A Night at the Museum

When The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) expanded with the geode-like Michael Lee Chin Crystal extension, opinions in the city were divided. Though I have seen it from the outside, it was one of those "I'll go see it some time" thought that eventually encompassed a decade. But on Friday, with The ROM hosting a monthly after-hours party called ROM After Dark, I finally found my way inside.

The first sight of the atrium with a gigantic multi-story dinosaur overhead was impressive. The museum had divided up the space into multiple themed exhibits. It didn't feel different from typical construction until I moved along the walkways connecting the rooms. Then I could see the sharp angles and slanted walls.

The galleries included gems, minerals, dinosaur reconstructions and an exhibit about The Age of Mammals. I only felt abstractly the age of the collections since they were numbers too large for me to comprehend viscerally. One thought kept returning: "Animals seemed much bigger in the past". For our current age, the flora and fauna were grouped into ecosystems under a theme of Life In Crisis. So while I marveled at the variety (there are butterflies in the Arctic!), I also felt an overall sadness. The human inventions from armor to utensils were also interesting. A reliquary, which happens to be exactly 800-year-old this year, struck me as truly antique.

But it wasn't just about stuff on display. In conjunction with International Women's Day, this edition of RAD was named Sisterhood. Throughout the evening, I experienced various women musicians, artists, fashion designers, and scientists plied their craft. In Bronfman Hall, Lisa Odjig (a former Hoop Dancing champion) demonstrated an Eagle dance, a Fancy Shawl dance, and a Hoop dance with 12 hoops. She was accompanied on the drum by a good-natured Steve Teekens.

In the shadow of a T-Rex, cuban-jazz group OKAN kept people dancing with some high-energy songs like Mas Que Nada. Tonight, they were joined by Carlie Howell on bass, Sarah Thawer on drums, and Jeremy Ledbetter on piano. The 3 guests added a lot of groove and fun. Additional vocals came from Eliana Cuervas who took the lead with some excellent scatting on El Tucusito.

Early on, Mr. Teekens opined that all cultures have drums. So it was appropriate that the evening ended on the main floor with Raging Asian Women. These taiko drummers got the crowd cheering and hollering throughout their set. Each song didn't just incorporate a variety of rhythms but choreography, too. It was mesmerizing to watch. I think some audience members will take up their offer to attend a taiko workshop at The Toronto Taiko Festival in August.