In practice Canada was Indigenous and French Diaspora, before it was English Diaspora. Québécois secession was settled in the 1990s. Today Québécois speak French or English, whatever you speak, and it’s all good. This was the rare cultural conflict that was settled successfully.
The French spoken in Canada is an older version of the French language. We share the French sense of humor and style which expresses beautifully in Cirque du Soleil and other Nouveau Cirque traditions. We are very proud of our Indigenous First Nations traditions.
French Canadian Culture
French Canadian Music
- Bernard Labadie is Orchestra of St. Luke’s music director. He’s from Québec City. 🇨🇦
- Yannick Nézet-Séguin is Metropolitan Opera music director. He’s from Montréal. 🇨🇦
French Canada
Montréal is the closest Latin city to New York. It’s a 90-minute flight. The lifestyle and dining are “super.”
The Marché Central (Central Market) is one of the oldest and biggest open-air markets in North America. It’s foodie heaven.
There are some great salsa clubs too.
French Canadian NYC News
December 2022
French Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Philadelphia Orchestra in Xi Wang, Mozart and Mahler, featuring Puerto Rican clarinetist Ricardo Morales and South African soprano Pretty Yende, on Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 8pm. From $24. 🇨🇦🇵🇷🇿🇦
November 2022
Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Auction, an art auction of ground-breaking contemporary artists, features work by Alice Neel, Josef Albers, François-Xavier Lalanne, Basquiat, Alighiero Boetti, Philip Guston, and Louise Bourgeois who were either Latin or influenced by the Latin world. The art auction exhibition is at Sotheby’s New York in the Upper East Side, Friday, November 4-16, 2022. The auction is Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 7pm. 🇨🇦 🇨🇺 🇫🇷 🇭🇹 🇵🇷 🇲🇽 🇮🇹
DOC NYC 2022, America’s largest documentary film festival, is at IFC Center in Manhattan’s West Village, SVA Theatre and Cinépolis Chelsea, Wednesday, November 9-17, 2022. It continues online to November 27. 🇧🇷 🇨🇺 🇩🇴 🇨🇦 🇮🇹 ✡️ 🇻🇪 🇺🇸
October 2022
The IFPDA Print Fair 2022 brings world-class fine art print dealers, galleries and publishers to Javits Center in Hudson Yards, Friday-Sunday, October 28-30, 2022 with a VIP Preview on Thursday, October 27. From $25. 🇨🇦🇫🇷🇪🇸
September 2022
The Affordable Art Fair New York Fall 2022, of contemporary art priced from $100-$10,000, is at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, Manhattan, Thursday-Sunday, September 22-25, 2022. 🇦🇷🇨🇦🇨🇷🇫🇷🇮🇹🇪🇸
March 2022
The New York International Children’s Film Festival 2022 (NYICFF) screens Oscar-qualifying children’s films for a variety of ages at the SVA Theatre in Chelsea, Manhattan, Fri-Sun, Mar 4-19, 2022. From $17. 🇦🇷🇧🇷🇨🇦🇫🇷🇮🇱🇲🇽🇵🇸🇺🇬🇺🇸
The Spring Affordable Art Fair of contemporary art under $10,000, is at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, Wed-Sun, Mar 23-27, 2022. From $30. 🇨🇦🇫🇷🇮🇹
October 2021
Dune, by French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario), opens citywide on Fri, Oct 22. 🇨🇦
The E/AB Editions Artists’ Book Fair is virtual Oct 18-31. FREE eabfair.org 🇧🇷🇨🇦🇫🇷🇮🇱🇮🇹🇲🇽
September 2021
The 59th New York Film Festival is at Film at Lincoln Center, Fri, Sep 24 – Oct 10. 🇦🇴🇧🇴🇧🇷🇨🇦🇨🇴🇫🇷🇮🇳🇮🇹🇲🇽🇵🇹🇷🇴🇪🇸🇺🇸
The Affordable Art Fair is at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea Thu-Sun, Sep 23-26. From $25 🇨🇦🇨🇺🇫🇷🇲🇽🇪🇸🇺🇸
French Canada
In the Colonial Era, French controlled the main waterways of North America: St Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River.
French Canadians consider themselves just Canadians now. It’s a rare example of how diverse peoples can come together as one. We can speak French and we can speak English. Tout va bien (It’s all good).
Nouveau cirque such as Cirque du Soleil is the region’s most famous cultural export. It completely changed our concept of the circus. The circus isn’t about animals any more. It’s about wild flights of fancy. Contemporary versions of the Broadway musical “Pippin” (1972) are often done in the style of nouveau cirque.
To an American, French have a rather quirky sense of humor. It’s much more subtle than American humor. You can see it in the art of mime. In a way, Cirque du Soleil put mime in the air.