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

16 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 2, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Artscene · FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2009 Inspirational local arts people of 2008 By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The past year was significant for many members of Oakville's thriving arts community. Local actors, artists, dancers, authors and musicians were recognized for their talents on the provincial, national and international stages. Some were nominated for awards, while others took part in major exhibitions. It is impossible to highlight all of the people who made a mark in the arts in the past year. We have so many talented people in our community. Here are some of the names who made a mark and inspired others in 2008. Bryan Baeumler Many people have likely tuned into Home and Garden Television's Disaster DIY, but they might not know that host Bryan Baeumler is from Oakville. And it turns out that not only his fans respect his work. Baeumler was recently recognized with a Gemini Award for Best Host of a Lifestyle/Practical Information Series. He said he was overwhelmed to receive the Canadian broadcasting award, especially considering he never thought he'd work in the television industry. This is Baeumler's second Gemini Award nomination, but his first win. "I was shocked when I was nominated for season one and surprised again for season two," he said. "Everyone says it is such an honour just to be nominated, and it's true. It is amazing to think that a group of your peers in the television industry have reviewed your show and chosen your show as one of the five or six best." Baeumler is currently filming future seasons of Disaster DIY and has been given the green light from HGTV to go ahead with three seasons of a new show called House of Bryan. The program will feature his adventures renovating his family's bungalow in Oakville. It will be filmed by his production company starting in the spring. Caroline Torti Caroline Torti danced her way into the pop culture history books as one of the Top 20 dancers in the debut of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. The Oakville dancer made it to the thousands of young dancers. She, along with partner Jesse Catibog, made it to the Top 14 before they were voted off. Torti has been dancing since she was a little girl and said she will continue to do just that. She is trained in many different dance styles, but her specialization is contemporary. She plans to continue teaching and choreographing in the Greater Toronto Area before going to Los Angeles to develop her career in the new year. Torti said the experience of being on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, from the first audition in the spring in Toronto through to her final performance at the end of October, was amazing. "I learned a lot about myself, in terms of how I handle stress and dancing hour upon hour with very little sleep," she said. "Those conditions definitely are more stressful than what I've had to do up until now in my dance career. I learned that if I can handle this, I can handle anything. The next couple jobs I do are going to be a breeze compared to this." Allie Hughes It was a big year for Oakville talent to garner national attention through television. Oakville native Allie Hughes was one of 10 young women who starred in the new CBC program How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? The premise behind the show was the search for an actress to portray Maria in The Sound of Music production that premiered at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre in the fall of 2008. Hughes made it through a gruelling selection process, with thousands of hopefuls attending auditions held earlier in 2008 in NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER seven cities across the country. THE RIGHT STUFF: Bryan Baeumler, host of HGTV's Disaster DIY, took home a Gemini Award Of these hopefuls, only 200 received call- in 2008, while dancer Caroline Torti, bottom, put Oakville on the map by making the Top 20 in the backs, with the number debut of the televised dance competition, So You Think You Can Dance Canada. then refined to 50, then 20, and finally, only 10 Joseph and CATS and all that stuff. To actual- work hard." As for what lies beyond his final appearance women were left ly meet the lord himself was just unreal," said Hughes. in the spring, Stainton said he hopes to travel standing. " Whenever I see him, my jaw drops and I the world. Although don't really talk that much. I just nod my Hughes was voted David Raitt off in the sec- head." Hughes completed the music theatre proOakville comedian and actor David Raitt ond week of gram at Sheridan College and is working as a headed to friendly Regina, Saskatchewan this the show, fall to see if he had won a Beaver. she had singer/songwriter in Toronto. While it may not have the recognizable many fond J. Bev Stainton ring of an Oscar or Grammy, winning a memories J. Bev Stainton's is an important fixture of Beaver is a big deal if you are a comic. That's of the the Oakville Choral Society. the name of the Canadian Comedy Awards whirlwind After 30 seasons with the choir, he is put- handed out annually to the best and brightest experience. ting the baton down in April 2009 following in the field. the group's spring concert. Raitt was nominated in the One Person One of the "I have mixed emotions, but it is time I had Show category for All the Rage. He wrote, highlights was a rest," he said. "I've had more fun with the produced and starred in the show, which ran performing in group than you can shake a stick at. If I had- at the Diesel Playhouse in Toronto in July front of n't had fun, I wouldn't have done it." 2007. All the Rage is a collection of comedic renowned comStainton said he will miss the group. It has sketches about the impact anger has on peoposer Andrew been a wonderful three decades and the ple. .Although the award went to famous Lloyd Webber. singers are what have kept him coming back, Canadian comic Sean Cullen for The Sean "When I think he explained. Schau, Raitt said attending the awards was about that now it "It's all about the nice people," he said. still a rewarding opportunity. was insane See Talent page 17 because I grew up listening to "They are keen and enthusiastic and they Top 20 on the nationally-televised dance competition, beating out