Reach for the Sky

“Follow your dreams, work hard, and tell the truth,”  is James Sanders’ advice to young actors thinking of starting a theatre company - but he could just as easily be describing his life philosophy.

The past year has been  busy for Sanders.  He completed a cross-Canada tour of his hit play, “Skydive”, while being artistic director of his own theatre company, Realwheels.  He is already hard at work on the next show, opening in early 2010.  And the fact that Mr. Sanders happens to be a quadriplegic hasn’t slowed him down one bit.  

“Starting Realwheels was crazy.”  he says when asked about the challenges of forming the company.  “I had no idea what I was doing, and, worse than being ignorant of how to get things done, I was too stupid to ask for help.”  But with hard work the company took shape.  

“There is a paradox in starting up an organization, in that it takes money to hire management and it takes management to earn the money,” Sanders says.  The solution came through volunteer management at the outset, coupled with securing arts funding.  The company is now in its sixth year.

Realwheels’ first production was, “Skydive”, a two-person play in which both actors fly high above the stage throughout the production.  It is the story of two brothers who are polar opposites - one is a wild extrovert and the other is timid to the point of neurosis.  In an effort to cure his shy brother of his phobias, Sanders’ character conceives of skydiving as a form of radical therapy.  On the skydive, things go wrong, and what follows is a surreal choreography that takes place in suspended time, filled with flashbacks, dream sequences, and 80s music.  As he flips and glides through the air, there is no evidence of Sanders’ disability.

“Skydive” was conceived as a collaboration between Sanders and Bob Frazer, two longtime friends who met as students at Vancouver’s Douglas College Theatre School.  Born in 1970, Sanders had grown up with a strong interest in rock music and briefly envisaged a career in modeling, but a suggestion from his stepfather left him bitten by the acting bug.  “He left a theatre school program on my bed,” Sanders explains.  At his audition, Sanders was accepted on the spot.  

It was during his time at Douglas that Sanders experienced what he terms the “transition to the next phase of his life,” after he suffered a spinal cord injury and became a quadriplegic.  He doesn’t feel that it is relevant to discuss the specifics of his accident, however, because “it is inconsequential to my development as a person with a disability...it’s a very brief event in time.”  

His positive attitude allowed him to accept his new reality in a healthy way.  “At heart, I am an optimist, so in dealing with injury, rehabilitation, and the possibility of re-direction was all just part of life’s journey in maturity,” he says. He didn’t experience doubts about continuing his career in theatre at the time, and only ever questioned what the future held after his graduation as valedictorian from the Simon Fraser University in 1998, four years after graduating from Douglas.  

“I have strong memories of the days and weeks that followed being filled with doubt, ups and downs, and wondering, “What the hell am I going to do next?” he recalls. But Sanders soon overcame the post-grad blues.  

Good roles were scare, eventually giving him the idea of creating his own show.  He and Fraser wanted to work together.  When it came to finding the right project, Sanders says, “It’s an opportunity that all individuals have difficulty with, and being an individual with a disability, that challenge increases tenfold.”  But a new technology developed by choreographer Sven Johansson gave them an idea.

“His inspiration aimed to remove gravity as a negative influence on a dancer.”  Sanders says.  “The ES Dance Instrument is a 21-foot long steel pole on a fulcrum at a third of its length.  On the short end, an operator controls the wheel of the instrument that articulates the dancer, who is attached to the long end of the pole.  Our use of the instruments came from the desires to explore our bodies, our dreams and our imaginations in ways we hadn’t experienced.”

The play opened to great reviews in 2007, and a national tour was organized for 2008 - 2009.  The prospect of a tour tested Sanders in ways he had never experienced before.  “Touring ‘Skydive’ was a huge learning curve for me as a producer, actor and husband.  For months I was terrified of all the questions that went into putting on a tour, which then transitioned into fears as a performer, in that I had never had a run of so many shows.”  

Sanders eventually became comfortable with his acting and producing roles, but being apart from his wife (he has been married since 2004) remained hard throughout the tour.  “I was constantly challenged to find ways to stay connected to home,” he recalls.

Sanders is outspoken in his advocacy for the disabled.  His attitude towards disability differs from that of the late Christopher Reeves and Rick Hansen, among others.  He is a strong advocate of the “care” model for those with disabilities, versus the “cure” model many espouse.  

Describing what he views as the harm of the cure model, Sanders says, “a frustrated individual unwilling to accept the realities...will subject themselves to experimental treatments with often tragic and fatal results. What’s profoundly more sad...is the harsh reality that our society is not embracing of people with disabilities, but rather simply accommodating at best.”  

