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Press
Release: For immediate release
FRENCH
ROCKS!
Edinburgh,
25 March 2005
If you thought French culture
was about living a year in a posh house in Provence,
listening to Sacha Distel or singing to Joe Le Taxi,
think again!
French
Connections, the event celebrating the International Day of French Languages and Cultures,
took place on 22 March 2005, with an incredibly
diverse line-up.
Over
100 people attended an event which challenged the
common perception about what speaking French is all
about!
The
event started on a more traditional note with a
presentation about Claude Monet's paintings by Maylis
Curie. It was followed by an extract from
Cocteau's Machine Infernale, performed by Les
Escogriffes. A touch of magic ensued, with
storytelling by
Céline
Cateland who presented the story of Crin-Blanc, a
horse from Camargue.
Talented
French rapper OneSP took on the microphone and
got some serious audience participation. Lyrics from
one of his songs had been disseminated around the
tables - as many cryptic messages to be deciphered by
the audience.
The
African continent was duly represented by Senegalese
singer, Samba Sene, from multi-cultural band Diwan:
electric guitar in hand and draped in a colourful
flag, he sang three of his songs, much to the delight
of the crowd.
Finally,
Alan, a French rave organiser and mixer, pumped
in some beats, with French punk and techno anthems -
the perfect finale to a completely multicultural
evening!
Lise
Morel,
the event’s organiser, was absolutely delighted by
the turnout.
“So
many diverse people came along !”, she says.
“Young and old, French, Scottish, English, Indian,
Japanese, Punks... It was incredible to see all these
people celebrating their own personal meaning of
Culture in French!"
All
the artists taking part were enthusiastic about the
event, and promised they would organise another one in
the future - maybe an alternative Bastille Day - Who
knows? In any case, keep your eyes peeled: French is seriously cool
in Edinburgh!
Notes to editors:
-
French
Connections:
Event took place on Tuesday
22 March 2005, in The World (Thistle Street).
-
Maylis
Curie:
French PhD student (History of Art, Edinburgh
University): she took part in the 2004 Monet
exhibition in Edinburgh.
-
Les
Escogriffes: Edinburgh University French
drama group has an impressive record of successful
performances of French plays in both the classical
and modern repertoires; it has mounted productions
at the Edinburgh Festival and toured widely in
Europe. Former Escogriffes include Angus
Macfadyen, who played Robert Le Bruce in the film
Braveheart.
This year, they presented La Machine Infernale,
a rewriting by Jean Cocteau
of the story of Oedipus.
-
Zele:
A new bilingual theatre group, headed by Céline
Cateland. This dynamic formation will present Histoires
de Becs, a bilingual storytelling event, in
April in the North Edinburgh Arts Centre. They
also hold rap workshops to introduce teenagers to
a different side of French culture.
Contact: 225 5357 / 0790 536 8967
-
OneSP:is
a French rapper, originally from Cannes (France).
Initially seduced by Scotland’s capital after
concerts at the Bongo Club, he has been living in
Edinburgh for the past few years. His texts,
either in French or in English, send out love,
hope or sometimes the distress of the creator in
front of a blank page. OneSP is also no stranger
to improvisations and to DJing, with The
Realness for instance – his creativity is
alive and well, in any language, and with any
music! Contact: 0794
926 32 68 or onesep@caramail.com.
-
Samba
Sene:
Heads multicultural band Diwan. This
dynamic group changes it's line-up from gig to gig
but always produces sweet sounds from Senegal,
Scotland, Ghana, Jamaica, Nigeria and Liverpool.
With a Ska style brass section and non-stop funky
bass their improvisational style and exuberant
energy always gets the feet moving. Recent gigs
include one of Edinburgh's top clubs
"Departure Lounge" with DJ Raw Deal and
they received a last minute booking from the Hairth
of Knockrach Festival.
Contact: 07916325170
-
Alan:
Organises
alternative gigs and raves in and around
Edinburgh. His stance is that things must always
be moving and that it's important to challenge
everything through creative direct actions. He
would like to organise in Britain a similar event
to the French Fete de la Musique (21st of
June).
-
The
World:
Every Tuesday (9-11pm), French speakers meet in
this Thistle Street pub.
-
About
Lise Morel:
Lise Morel is French but has been living in
Scotland and teaching French to adults for 15
years in various capacities.
She has also published a French guide to
Edinburgh’s nightlife in 2004. On a more
eccentric note, she took part in a comedy show at
the Fringe 2004, teaching comedian Stephen K
Amos some French in front of an audience of
150 people…
Contact: 557 27 34
Photo Album
Click
here
Press Contact : Lise Morel
Email:
l.morel@premiereclasse.co.uk
Telephone:
(0131) 557 27 34
Issued
by: Premiere Classe
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FRENCH
