I decided it was about time I wrote a blog about the dance and music that I’ve been experiencing here. For those who know me, it’s probably not surprising that I would want to write about dance, and for those who don’t, trust me when I say that dancing is what keeps me sane.

Everyone here dances. The sentence “oh I can’t dance” doesn’t really exist. Sure, there are those who wouldn’t want to get up on a stage in front of everyone, but from what I’ve witnessed, dancing in bars is something that everyone here likes to do. This is mostly true when it’s traditional qu�becois music, especially. The songs that everyone knows are the ones that get everyone up and moving, and it really gives a great vibe to the whole night to see people let loose and not care what they look like. They know how to just enjoy themselves without worrying about looking dorky- and believe me, some of the moves I’ve seen are nothing but dorky. But it all comes down to the attitude- it may not be the slickest moves, but it’s really a community kind of thing that everyone does, so it doesn’t matter.

I went to the Mus�e de la Civilisation (Civilisation Museum) the other day and they had a huge exhibit on music in the Americas, which traced the influences of African music on the music here and in South America and how it has all developed. It was an incredibly interesting exhibit. Everyone had a sensor with headphones that changed what music you were hearing as you walked through, so you could not only read about the evolutions but also hear examples. It was really refreshing to see lots of people dancing their way around the exhibit. There was one woman in particular who had planted herself in front of the Benny Goodman section and who was having the time of her life, busting a move without a second thought as to what everyone else around may have been thinking about her. This woman pretty well sums up the trend- there is a much lower level of self-conciousness here and I gotta say I hope it’s catching and that citizens of the United States take note and loosen up a little.

As for the music, traditional qu�becois music is cool in a folky kind of way. The CIC arranged a music workshop for us in the first few days, and we got to hear (and sing) a mix of music. One thing that is common is call and response, which again gives a feeling of community, what with everyone singing together back at the musicians. One song that I particularly liked was Le Ziguezon, which you can listen to here. This percussion in the song is actually les cuill�res, the spoons, which is a typical instrument in traditional music. Another song that I liked is called D�g�neration by Mes Aieux (which you can listen to here), which talks about the differences among generations but then ties it up at the end talking about how even though we’re really different, we’re really similar as well. Also I really dig the last line of the song: car nous allons ce soir danser (for tonight we are going to dance). For me, it suggests the idea that we all just want to have a good time and that it’s important not to forget that we have that in common.

The so-called father of qu�becois music, Gilles Vigneault, is really really old. I had the lucky opportunity to see him in concert during the Festival d’�t�, and I have to say that while I appreciate the fact that I saw this great musician, I couldn’t really connect with the music that well. I felt like it was comparable to someone going to a concert of an oldies artist just because the name carries so much weight. I’m glad I went because he was highly influential in the world of qu�becois music. One song that I do find a little more enjoyable is called La danse � St-Dilon, song here. Again, someone is playing the spoons (which are always wooden). I don’t know if I actually like the song or am just impressed by how fast he sings. The two who presented the music workshop both admitted that they can’t sing it because of his speed.
 
One last song- modern qu�becois rock this time, which I really like, by the group Malajube, called Montr�al -40C.

Location: Le Boudoir 441 Rue du Parvis Quebec QC Canada