840-5227

First Draught: an IPA from an Italian craft brewery

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11:11 am

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As the selection of craft beer at the LCBO improves, the answer to “what should I try next?” becomes more complicated than just “whatever you can get your hands on.” Picking up a bottle of Italian craft beer has (unexpectedly) become a safe bet, and the Birrificio del Ducato BIA IPA is no exception.

I have often contemplated how it is that Italian craft brewers are making such headway, and I think, more than anything, their success must be at least partly due to their access to such an adventurous home market. On top of their passion for flavourful drinks, most Italians consider wine to be their default beverage, so the country’s brewers are less tied to producing a bland, mainstay beer to capture the Joe Sixpack market. Craftsmanship is important in Italy, and this beer carries the artisanal claim right in its name — the “A” in “BIA” stands for “artigianale.”

Out of the eye-catching bottle, this IPA pours a hazy orange-gold with a persistent and sizeable foamy cap. Its complex aroma is full of citrus peel, earthy pine resin, herbal notes — which remind me of dill seed — and a touch of caramel sweetness. On the palate, it has a medium-light texture and good carbonation. The flavour brings that marmalade-on-toast balance between bitter, citrus and juicy notes against the support of bready-malt sweetness.

For me, the BIA IPA lands squarely in the sessionable IPA category. That’s beer geek jargon for, “This is not too bitter, I could drink three or four of these on a sunny afternoon in a friend’s backyard.” While we’re out there, grilled meats with honey, citrus, black pepper or garlic in their sauces or marinades would be a great partner for this beer.

Birrificio del Ducato BIA IPA, $3.05 for a 330 ml bottle, LCBO #306845

In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including Spotlight Toronto and his own site, Food With Legs. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter.

Concert Review: Fleetwood Mac at the ACC

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3:24 pm

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For the bulk of their 40-plus years in the music industry, Fleetwood Mac’s lofty status as rock gods stemmed directly from their lead vocalist, Stevie Nicks. These days, the still-touring group thrives, and probably would with or without her.

Their Tuesday night date at the ACC was a collective tour-de-force in which the band’s bold sound carried an impactful, fluid rhythm from all four members. The beats of drummer Mick Fleetwood were consistently in flow with John McVie’s bass, which meshed perfectly with the notes that launched off of Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar strings. But it was clear that Nicks’ airy style was strangely at odds with what was a powerful, high-energy show.

That it was Nicks who served as the weak link in the chain is less an indictment of the 64-year-old singer and more of a commentary on the continued excellence of the group as a whole, and a testament to Buckingham’s stellar vocals. The band was often at its strongest when Nicks was an afterthought.

On shared-vocal tracks like “Without You” and “Go Your Own Way,” Buckingham easily overpowered and overshadowed his long-time bandmate and one-time lover. He was also game to show off a softer side, as demonstrated during a solo version of Tango in the Night’s “Big Love.” At other times, Fleetwood’s drums or Buckingham guitar riffs took centre stage. Buckingham let loose with an explosive solo guitar wrap to “I’m So Afraid,” enlivening the crowd of 15,000 that had grown quiet while awaiting the first of two anticipated encores. Shortly thereafter, Fleetwood took his turn in the spotlight with an ambitiously chaotic drum solo following “World Turning.”

Nicks fared much better when allowed to slow down the pace and lend some emotional heft to the proceedings. She dedicated “Landslide” to her two 11-year-old “fairy goddaughters,” which added both meaning and a personal touch to a song that the band has surely performed thousands of times before.

After two and a half hours of inspired rock, Fleetwood Mac probably deserved to go out on a better note than they did. After capping off their first encore on a high note with bona fide crowd pleaser “Don’t Stop,” they curiously and somewhat awkwardly shuffled back in for an unnecessary second encore. Though much of the crowd did show their respect and appreciation by sticking around through the final note, the final offerings of “Silver Springs” and “Say Goodbye” seemed decidedly anticlimactic.

Too bad. A show packing that kind of punch deserves better than to simply flicker out.

Chef Nuit Regular branches out again with Pai, an upcoming downtown Thai restaurant

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12:11 pm

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Earlier this month, Now Magazine reported that Jeff and Nuit Regular — the duo behind some of the best Thai restaurants in the city — were working on a new downtown project. Well, the wheels are moving: the Regulars have teamed up with Janet Zuccarini (owner of Gusto 101), who will act as a silent partner for their new restaurant, which will be called Pai.

