The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, February 20, 2015 | 20 Artscene "Connected to your Community" Sheridan throwing Oscar party Sheridan Oakville is rolling out the red carpet to honour its alumni at the 87th Academy Awards. Three out of the ve Oscar-nominated lms for best-animated feature were directed by Sheridan Oakville grads -- that's why the college is hosting an Oscar-viewing party at its Trafalgar Road campus Sunday (Feb. 22). Among the lms nominated are: How to Train Your Dragon 2, written and directed by Dean DeBlois; The Boxtrolls, co-directed by Graham Annable; and Big Hero 6, co-directed by Chris Williams. All three directors studied at Sheridan. The free-to-attend telecast will be held at Sheridan's The Marquee Pub at 1430 Trafalgar Rd. with an opening reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the party at 7 p.m. Join in the celebrations by following the hashtag #SheridanOscars on Twitter and see messages appear instantly online at http://goo.gl/m6cYfS. For more information on the three alumni, visit http://goo.gl/FxWDhm. To RSVP , contact the Alumni Of ce at alumni@sheridancollege.ca or 905815-4078. The Oscar party is part of Sheridan's month-long celebration on campus, which included screenings of each of the nominated lms, student art activities based on the lms and various hallway festivities. #SheridanOscars S heridan Oakville graduate Dean DeBlois' How to Train Your Dragon 2 (HTTYD2) animated lm recently picked up six Annie Awards, including best animated feature. The 42nd Annie Awards, which recognizes the best in lm and television animation, were presented at the University of California, Los Angeles. DeBlois, 1990 graduate of Sheridan's animation program, wrote and directed HTTYD2 and was also the executive producer for the lm -- the second in the trilogy that follows the adventures of a young Viking hero and his dragon. The lm also received a Golden Globe for best animated feature and an Oscar nod in the same category. DeBlois will learn the results of the latter Sunday (Feb. 22). Meanwhile, at the Annie Awards, HTTYD2 dominated the event, picking up four additional awards in the categories of character animation, editorial, music and storyboarding. DeBlois received a best-writing nomination for the lm, as well. Born in Aylmer, Que., DeBlois worked as an animator in Ottawa while attending Sheridan. Following graduation, he was hired by renowned director Don Bluth in Ireland, and Dean DeBlois cleans up with six Annie Awards ArtHouse festival series kicks off later joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1994, where he contributed to Mulan (1998), and went on to co-direct Lilo and Stitch (2002) with Chris Sanders. DeBlois received a 2011 Academy Award nomination for best animated feature lm for How to Train Your Dragon, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Sanders. The lm also garnered DeBlois two Annie Awards that same year for best writing and best directing. Two of the eight lms nominated in the best animated feature category at the Annie Awards were also directed by animators who studied at Sheridan: The Boxtrolls was co-directed by Graham Annable, and Big Hero 6 was co-directed by Chris Williams. Annable and Williams joined DeBlois as nominees for outstanding achievement, and directing in an animated feature production. The Boxtrolls won Annies in voice acting and production design, and Big Hero 6 won for outstanding animated effects in an animated production. On the TV side, Sheridan animation grad Mark Ackland was nominated for outstanding achievement, storyboarding in an animated TV/broadcast production for Disney Television Animation's Wander Over Yonder. Sheridan graduate Dean DeBlois, standing in front of a poster for his lm How to Train Your Dragon 2 (HTTYD2), recently picked six Annie Awards, including best animated feature. HTTYD2 is up for an Oscar in the same category this Sunday (Feb. 22). | photo courtesy Sheridan College New style, New life, New you 905-582-3933 Oakville Place Lower level, Next to Sears (Walk-ins and Appointments) From urban dancers to classical musicians -- and even a mystery performance -- ArtHouse says it has planned its best festival series for the 2015 season. The Oakville-based charitable arts organization is kicking off its seventh season with its Gad y Takes it into the Streets show Saturday (Feb. 21). The Toronto-based dance ensemble Gad y will pop and lock its way into the Black Box Theatre at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Rd. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, May 9, the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre will host The Grande Salute to Youth. Two young and talented pianists -- 11 year-old Leonid Nediak and 17-year-old Annie Zhou -- will be featured at the 7:30 p.m. show. ArtHouse describes Leonid's technique, interpretation and passion as something that will "take him well beyond his years;" while Zhou is the winner of two of the world's most prestigious international piano competitions: the Canadian Chopin Piano Competition (2010), and CCC National Piano Competition (2011). The art centre is located at 1086 Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. The nal event for the festival series, "Shush ­ It's a Secret," is set for Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Where it will be held and what it will include will only be revealed on the day. The festival series brings together acclaimed performers and Canada's nest musicians in support of ArtHouse's cost-free arts programming for children in Oakville and Burlington. It has served more than 540 children at 15 locations through 26 programs. For more information on shows and ticket pricing, visit www.arthouseonline. org/festival-series.php. Been a Long Time Comin' at OCPA Follow Oakville Beaver staff on Twitter @Oakville_ Beaver @NewsHooked @mikedgregory @herbgarbutt @BeaverSports The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (OCPA) is celebrating Black History Month Thursday (Feb. 26) by hosting a presentation of Been a Long Time Comin'. The pay-what-you-can performance is put on by KasheDance and the Wind in the Leaves Collective as part of the Paradiso Dance and Drama Series. "Kashedance and Wind in the Leaves offer a performance re ecting on the African diasporic experience in North America through visual art, music, dance and poetry," said an OCPA press release. "(It's) full of high-energy dance, colour and insightful narrative." The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online at www. oakvillecentre.ca or by calling 905-815-2021 or toll-free 1-888-489-7784. The OCPA is located at 130 Navy St.