1. When you click on the Surrey Festival of Dance website, a great Bob Hope quote is posted at the top of the page: “I had six brothers. I learned to dance waiting for the bathroom.” It’s a humorous introduction to what is a serious festival for thousands of dancers each spring. The action starts up again, for a 51st year, at Surrey Arts Centre next Wednesday (March 29) and continues for five weeks at the Bear Creek Park theatre, a place for ballet, jazz, street, lyrical, tap and other styles of dance. The festival-closing event is the entertaining No Borders Group Dance Challenge, on Saturday, May 13, with honour awards also given out that day. All the details can be found at Surreyfestival.com, or call 604-585-3320.
2. The fourth Friday of each month is gathering time for Surrey Muse, a group event that spotlights an author, a poet and a performer/artist “at varying levels of artistic development,” followed by an open-mic session. On Friday (March 24), host Sana Janjua will introduce author Ruth Kozak, poet Joìniìna Kirton, performer Sherry Duggal, open-mic opener Idrian Burgos, book-signing author N. K. Johel and artist Akram Varraich, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in room 405 of City Centre Library, 10350 University Dr. Admission is free, donations are welcome. More info is posted at Surreymuse.wordpress.com, or email surrey.muse@gmail.com for updates.
3. With the issue of captive whales and dolphins in the news of late, the timing is right for a screening of the documentary film “Vancouver Aquarium Uncovered” on Wednesday (March 29) at KPU Surrey’s Grassroots Cafe, starting at 6 p.m. Filmmaker Gary Charbonneau, involved in a legal fight over some of the film’s content, will lead a Q&A session following the screening. The student-operated cafe is located in the Cedar building at 12666 72nd Ave., Newton.