主持 (hosts): 豉芒 (Simon), 汤芸 (Sabina)
技術員 (technicians): Simon, Sabina

Festival International Nuits d’Afrique: July 12-24, 2011
www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com

Note that this year, Festival International Nuits d’Afrique is moving to Place des Arts for its weekend outdoors edition (Thursday, July 21 to Sunday, July 24). There will be all-age activities starting from 1PM, including dance workshops, arts and crafts stalls, and food. Outdoor concerts start in the early evening. I’m particularly looking forward to the wonderful and acclaimed Oumou Sangare, from Mali, who will be headlining Friday evening, and festival-closing act Kassav’ who are bound to bring down the house.

Fantasia International Film Festival: July 14 – August 7, 2011
www.fantasiafestival.com

Our picks for the second week of Fantasia – from wushu fantasy to Korean romcom to BollySF to indie splatter comedy featuring Ellen Page:

Petty Romance (July 21, 5:15PM)
Super (July 21, 7:40PM)
Love & Loathing & Lulu & Ayano (July 21, 9:45PM)
True Legend (July 23, 4:40PM)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (July 23, 7:20PM)
Battle Royale (July 23, 11:50PM)
The Robot (July 24, 1PM)

16th Montreal Dragon Boat Race (Festival International de Courses des Bateaux-Dragons de Montréal): July 22-24, 2011
www.montrealdragonboat.com

A major yearly event for the Montreal Chinese community – particularly the young and physically active! Races are taking place all weekend at the Olympic Basin (Parc Jean-Drapeau), check the web site for details.

Playlist

Oumou Sangare – Moussolou [5:15]
Manu Dibango – Soul Makossa [4:27]
Baaba Maal – Television [7:08]

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主持 (hosts): 豉芒 (Simon), 汤芸 (Sabina)
技術員 (technicians): Simon, Sabina

Festival season continues to be in full swing!

Festival International Nuits d’Afrique: July 12-24, 2011
www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com

Manu Dibango exploded onto the international stage in 1972 with “Soul Makossa” – not makossa at all, but a massive James Brown-esque funk track that took NYC clubs by storm, prefiguring both disco and classic Detroit techno. The “mamako mamasa” line has been sampled and quoted since by artists from Michael Jackson to Rihanna. 40 years down the line, Manu Dibango and the Soul Makossa Gang play Metropolis as the opening indoors show of the 25th edition of the Nuits d’Afrique festival (July 13, 8:30PM, with Nuits d’Afrique stalwart Marianne Aya Omac opening. See web site for details).

Also check out: Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano Orchestra on July 15 at Cabaret du Mile End, and the two Nuits d’Afrique Sound System nights hosted by the SAT Friday and Saturday.

Fantasia International Film Festival: July 14 – August 7, 2011
www.fantasiafestival.com

The 2011 edition of the Fantasia Film Festival kicks off on Thursday – as usual, swing by Concordia’s Hall Building to pick up the playbook (DVD included), or view the trailers and schedule online. Some of our picks for the first week or so of proceedings:

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (July 14, 9:30PM)
Milocrorze (July 15, 7PM)
Attack the Block (July 15, 9:40PM)
Ip Man: The Legend Is Born (July 17, 2:15PM)
Another Earth (July 17, 4:30PM)
Trollhunter (July 17, 9:45PM)
You Are Here (July 20, 7:50PM)

Reviews to come!

Voyages Musicaux Podcast - 12/07/2011 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

主持 (hosts): 豉芒 (Simon), 汤芸 (Sabina)
技術員 (technicians): Simon, Sabina

Cirque du Soleil: Totem (Montreal Old Port): June 1 – July 31, 2011
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/default.aspx

Montreal Circus Arts Festival (Montreal Completement Cirque): July 7-24, 2011
http://www.montrealcompletementcirque.com
www.lavitrine.com (PdA)

Just for Laughs (Juste Pour Rire) Montreal Comedy Festival: July 5-30, 2011
http://www.hahaha.com

Zoofest: July 9-31, 2011
www.zoofest.com

Playlist

Patrick Wolf – House [3:31]
The Undertones – Here Comes The Summer [1:43]
Blur – Intermission [2:29]
Beau Dommage – La complainte du phoque [5:10]
UA – Milk Tea [5:09]
Southern All Stars – Manatsu no kajitsu [4:39]

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主持 (hosts): 豉芒 (Simon), 汤芸 (Sabina)
技術員 (technicians): Simon, Sabina

Sabina:

秦始皇兵马俑展览在蒙特利尔美术博物馆开幕, 对蒙特利尔华人是一件大事。
The opening of the terracotta warriors exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major event for the Chinese community here in Montreal. I attended the VIP preview on Wednesday of last week, and it is beautifully curated – it includes artifacts from many Chinese museums, many of which were only unearthed by archaeologists around Xi’an in the past decade or so. The terracotta statues of soldiers and horses are not only breathtaking as historical artifacts, but as works of art in and of themselves. According to the exhibit, the statues were mass-produced from molds. I wonder if the molds were originally created by one sculptor? If that is the case, then that person was a genius, the equivalent of the Donatello or Michaelangelo Buonarotti of the Qin Dynasty. It’s a pity his name was not transmitted by Sima Qian.

The show runs until June 6, 2011 and is open three evenings a week until 9PM (Wed-Fri). On Friday, February 18 there will be a concert of Chinese instrumental music at 6:30PM.

Check the MMFA’s web site for details: http://www.mmfa.qc.ca/emperorofchina/

February is the Month of the Heart – it’s easy to remember because of Valentine’s Day. During this month, the Heart and Stroke Foundation organizes many activities to raise awareness of heart disease. One particular favourite of mine is a mini-collection created by the fashion designer Denis Gagnon with the non-profit organization Style & Conscience, benefiting the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec. The collection includes a lovely purse and scarf in red and white.

All items are produced to order, so there is no waste. I attended Denis Gagnon’s runway show at Montreal Fashion Week, last week, and he’s really a wonderful artist. You can check out the collection online at: www.styleandconscience.com. They have a Facebook page as well.

Playlist

Daft Punk – Solar Sailer [2:42]
The Bees – Winter Rose (Nicolas Jaar Remix) [5:42]
James Blake – Limit To Your Love [4:37]
Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM [2:35]
Roxy Music – While My Heart Is Still Beating (Abakus Remix) [4:37]

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