Sanders’ own view is that, “If we were all cured of anything that ails us, we would be void of challenge - challenge that often defines character.  The human spirit that drives our existence then falls soft and silent and we lose our inspiration.”  He has famously said, “I dream of a day where a wheelchair is no more unusual than a pair of eyeglasses.”  His vision is for those with disabilities “to live barrier-free - both attitudinally and physically.”

Today, Sanders is excited to be working on his next show, titled, “Spine”.  It will be a co-production with the University of Alberta, and once again, ES Dance instruments will play an integral role.  “It will present more direct discussions around issues people with disabilities face - back to the cure-versus-care model.”  He also keeps busy with other projects, such as a 2005 television special he wrote and starred in called, “A Perfect Note”.  Is there a common thread in his work?  He says,  “it’s about trying to find love in the human connection.”  

All What Jazz?

A quick glance at major free concerts at Montreal’s Jazz Festival this year shows a distinct lack of, well....jazz.  In recent years some jazz purists have complained that the festival has drifted increasingly far from its roots, and this year’s lineup does little to contradict this argument. 

Let’s begin with Stevie Wonder, the largest outdoor show ever in the festival’s history.  He drew an estimated crowd of over 200,000.  As thousands of cheering fans experienced Wonder under the stars, few were asking the obvious question:  since when did Stevie Wonder have anything to do with jazz?

Some might say they didn’t care, that Wonder is such a legendary musician that his music transcends genres - a plausible argument, perhaps.  But other attendees weren’t buying.

“Shut the f**k up and sing already!”  yelled local musician Nick Hébert while Wonder delivered a rambling eulogy to his recently departed friend, Michael “Wacko Jacko” Jackson.  Dressed to the nines, Nick was expecting a jazz party, not a Motown funeral.  “This isn’t what I came to the Jazz Festival for.  I’m going home!”  he said, spinning on his heel and leaving before Stevie finished his opening number, "I Can't Help It".

Another much-hyped show starred local wunderkind Patrick Watson.  The following day, the press was aglow with “Montreal Boy Makes Good!”  headlines.  Yet none mentioned that, far from being a jazz musician, Watson specializes in the piano music of the non-jazz variety. 

However, for most of his screaming tween fans, this was a matter of little importance.  “He’s so hot!”  giggled Amy, attending the concert with her two best friends Paige and Lauren.  All were 13 and clad in identical black leggings and sparkly bracelets.  When asked if they knew what jazz music was, Lauren said, “Sure.  My dad listens to that stuff all the time.”  When asked to name a single jazz musician, Amy replied, “Stevie Wonder.”  

At the Reggaeton concert, the crowd was thick with herbal aromas and white people embarrassingly demonstrating their hopeless lack of riddim.  “This is an amazing lineup” said Jesse Radz, an ex-member of local ska band The Kingpins.  “They have people from the original Studio One here!”  He explained that this was the first recording studio in Jamaica, and was the birthplace of rocksteady music and ska.  When asked what this music had to do with jazz, he replied, “Absolutely nothing!”

Radz was ready for action in ska-appropriate shiny shoes and a porkpie hat.  But his initial exuberance wore off quickly.  His mood changed mid-set, when the band performed, “No Woman, No Cry”.  “I didn’t come here for a f**king Bob Marley tribute!” he fumed.  “This has nothing to do with rocksteady!” Radz shortly made an ironic exit.

So, what direction should the Jazz Festival take?  There are those who might argue that jazz has roots in a lot of musical genres, so it’s legitimate to have many types of acts perform.  Others might say that pleasing the masses is more important than purity.

But there are those who ask - how much can you stretch the term “jazz”, and still call it a Jazz Festival?

New HIV Treatment Draws Mixed Reactions From Montrealers

A new breakthrough in HIV/AIDS research recently announced in Montreal is creating waves in Montreal’s positive community.  Experts and those who carry the virus alike are reacting to news of a possible cure with a mixture of hope and skepticism.  Controversy is compounded by the fact that the research team who discovered this new treatment is now leaving Montreal for the U.S, due to lack of federal research funding in Canada.

Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sékaly of the Université du Montreal announced on June 21st that his team had pioneered a new treatment for HIV/AIDS, combining existing treatment of anit-viral drugs with chemotherapy.  This treatment appears to be successful in completely eliminating the HIV virus from the body.  Prior to this, treatments were able to minimize the viral load in infected patients, but were unable to attack viral reservoirs - the cells in the body where the virus remains dormant and hides.    At the same time, Dr. Sékaly announced his upcoming move to Florida - taking 25 researchers with him.

