Tag Archives: Dance

When a Frenchie is sent into a Frenzy with one song

The moment of impact. The moment of impact proves potential for change. Has ripples effects far beyond what we can predict. Sending some particles crashing together. Making them closer than before. While sending others spinning off into great ventures. Landing them where you’ve never thought you’ve found them. That’s the thing about moments like these. You can’t, no matter how hard you try, controlling how it’s gonna affect you. You just gotta let the colliding part goes where they may. And wait. For the next collision.”- The Vow

How is it that music can, in such a powerful way, evoke our laughters, our dreams, our sorrows, our secret aspirations?  I believe that songs are memories….. memories of moments, memories of people, memories of feelings. The moment of impact…when memories are crashing together. We all have our list of special songs…. that sometimes we don’t even think about and when we hear them, it just hits us bringing back all those feelings and images and for a few minutes it takes us on a journey. Such a powerful and magic feeling allowing us to experience past moments again and again. And this is exactly what happened to me during the Easter weekend as I was attending a gig with this amazing band called FRENZY and they started to play “Don’t YOU forget about ME” by simple Minds… Suddenly it took me back to a year ago at the Moonlight cinema in the botanical garden with my Italian friend Mimi when we enjoyed the movie “The Breakfast club” and its mythical soundtrack and its inspiring message…. and funnily here I am now dancing with her at the sound of this song and looking at each other smiling, knowing exactly without speaking a word that we were both traveling to a year ago and all those memories brought back to life! This is because “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything” and this how you get all Frenzy with just one song!

But who is FRENZY?! Probably the next band you are going to follow in Adelaide 😉 Born in 2008, these guys know how to rock a venue performing hits from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s,00s as well as recent hits. They are lively, talented, passionate and they know how to read a crowd to entertain the audience with their best songs.  They know how to put a show and it’s an unbelievably fun experience. I can assure you that the dance floor was packed and everybody was really enjoying the moment. Their repertoire is pretty diversified, their style is catchy and their energy is contagious! But you know what, the best way to find out is to go and see them performing on stage: George on Vocals, Lee on Bass, Russ on Guitars and Paul on Drums

We definitely had a great time and we enjoyed it to the fullest dancing, singing and listening to those mythical songs! Definitely a must see! We know we will be back for sure!

Daniel, Mimi and I enjoying the show

Fringe don’t go!

“I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.”

Love those Fringe magical nights…

Sometimes you wish you could stop the time so you can enjoy a little bit more : The Fringe festival is one of my favourite moment of the year! There are so many things to do and see and not enough time to do it all, it feels like I have not slept in a month but it was all worth it! Adelaide is so vibrant, so lively and on top of that I have a sweet spot for outdoor events especially with this beautiful weather !

This party at sunset was pretty magic, almost unreal ❤ We danced until the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

Did you know that Adelaide Fringe is the world’s second-largest annual  arts festival?! For 31 days and nights during February and March, it features more than 5,000 artists from around Australia and the world. Over 1100 events are staged in pop-up venues in parks, warehouses, lane ways, theatres, hotels, bars, pubs, art galleries and cafes. Aren’t we lucky to have it all here?!  There is a little bit for every tastes from comedy, to circus, cabaret, musical, drama etc….name it, the Fringe has it all, just pick and go with the flow! And if you are pretty smart about it, you can enjoy many shows for half price and maybe even for free if you have some good connections 😉

That’s what is called a “forced” smile… I was a bit scared but at the end I enjoyed it 😉

I personally declare that this year was the best 😀 Maybe because I really embraced it… I would not say I went everyday but almost. There were actually really good shows to enjoy and so many beautiful nights to just hang out with friends, chatting in the park, trying all sorts of foods and cocktails. And this year, I even ventured myself in one of those crazy fun fairs games, you know the scary ones where people scream like crazy ! I particularly enjoyed the stand up comedies and I saw a few ones like “The walk of Shame” (pretty hilarious with a bunch of girlfriends so we could relate to some of the girls stories), “The fourth floor” (I was with my mexican friends there and there were some reference to Mexico during the show so that made the whole experience pretty memorable), “Confessions of an aerobic instructor” (I went there with a colleague of mine and it was funny since our job is related to the fitness industry), “Anastasia” (it is a musical and the artist writes her own songs/music and it’s reallyyyyy good), “Ebony” (African circus). Something I really encourage you to try next year is to go to the Fringe with no plans and end up in one of those 6 dollars shows that last like 30 minutes, they are good fun and I like the idea of the spontaneous last minute “let’s try this show”, they are good fun too!

Some hilights this year during the Fringe were, for me (in chronological order):

Massaoke…. I know I know, to quote a friend, to really enjoy it you have to be wasted, cuz it s like a gigantic karaoke where everybody is drunk singing and dancing basically. I only had a few drinks but I promise I enjoyed it a LOT. Music was good and it was exactly what I needed to start the Fringe season. Actually I think it was the first Saturday night  of the Fringe and I came back home at like 2am after sharing a gigantic pizza with my girlfriends… late food cravings moments are my fav and the perfect way to end a fun night ! I like the idea that I can have access to food at anytime of the day!

