Balancing Acts: Calgary's 8th Annual Disability Arts Festival
Balancing Acts8: Bold. Brash. Beautiful. brought another dynamic week of disability art to Calgary featuring seven diverse live performances, five Visual Arts Exhibits, two artist talk-backs and Disability Art & Culture lectures.

The work of over one-hundred artists with disabilities was showcased throughout the Festival and highlights included the stunning world premieres of Jan Derbyshire's solo performance Funny in the Head; Rachel Gorman's dance Pass; Alan Shain's storytelling performance The Colleen Story; a staged read of Ruth Bieber's play To See or Not To See; and Same Difference, an interdisciplinary performance creation by The Actorvists. For more information about these performances please click here.

Opening night came with the honor of receiving an Award of Excellence from the Premiere's Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities recognizing outstanding achievements made in advancing public awareness of disability in Alberta through the arts. The 2008 Festival was also proud to kick off a three year Balancing Acts Commissioning Project. The Project is dedicated to commissioning challenging, thought-provoking performance work of high artistic merit from emerging and established professional disabled artists whose work aligns with the goals and principles of the global disability arts and culture movement.

Thanks to all of the exceptional artists who made Balancing Acts8 an absolute success and a special thank-you to the generous support of In-Definite Arts Society, Studio C, One Yellow Rabbit.

Produced by:
Stage Left Productions

Funding Partners:
Canada Council for the Arts
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Calgary Arts Development

Presenting Partners:
One Yellow Rabbit
In-Definite Arts Society
Studio C

Community Partners:
Autism Aspergers Friendship Society
The Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorders

Performed:
December 3 – December 6, 2008
Big Secret Theatre
Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts