Q with Tom Power

Internationally acclaimed Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite is known for pushing contemporary ballet in bold and groundbreaking new directions. This month, her landmark 2009 work Emergence returns home to the National Ballet of Canada.

Inspired by the collective power of beehives and ant colonies, the award-winning ballet turns 36 dancers into members of an insect swarm, exploring the complexity of a large group. Crystal joins Tom Power to talk about what she loves about choreographing large-scale ensemble works for major ballet companies, what it was like working with the legendary choreographer William Forsythe during her time at Frankfurt Ballet, and why she enjoys working in an ephemeral art form that’s always vanishing.

Emergence is on stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20.

For a children’s musician, Raffi is actually pretty punk rock. Long before Baby Beluga and Bananaphone made him a household name, the beloved Canadian icon was a struggling folk singer in Toronto who took out a bank loan just to self-record his first children's album, Singable Songs for the Very Young. That record turns 50 this year, and it’s still soundtracking childhood for a whole new generation. To mark the milestone, Raffi joins Tom Power to reflect on his remarkable five-decade career — from walking away from a lucrative Hollywood movie franchise to putting kids before corporate cash. He talks about his "child-honouring" philosophy, the early childhood research that shaped his music, and why he’s ready to record a duet with Ms. Rachel.

At just 27, Lennon Stella is already a music industry veteran. By the time she released her Juno-winning debut pop album in 2020, she had already spent years in the spotlight — first as a viral YouTube sensation alongside her sister, then as a series regular on the hit show Nashville. But right as her solo career was taking off, Lennon decided to hit the brakes, taking time to write, reflect and refine her sound. Now, she’s back with her sophomore album, Sleeping Lion, produced by Canadian indie music darling Andy Shauf. Lennon joins Tom Power to talk about their collaboration and making a fresh start. Plus, she introduces a song called Beginner's Mind.

Dorothy Grant’s work as a Haida fashion designer combines art, ceremony and history. Her designs have been shown everywhere from runways in Paris and the Oscars red carpet, to legislative halls and prestigious museums. Back in April, Dorothy received the first-ever Indigenous Fashion Award at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. She joined Tom Power to talk about her approach to fusing traditional Northwest Coast design with high fashion, and her take on who exactly can wear her designs.

Across three decades at MuchMusic, CBC and beyond, George Stroumboulopoulos has shaped the Canadian cultural landscape and become a defining generational voice, interviewing everyone from punk legends and sports stars to politicians and royalty. Now, in the new CBC Gem documentary Stories That Made Us, he travels across the country to explore the foundational film and television that forged our national identity.

In this conversation with Tom Power, Strombo makes the case for why Canada’s weird and wonderful CanCon era needs a comeback, pointing to shows like The Hilarious House of Frightenstein and Hammy Hamster. He also looks back on his formative years at MuchMusic, and tackles some pressing cultural questions — like whether the dog from The Littlest Hobo was secretly a narc.