French Festival closes with concert and fashion show

Artists at the March Madness concert and fashion show in Hong Kong. Photo provided by Afbeijing.org

By Zhang Dongya

The annual French Festival will end with a concert and fashion show at Yugong Yishan Saturday.

The fashion show, themed French Culture and the Diversity of the French World, will feature pieces designed and modeled by students of the French Fashion University ESMOD in Beijing.

Four international bands and artists will turn up the sound and energy with electronic music, jazz and hip-hop: Trip In from Switzerland, Samian from Quebec, Al K Traxx from France and Labiur from Belgium.

The four-man band Trip In was started by a saxophonist and a rapper who shared a passion for jazz. Then came their desire to marry the genre with the energy of hip-hop, resulting in jazzy riffs flavored with rhyme.

Al K Traxx’s repertoire is a colorful mix of hip-hop, electronic music and rock. The group has played with popular French band ASSASSIN twice in 2009, and released its latest album in January.

Samian, a member of North America Algonquin aboriginal group, is the first Canadian rapper to perform in both French and Algonquin. His music talks about his experience as an Algonquin in Quebec and encourages dialogue between the Quebecois and Algonquins.

The finale will be given by Labiur, a French-speaking Belgain singer known for her electronic music shows. Last year, the 24-year-old released her debut CD, BIURTIFUL, which combined dance, electronic music, hip-hop and techno.

The 15th French Festival was organized by The French Alliance in Beijing, the embassies of Switzerland, Canada and Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels Delegation in China), as well as the Quebecois offices in China. The Eric Paris Salon for hair and makeup is a co-sponsor.

March Madness Concert and Fashion Show
Where: YugongYishan, 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng District
When: March 20, 7 pm
Tel: 6404 2711
Cost: Free
Note: Invitations available at the reception desk of the French Alliance office, but seating limited. For more information, visit afbeijing.org.cn or call 6553 2678 ext.  209 (French)