Montrealer Celina Nahanni is a PhD medical student at Harvard.  “I always make sure to have the 'cautious optimism' attitude towards clinical breakthroughs. The key to an HIV/ AIDS cure will be eradication of the dormant virus and this looks like it might be at least part of the answer. Although this technique might be a great option for infected individuals in the near future,  chemotherapy is a very difficult process to endure.”

Her concern is echoed by the HIV+ community in Montreal.  Ken Monteith (himself HIV-positive), is the Executive Director of COCQ-SIDA, an organization workings with all other Montreal  HIV/AIDS organizations.  He is taking the news with a grain of salt.  “In the early 90s, when pro-tease inhibitors first came along, it was the same story.  Now, no one is hearing about them.”  He has concerns about the toxicity of the treatment.  “They are essentially combining HIV chemotherapy with cancer chemotherapy, and I hope that they are taking into account the toxicity of these combined treatments.”  Monteith is further troubled by Dr. Sékaly’s departure.  “It’s a federal problem,” he says.  “The funding for research is not there.”  

These worries are shared by Lance Lamore, Director of Treatment at AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM), who has been living with HIV for 15 years.  Although Lance does not experience side-effects from his medication, he sees them every day at work.  “Oh, god - everything from constant diarrhea to renal failure or cardiovascular problems.  These people may not be able to withstand the toxicity of chemotherapy.”  He is cautious about a possible cure, saying, “It’s a damn sneaky disease.”  Lance laments Dr. Sékaly’s departure, but blames the government.  “You’ve got to go where the money is.”

Despite his reservations about the new treatment, Lance remains hopeful.  “I’d like to do more research, and have a good conversation with my doctor, but it’s something I might be open to trying, with more information.”  When asked how a cure for HIV would affect his life, Lance takes a long pause.  “Wow.  This disease has defined  every aspect of my life for 15 years.  It would be great if tomorrow there was a cure, but I would still practice a responsible lifestyle.”

Souvlaki Was His Destiny

To speak with George Pentsos, owner of Souvlaki George restaurant, is to encounter a man driven by passion for his food and his community.  His eyes light up when he discusses his love of the restaurant business and his customers, and conversation is frequently punctuated by his waving and greeting passers-by.  Indeed, it appears that he personally knows virtually everyone who walks by the restaurant.

For Pentsos, the restaurant business is a higher calling.  “It is a reflection of my beginning as I came to Canada” he says.  Having already worked in the hotel business in his native Greece, he decided to attend hotel and restaurant school at Lasalle College.  He quickly rose from a busboy to waiter, and then to restaurant owner.

“Whether you believe it or not, invisible forces guided me to find my destiny.  Myself, all I do is thank people for allowing me to share my service and my love for everyone.”  Pentsos outlines a series of events which led him to open the restaurant, noting that he ate at his restaurant under its previous owner.  The waitress who served him that fateful night then met his wife, and brought them all together.  

Upon buying the restaurant, Pentsos changed the menu from one that served breakfast and snack food to an exclusively Greek menu.  Pentsos is a purist, noting he foregoes financial gain by refusing to serve “silly” pizza.  “I wanted to categorize myself as Souvlaki George, so while pizza might improve things financially, I would not be well-known as Souvlaki George!”

Business the first year was tough, but luckily the restaurant already had some built-in clientele from its previous incarnation.  “It was essential for us to survive.  Later on customers brought friends over, who then spoke to neighbors, and slowly the restaurant moved in the right direction”.

This year, the restaurant celebrates its 22nd anniversary.  Pentsos is proud that it is one of only three NDG restaurants that has remained under the same ownership so long.  “We have three categories of clientele” he says.  He estimates that 30% of the customers are students from nearby Loyola campus, 20% are from the Association of the Blind across the street, and 50% are local residents of every type.

The restaurant also runs a delivery service, which Pentsos says is essential to its success.  The restaurant delivers hundreds of souvlakis every week.

Souvlaki George’s love for NDG has recently led him to make a second bid for office as the city councillor of the Loyola district (he is running under the Parti-Montreal banner).  Inspired to further his work with the local community, if elected, he vows to bring the same personal touch to politics as he does his restaurant.

And what a personal touch!  Jessica Elkaim, 27, recalls ordering souvlaki one cold winter’s night.  “I called the restaurant because they had forgotten our drinks”.  Within minutes, her doorbell rang.  “There was Souvlaki George, with a bag full of Pepsis and baclava for me!”.  Needless to say, Souvlaki George gets her vote.