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Vanslam Summer Season Kick-off with Elise Pallagi

Elise PallagiNews, Performances

Summer Season Kick-off with Elise Pallagi
Monday, May 6th, 2019
Cafe Deux Soliels
Vancouver, BC

A poetry slam is a competition were poets perform 1-3 poems in 3 rounds, with poets being cut from the bottom. The competition is judged by randomly selected audience members. The top ranking poets each regular slam will gain points to compete in Vancouver poetry slams Individual playoffs in October. The Indies Champion will represent VanSlam at CIPS 2020 (Canadian Individual Poetry Slam). The rounds are as follows – First round (10 poets): 2-minute poem, Second round (6): 1- minute poem, Third round (3): 4- minute poem. Scores are NOT calculated cumulatively throughout the summer season competition.

Vancouver Poetry House acknowledges this event is taking place on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) nations.

Doors: 8:00 PM
Show: 9:00 PM
Cover: $6-$10 sliding scale (but no one will be turned away for lack of funds!)

The format will be as follows:
Doors open 8pm | Show Starts at 9
Open Mic – 3 spots | 1 poem with a max of 5 minutes
Feature – Elise Pallagi
7 minute Break
First round – 10 poets | 2-minute poem
Second round – 6 poets | 1- minute poem
Third round – 3 poets | 4- minute poem
Ending 11 pm

About the Feature:
Elise Pallagi is a spoken word poet, multi-disciplinary performance artist, and a member of both the Saskatoon Indigenous Poets Society and the Saskatoon Poetry Slam Team. Her writing and performance work focuses on her personal experiences and struggles as a transgender woman growing up and living in Treaty 6 territory in the Canadian prairies.

Elise is a sought after entertainer who has been a featured artist at many special events, such as The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, The Nutrien Fringe Festival, Regina’s Word Up, Tonight It’s Poetry, several Pride Festivals, and as both a performer and stage MC for The Ness Creek Music Festival. Her strong presence at Saskatoon poetry slam competitions, poetry readings, and community building public events has been receiving considerable positive reviews, fuelling her fire to continue performing provincially and nationally.

Combining elements of Vaudeville and Burlesque with her love of roller derby, Star Trek, and defending human rights gives Elise’s style of writing and performance a unique resonance on any stage. Elise uses her voice to create space, aiming to empower others with marginalized voices to claim their space by speaking their own truths as well. Elise conveys emotional authenticity and relatability in her work that moves audiences, touches hearts, and changes minds.

*Vancouver Poetry Slam strives to be a trans-friendly space.
*We encourage a scent-reduced environment, we ask the folks planning to attend, to be aware of the scented products (lotions, hairspray, laundry soaps, etc.) that they are bringing to Slam and how having a scent-reduced space allows people with related health conditions and sensitivities to attend.

*We have a wheelchair ramp in place for access to the stage.
*There are three single-stall, gender-neutral washrooms.
*The washrooms are not wheelchair accessible and do not have grab bars.

*Please be kind to our volunteers. It’s cash-only at the door, and they have to enforce capacity rules due to fire codes. You cannot save seats for people in line. Let the door volunteers know if you are leaving.