Slowly but surely my discoveries in Nova Scotia were coming to an end. I only had one night and one full day left after discovering the southwestern part of this province over the last four days, following my last stops along the South Shore at Lunenburg and Peggy’s Cove. When I arrived in the city late in the afternoon, I noticed the landscape: many lakes and streams interspersed with low hills. One of my first impressions was that many of the neighborhoods had beautiful homes with well-kept yards and established trees. Halifax presented itself as a very picturesque city. I didn’t have a map of the city of Halifax, but I figured if I just headed east, sooner or later I’d hit the sea, which I did near Pleasant Point, one of Halifax’s largest public parks. A friendly local gentleman directed me downtown Halifax to Barrington Street, which is where my residence for two nights, the Delta Barrington Hotel, was located.
With his indications I was able to get to the center and I had no problem finding my hotel. I rushed through check-in and went up to my room to relax a bit and take advantage of the high-speed Internet connection in the room. After freshening up, I was ready for a night of discovery and started walking towards the promenade.
With its strategic location on the Atlantic Ocean, Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and the most important seaport in eastern Canada. With an estimated population of approximately 385,000 residents in the entire metropolitan area, Halifax is the largest population center in Atlantic Canada and a major economic center on Canada’s east coast. Major employers include the Department of National Defense (Halifax has had a military role for several centuries due to its strategic location), the Port of Halifax, various government services, and private sector companies. Several universities are located here, including Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, and Mount Saint Vincent University.
Halifax dates back more than two and a half centuries: it was founded in 1749, as the city of Halifax County and the provincial capital. It was originally established by the British to provide a counterweight to the French presence in Quebec and Acadia (present-day New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, and the Gaspé Peninsula). Today’s Halifax Regional Municipality includes the neighboring cities of Dartmouth and Bedford since the merger in 1996.
The Halifax Regional Municipality’s coastline spans some 400 km and is heavily indented with numerous deep inlets jutting out of the countryside. The topography is varied, ranging from lush farmland in the outlying regions to forested hills. The climate is more moderate than in central Canada and temperatures generally range from -5 degrees Celsius in winter to 23 degrees Celsius in summer.
Halifax is known for its cultural offerings, which is enhanced by the large concentration of post-secondary students. Its music scene in particular is very vibrant, and in recent years Halifax has also become a major center of film production. The city itself is the largest growth area in the Maritimes and is connected to the rest of Canada and the world through a major airport. Via Rail’s eastern terminus is located in Halifax.
I headed directly east from my hotel across Duke Street to the waterfront to a complex called “Historic Properties,” a collection of historic buildings that was restored and remodeled in the early 1970s. Many of the buildings in This complex is the former warehouses of privateers, pirates who had a license from the British crown to assault enemy ships. They brought abundant reward that was stored in these warehouses. One of the most famous of these privateers was a fellow named Enos Collins, who founded the Halifax Banking Company, the first bank in Nova Scotia.
Just down Duke Street, next to the Metro Transit ferry terminal that takes you to Dartmouth, I discovered one of Halifax’s cherished icons: Theodore Too is a tugboat modeled after a popular character on a Canadian children’s TV show called ” Theodore Tug”. Today Theodore Too is available for harbor excursions, private charters, birthday parties and school groups.
I headed further south along the coast along “Harbourwalk”, Halifax’s famous Waterfront Trail. The sun had already set and the moon was shining over the picturesque Halifax harbor. My destination was Pier 20, site of the famous “DRUM!” show, a musical presentation of the four founding cultures of Nova Scotia. I got to the venue about a half hour before showtime and people were already lining up in the common areas outside the theater.
Around 8 pm I took my seat and luckily I was located in the first row on the right side of the stage. The idea behind DRUM! is to shed light on the four main cultures of Nova Scotia: Black, Acadian, Aboriginal, and Celtic. The evening began with a dramatic performance by Aboriginal musicians beating their drums and singing an introductory song in their native Mi’kmaq language.
They were joined by a full ensemble of musicians, dancers and singers who took the stage to share their music and from then on the whole night was a beautiful carousel of music and songs from four different cultures. Sophisticated lighting, video images and narrated poetry underlined the symbolic content of this performance that challenged the senses on all levels.
DRUM! it was originally intended as a 45-minute tourism promotional piece as the headlining show at Tall Ships 2000, a special regatta event that featured sailboats from around the world. In 2004 DRUM! it became a full-length production and ran for ten nights in their purpose-built theater on the Halifax waterfront. The current performance of DRUM! in Halifax, it will be followed by a US tour beginning in Florida and ending in Utah. A tour of Ontario and Saskatchewan will follow in May, with the production returning to the Halifax waterfront in September 2007.
The performance unfolded as an exciting combination of music, dance, poetry, video, rhythm, and song. At one point, three of the female performers took the stage and sang a cappella in the most beautiful harmonies one can imagine. I was breathless from his performance. Acadian washboards, Celtic fiddles and bagpipes, Aboriginal drums and sultry black voices came together to celebrate FOUR CULTURES… FOUR RHYTHMS… ONE HEART.
The sold-out audience was captivated by these talented artists, the beauty of their music and their message. After the last prolonged standing ovation, I left the theater elated, moved and inspired, ready for another final day of discovery in Halifax. DRUM! It was impressive in its theatrical beauty and musical performance, and its message still resonates with me. I ended up buying the CD of this production to take this beautiful music and its spirit with me to Toronto.
Here at Travel and Transitions we celebrate cross-cultural connections and understanding, and DRUM! it was the most perfect musical representation of this spirit that I have ever seen. DRUM! communicates a message to the world: “We can hold on to who we are and still share a song, a stage, a country, a world.”
There is nothing better than that.