Olympic Travel 101 - Cultural Olympiad 2010 Includes Participation from Citizens Across Canada

From January 22 to March 21, 2010, the best artists in Canada and around the world will play in our nothern neighbor's backyard. Genre-bending theatre; stunning virtuoso dance; fierce, fresh music; breathtaking visual and digital art extravaganzas - Cultural Olympiad 2010, presented by Bell, will bring it all to Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor.

As a part of this Cultural Olympiad 2010, Canada is using technology to bring the Olympics into the 21st century with the use of a new remix application designed to connect all Canadians with the Olympics and allow the world to see their country in a new light.

So what do photographs of children playing in prairie grass from a Saskatchewan woman, words written by a Quebec City teen that are superimposed on the sweeping blue sky and the East Coast lilting music connecting them have to do with the Olympics in British Columbia?

Combine them into something wholly new, yet instantly familiar: a 30-second digital collage spliced together by Canadian citizens through a brand new remix application making its debut as part of Canada CODE (Cultural Olympics digital edition-a series of programs developed to creatively engage national and global audiences through the use of digital technology), and part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, presented by Canada's signature sponsor Bell and the National Film Board of Canada.

The Cultural Olympiad Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralymic Winter Games (VANOC: the organization responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010) is spearheading this ambitious digital project. The remixes are a part of the invitation issued to Canadians earlier this year by CODE to create an online portrait of the country. Canadians have stepped up to the plate from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador. They have uploaded photos and text to the website, while thousands have begun viewing the content. As a first project of this sort for the Games, it is to become part of the Canadian and Games history.

With the launch of this new remix application, contributors can now create stories with each other's content. A collection of these digital collages will be displayed on screens at Celebration Sites and venues during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a major collaborator. Award-winning filmmakers Denys Arcand and Mina Shum, legendary storyteller Roch Carrier contributed inspirational and practical tips to help Canadians create their stories. Composer Dennis Burke used material from the NFB sound library to create over 30 musical soundscapes for contributors to use as audio tracks.

The Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is a series of multidisciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, the program culminates in the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22 to March 21, 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Cultural Olympiad 2010 will offer 60 days of exceptional programming. Running before and
throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, this extraordinary celebration will showcase
more than 400 free and 350 ticketed performances and exhibitions. Host Cities are required, as part of the Olympic Charter, to produce a cultural program that showcases the culture of the host nation in an international context. Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad aims to achieve that and more, sharing the excellence, innovation and diversity of Canada's creative community with the world.

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.