Yoga and meditation meets crafts and Quest at Cultural Centre this March Break

The Aurora Cultural Centre is offering something for everyone this March Break.

Everything from yoga to some crafty adventures in upcycling are on the menu this month, as is a special performance courtesy of the Wee Festival, tailored to the youngest.

Programs begin this Monday, March 10, with Yoga in the Gallery, which will include meditation and sound baths for teens aged 14 – 17.

“This is geared towards high school students to have a meditative practice involving yoga and the use of sound bowls and meditation,” explains Jane Taylor of the Aurora Cultural Centre. “The Mayor's Celebration of Youth Arts (MCOYA) is on March Break right now and that's usually a chance to decompress. Yoga and sound baths will take place surrounded by MCOYA in our Homeroom Galleries and we're asking students to bring a yoga mat, their water bottle, and comfortable clothing – whatever they'd like to practice in – and they will have this wonderful experience surrounded by art created by their peers.”

“[These experiences] fit in with our times. This is always an opportunity to be able to decompress in what has always been a contemplative space and there is space to really breathe it in.”

Registration is required and a place is $15.

A March Break “Crafternoon” follows on March 13 from 1 – 3 p.m.

This year's Crafternoon workshop is Upcycled Paper Patchwork. Geared towards all ages, this free drop-in activity will see creativity flow as participants use their imaginations with colourful scrap paper.

“It's a celebration of your own creativity using sustainably-sourced offcuts and scrap cardstock and paper into vibrant, patchwork-style greeting cards or cards of any kind of scope that you want to make. Everyone can use their pile of repurposed materials and then they can form their own unique works of art. This focus on sustainable artwork is something that is another area of growing interest in the community and this just helps lead the skills in that area and provide that springboard for imagination.”

Rounding out the program on Saturday, March 15, at 11 a.m. is Quest for the Moon, the latest theatrical production showcased as part of the Centre's Magic Carpet series and brought to life by the Wee Arts & Culture for Early Years Festival.

This show is geared towards audience members two-and-a-half and up.

“It's a beautiful, heartwarming and engaging story about a friendship between a young fox and the moon,” says Taylor. “It's told through the magic of shadow puppetry, music and theatre in this sensory-rich environment. In the story, a fox is timid and she really prefers to bask in the moon's glory each night. Watch what happens when the moon doesn't show up, and the fox has to move beyond his own den to see where the Moon has gone and in that, discovers independence and a sense of resiliency and the wonder of the world beyond the den.”

Shadow puppetry was a big hit in their Family Day program, Taylor adds, and they're looking forward to hosting this “magical” artform once more for youngsters and their families.

“This is our sixth year with the Wee Festival and it really looks at creating inspiring theatre and performing arts for very young children and their families,” Taylor continues. “It's dynamic, it's culturally diverse, and the Wee Festival itself is really gaining a reputation of sourcing the best kind of theatre, the best kind of music experiences. We know the Aurora community is very interested in making sure the youngest audience members have a way to get involved with the arts. Since they have the expertise, they were delighted to partner with us. We have the beauty of knowing every year we work with them that we have the best possible theatre and they know too that for the artists they support…they can offer these partner venues so it starts to amplify this kind of performance for younger audiences.”

For more, visit auroraculturalcentre.ca.

By Brock Weir