Les Filles électriques

The FVA is ten years old, and we’re changing the dates!

News posted Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Over the last ten years, the Festival Voix d’Amériques has turned into a powerful, beautiful event, and like a growing child needing new shoes, it’s going to have a change of dates in 2011. The 10th Festival Voix d’Amériques will run March 11 to 18, 2011. Still there to take the chill off that end-of-winter slush but on days that are just a little bit longer—our way of throwing more light on artists and performances that keep the FVA bursting out all over.

We know it’s tough to reschedule a Festival within the delicate balance of the Montreal arts calendar, so we thought about it for a long time and asked the arts community. We’ve tried our best not to offend anyone and we know we’ll be bumping into two other Festivals (Edgy Women, Under the Snow) that we like a lot and with whom we want to partner.

When the FVA began, February was dead. Now there’s Montréal en lumière, and Temps d’images (another interdisciplinary festival running at almost the same time we do), etc. etc. We were definitely feeling the squeeze. But the hardest part was firming up the program and finishing the brochure and news releases over the holidays when people are hard to reach.

We know it wasn’t February that brought you out to the FVA but rather the quality and depth of the shows, and that won’t change. In March 2011, expect an outstanding 10th anniversary program.

So mark it down! The 10th Festival Voix d’Amériques runs March 11 — 18, 2011!!!

An Electric Director in New York

News posted Thursday, July 1, 2010

As of July 5, D.Kimm will be in residence for six months at Quebec’s prestigious CALQ Studio in New York.

What will she be doing down there? Recharging her batteries; comparing, evaluating and questioning her work; being seduced, shaken up and inspired; learning, taking sides, meeting people; and of course, creating. In practical terms, she’ll be working on an English version of The Constant Bride, writing new texts, working on her next CD and writing a short film script. She’ll also do brief performances when the opportunity arises.

Dear Artists: If you’re planning a show in New York, let her know and she’ll get behind you. Dear Well-Connected Persons: If you know people, producers or artists in New York that D.Kimm should meet, please arrange an introduction. By the way, does anyone have a number for Patti Smith? Marcel Dzama? Joey Arias?

Of course, Les Filles Électriques and D.Kimm will continue to work on the 10th FVA, which promises to be especially festive. We’ll be back in August with more electrifying news on that event.

Have a great summer everyone!

A Call to Arms!

News posted Thursday, July 1, 2010

To celebrate the FVA’s 10th anniversary, and to pay tribute to our darling festivalgoers, Les Filles Électriques is looking for an ordinary / extraordinary person to be part of our fabulous Combat contre la langue de bois (our French-language soapbox event). Ordinary in the sense that he or she is not an artist or a professional speaker or a spokesperson for an organization. Extraordinary in the sense that it takes courage to have something to say and to get up and say it in front of a crowd. It may not seem like a big thing, but even the biggest talkers on our roster have been known to tremble backstage.

The Combat contre la langue de bois is you talking, your five minutes. No right of reply and no apologizing when you’re done. Especially popular among people fed up with hearing the same old pre-packaged clichés in our public spaces.

Send us your proposal and a brief note, and we’ll have a look at it in September — lesfilles@electriques.ca