Zuccarini tweeted about her involvement with the project yesterday, indicating that it will be located in the site of a former Golden Griddle. Mr. Regular confirmed the upcoming downtown venture with us, adding that there are still many details to be ironed out before an official announcement is made.

Pai is a city in Northern Thailand where Mr. Regular and his wife, Nuit, met. As the name would suggest, the new restaurant will focus on Thai cuisine from that region.

Drink This: Electric Mud’s Kentucky Boilermaker

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10:50 am

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Over at Electric Mud BBQ — Parkdale’s latest hotspot — things are both louder and messier than at the original Electric. The sibling resto serves up its take on grub from the southern states: shrimp ‘n’ grits, fried chicken and pork ribs smothered in peanut-studded Thai barbecue sauce. Dirty rock ‘n’ roll plays overhead while patrons lick their fingers clean.

Plucked from the cocktail menu, the so-called Kentucky Boilermaker ($8) is a frothy blend of bourbon, cinnamon simple syrup, lime juice and agua loca. While this version of “crazy water” is in fact the house lager, we like to pretend that it’s the real deal: a trashy bathtub blend of spirits. It only seems right for the atmosphere.

Electric Mud BBQ, 5 Brock St., 416-516-8286

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Coming soon to Kensington Market: made-to-order mini-doughnuts

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5:02 pm

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It’s tough to decide whether Toronto is more obsessed with doughnuts or cupcakes these days, but the doughnut side is about to get a boost: a new made-to-order doughnut shop is opening at the El Gordo food court in Kensington Market next month. Named Lightweight Mini-Donuts, it will serve doughnuts in three flavours: cinnamon sugar, icing sugar and a combination of the two.

Owner Joe Winkfein worked in the food industry years ago, but after seeing the popularity of mini-doughnut stands at fairgrounds, he saw an open market for a standalone mini-doughnut shop.

“Mini-doughnuts aren’t a new thing. It’s a nostalgic piece of everyone’s childhood, and that’s because they are so hard to find,” Winkfein says. “I’ve always had a lifelong fascination with doughnuts since I was a kid.”

Hoping to appease his inner-child — and ours — Winkfein will open Lightweight Mini-Donuts to Kensington Market-goers on May 1.

The doughnuts will be made fresh-to-order on a “doughnut robot,” a machine that cooks the dough through a conveyor process.

The shop will also use a water filtration system when creating its batter, which makes for a cleaner, purer tasting dough.

“My goal here is to create a space everyone is aware of in the city,” he says, “where you can not only come to enjoy our doughnuts, but walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of a busy market,” Winkfein says.

Winkfein hopes to open more mini-doughnut shops in the future.

Lightweight Mini-Donuts, 214 Augusta Ave., 416-727-4150

Shop Talk: Crown Flora Studio opens in Parkdale

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12:30 pm

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Sure, Crown Flora Studio is a floral store, but calling it that might be selling the place short. Owners and partners Adam Mallory and Davis Khounnoraj have set up something wholly unique in their 450-square-foot space in Parkdale.

In terms of goods, Khounnoraj and Mallory focus on bags and terrariums, both assembled by hand in the store’s open studio. Khounnoraj handles the waxed-canvas-and-leather bag line called Lines by Davis ($45 to $75 for the smaller ones, and $175 to $225 for the larger totes), a creation of his that’s the culmination of 10 years of self-instruction in stitching, cutting and sewing techniques. Mallory has more of a traditional floral background, with experience working on arrangements for a few hotels and events.

Both men dreamed of owning their own store one day, but instead of chasing that goal separately, they decided to pool their resources and open up a shop together. So far, it’s worked for them.

“Each of us brings in our own clientele and balances the business when one of us has an off-week,” says Mallory. “Last week I was really selling high on the florals, but the week before that Davis’ bag sales were through the roof.”

In addition to showcasing their own talents, Khounnoraj and Mallory also carry several products that are made in Toronto, including ceramic mugs ($48) by Lana Filippone. Much of the terrarium glass is hand-blown by local artist Nick Chase.

Aside from featuring as much local talent as possible, Mallory and Khounnoraj are taking full advantage of their space: they host workshops, take care of floral arrangements for events and produce custom cards on a 100-year-old Chandler & Price tabletop press.

“The great thing about having a smaller space is that it changes regularly,” says Mallory. “We’re doing a lot of workshops and a lot of work with other artists in Toronto. It allows us to change our window display every two weeks, so it feels different every time you come in.”

Crown Flora Studio, 1537 Queen St. W., 647-861-5799