Red Hot Chili peppers concert as part of the Clipsal, pretty awesome! It was in the park and it was of of those magical summer nights. We sang, we danced and it was like the time had stopped and we were just free and wild kids. “Californication” was the biggest sing-along of the night, and it was incredible to hear ten’s of thousands of voices singing out into the warm Adelaide evening. But my favourite moment and song was “Give it away” and I was happily, crazily dancing, jumping on this one,  I definitely gave it all ❤

St Patrick’s day which marked the very last day of the Fringe. My friends took me to a quite charming street party with a live band and good vibes all around with people all dressed in green and happily drinking beers. I met a really nice French couple there and we chatted and had some cocktails while sharing our experience about life in Australia as foreigners. Funnily all my friends left around 8pm because it was on a Sunday (and there is work on Monday) but again it was such a beautiful night that after a few seconds of hesitation (should I stay or should I go) I ended up staying by myself until 11pm!!! Actually I had a really good time, the band was pretty good and for the last part of the night they invited people on the stage to sing and they would perform whatever we wanted to hear.  I met some really nice and fun people : my point being that, even if it feels comfortable to hang out with your usual crowd, sometimes it can be also good fun to step out your comfort zone, drop the shy attitude and mix with new people!

And now what’s next? Well…. once the Fringe and MAD MARCH is over,

it is said that Adelaide becomes quite dull and boring because the weather gets colder and there is not much to do. I guess it depends on how you keep yourself busy.  For me cold weather means maybe more cooking, more writing, more reading and more time spent in cafés doing the latter… but it also means that far far away in another part of the world, in a country who’s got my heart ❤ , it is spring time and soon summer to be and with it the sweet promise and hope that I’ll be enjoying it too 😉

“Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes it own magic!”

When Swan Lake meets the Torrens river

“Dancing is an art. The floor is my canvas and I am the brush and whatever I create comes from the heart”.

To me, ballet is like a day dream, where the music takes you to a sweet escape and for one moment you belong to the story and everything falls in its right place. There is no need to speak, to explain, you just feel it and your imagination does the rest.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend to one of the most famous ballet : Swan Lake! Luckily a friend of mine managed to get me a ticket to the dress rehearsal at the Adelaide festival centre by the Torrens river and I really enjoyed this moment.

swan-lake-ballet-australian-ballet1I swear I could see the swans on the stage, the way they move, they were so real. The main ballerina was so gracious and really into her character : sweet and fragile as a white swan and her doppelgänger charming and confident as a black swan. The music was so touching, melancholic… and the end so sad… but we all already knew that, didn’t we ?!

IMG_2396
Swan Lake Dress Rehearsal, 25 May 2016

As it was a dress rehearsal, it was also interesting because I could see how they improve the settings, adjust the lights, how the dancers adapt and sometimes request to repeat a particular moment. When you see a ballet, the dancers make it so easy that it feels so natural that sometimes you forget all the work, commitment, dedication and hard training to complete the perfect  choreography.

What can be said about a classic like Swan Lake that hasn’t already been said! Some critics would say that the storyline lacks of originality but to me, if I should say in just one sentence how I felt about it, I would say:

Sweet and Bitter as Love can be sometimes…

Let’s get crazy: it is mad March!

There is a lot going on at the moment in our city! Adelaide is a hive of activity: streets and parks are lively, full of music and new faces. The iconic Fringe Festival is in town!

Every year, Adelaide becomes the capital of Arts by hosting many quality events featuring: Opera, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cabaret, Literature and Visual Art. The festival is considered to be one of the world’s major celebrations of the arts and cultural events in Australia. Have a look at the program, it is quite impressive:  http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au

The city has so much to offer! No wonder there are so many tourists at the moment visiting Adelaide to enjoy the entertaining shows. This year the festival’s theme is: Experience something new! Since it is my first year in Australia, I can totally relate to that. I mean everything is a new experience for me here and I love it ❤

I personally took part to the Writers’ week and I am planning to go to the French films festival too! Some friends invited me to the garden of unearthly delights in Elder park with a bunch of colleagues. First time they mentioned it I thought I heard “the garden of unhealthy delights” haha. It was really nice: good food (Aussies barbies = Australians’barbecues) and music in a very casual and friendly atmosphere! The perfect place to relax after work:  http://www.gardenofunearthlydelights.com.au

We have a long weekend coming since Monday is a bank holiday in Australia and everybody is talking about: WOMAD (World of Music Art and Dance)! It is a very popular festival with 400 artists from all other the globe making Adelaide dance in the glorious Botanical Garden. I have heard that artists such as: Buena Vista Social Club, Sinead O’Connor, Youssou N’Dour, Neneh Cherry… will be here 😉 It is still time to buy a ticket as I heard that there might be discounts on Monday:  https://www.womadelaide.com.au

Speaking of  Youssou N’Dour and Neneh Cherry, do you remember their beautiful song “7 seconds”?  It was a hit in France in 1994 and I was a teenager…  If you pay attention, you will notice that a part of the lyrics are in French https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqCpjFMvz-k

So it seems, in March in Adelaide, there is no time to rest! The more you are outside enjoying the variety of events in the CBD, in the parks and by the Torrens river… the better!

DSC_0221 This is why  I believe it is called “Mad March” because each day is a party that you have to join in!