La Fete highlights: Dance, music and more
La Fête brings diversity to Bangkok in the next two months
La Fête was once a two-month-long festival of dance, music and performing arts that all Bangkok culture vultures looked forward to. In the past few years The Embassy of France and Alliance Francaise decided to change the format by spreading the events all year around; it’s still La Fête, but instead of concentrating everything in a specified period they are distributed over the calendar.
Still, May and June will be the busy months for fans of French artists.
Around 10 events hosted by the French embassy and Alliance Francaise Bangkok will cram into this month and next, from visual art exhibition to dance and other noteworthy performing art. La Fête made its name among Thai spectators from its eclectic mix of genre, format and content, shuffling hip hop dance with classical music and unclassifiable performances. And the shows listed during the next two months exemplify this exciting diversity.
To help you plan ahead, we list them here and will follow up with more details later.
Some of these activities are free of charge, others have entrance fees. The best way to check is to visit www.french-highlights.com or the Facebook page of La Fête or Alliance Francaise.
MAY 22
“One Stop In Bangkok” is a painting exhibition by French artist Gilles Rieu, who has chosen to work on rolls of paper that are 10m long – the same way Jack Kerouac originally wrote his novel On The Road. At the Alliance Francaise Gallery.
MAY 25
Escape by Compagnie Deuxieme Vague is directed by French choreographer Nathanael Marie. The show is a Swiss-Thai collaboration. At the Alliance Francaise auditorium. Free upon reservation.
MAY 27
A concert by Ensemble Multilaterale. The ensemble has conducted workshops with Silpakorn University and will perform in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
JUNE 2
La Fête has pioneered hip hop shows since its inception. This year it presents Compagnie Swaggers’ In The Middle, led by choreographer Marion Motin.
JUNE 7-10
Highlights here are L’apres-midi d’un Foehn and Vortex, two performances by Compagnie Non Nova. This is something between theatre circus and dance. Creator Phia Menard explores unstable and ephemeral materials, especially the wind. At Sodsai Pantoomkomol Center for Dramatic Arts, Chulalongkorn University.
JUNE 12-15
A performance by Compagnie Uzumaki, Sadako combines butoh, hip hop and origami into one spectacular show. The company will also conduct a three-day workshop with Thai dancers. At the Alliance Francaise auditorium.
JUNE 15
“Intersection”, a painting exhibition by Diane Fourlegnie. At the Alliance Francaise Bangkok.
JUNE 16
“FRAC: What Is Not Visible Is Not Invisible” is an exhibition by 32 French and international artists at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
Alliance Cine: It should be noted that the Alliance Francaise on Witthayu Road plans to step up the activity at its plush, digitally-equipped cinema. The 200-seat cinema, a familiar haunt for cinephiles of classic French films, plans to go semi-commercial with screenings of new titles, with an emphasis films co-produced by France and Southeast Asian countries. For instance, the Alliance Francaise screened the French thriller Personal Shopper the same time the film was released in multiplexes. It also had a run of Diamond Island, a French-Cambodian film.