Squamish Lil’wat Cutlural Centre in Whistler, B.C. Laura Robinson

When the Greeks founded the ancient Olympics, culture mattered as much as sport. Even when Baron de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, kicked the Games off in 1896, concerts, plays, dances and art exhibitions were significant. But after a 12-year hiatus caused by World War II and Hitler’s use of the 1936 Berlin Games as a stage for Nazi ideology, culture took a backseat. The Nazis had demonstrated how athletes could represent nationalistic ideologies, and as the Cold War played itself out every four years on the increasingly important TV screens of the world, the challenges facing athletic bodies mattered far more than did symphonies. The Cultural Olympiad became an afterthought, a situation VANOC, the organizing committee of the 2010 Winter Games, decided to rectify.

Cultural celebrations have gone on in Vancouver for two years and will continue until the closing ceremonies of the Paralympics on March 21, so if you can’t make it from Vancouver to Whistler Olympic Park to see the action, you will be able to catch plenty of acts in the Greater Vancouver Area and Whistler — some free, some ticketed.

But if you want a tiny taste now, just imagine the world-renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the National Ballet together under the artistic direction of Karen Kain. You can catch the much-anticipated 24 Preludes by Chopin and the modern Hikarizatto at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Feb. 13-14 — a perfect arrangement for Nordic fans as events at Whistler Olympic Park do not commence until Feb. 15. If you are catching the Paralympic Games, see choregrapher Compagnie Marie Chouinard’s world premiere of her latest work, which has been commissioned for these Games on March 12-13.

Fans of multi-talented musician/performer Laurie Anderson will be in heaven from Feb. 16-21, as she also premieres an Olympic-Games-commissioned work, and if classical music fans arrive early, they will see maestro Bramwell Tovey lead the VSO  and a “few hundred musicians,” including eight vocal soloists and three choirs, in Mahler’s Symphony #8 from Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
“Nixon in China,” the play about Richard Nixon’s 1972 China trip that swept the world last year, will be performed from March 3-20, while B.C. playwright Bruce Ruddell’s “Beyond Eden” performance that concerns “two friends and two totem poles” will take place between Jan. 16-Feb. 2. “Romeo Meets Romeo,” a gay rap opera by Edmonton playwrights Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, will be performed Feb. 16-20.

Catch artist Michael Lin’s huge mural, also commissioned for these Games, on the exterior wall of the Vancouver Art Gallery, and, for those staying in Whistler, stay as long as possible at the Squamish/Lil’wat Cultural Centre. Knowledgeable, friendly guides will take you back to the time when cedar trees were chosen, dried and burned for war or fishing canoes; when wool from mountain sheep was spun and woven into exquisite clothing; and big houses were built, stable and waterproof, without a single nail. Bring your appetite. The traditional food is delicious.
And even if you don’t catch the official cultural Olympiad, there will be plenty of “theatre” happening on Vancouver’s and Whistler’s city streets. For more info, visit www.vancouver2010.com and click “Cultural Olympiad.”