January 14, 2010 -- Nine years old and still going strong, the Festival Voix d’Amériques (FVA) warms up the February chill with eight electrifying days of multidisciplinary engagement and experimentation, covering everything from storytelling, poetry in performance and spoken word to shows featuring singers and performers - all sharing the same stage, often in different languages, and accompanied by experienced improv musicians. Above all, the FVA promotes (and delivers!) creative freedom, experimentation, risk-taking, as well as up-and-coming artists.
With shows for all ages and budgets – be sure to check out the free shows at the Casa del Popolo – and an undying dedication to innovation and creativity, the FVA has become the most important spoken word festival in Canada. Their programming promotes original works, mounted specifically for the FVA, and is not just bilingual, but multi-lingual, with artists from varied backgrounds performing not only in French or English but also in their first language (Spanish, Aboriginal languages, Creole, etc.).
Always featuring a phenomenal Guest of Honour, this year welcomes none other than American poet and performer, Ursula Rucker. An artist engaged in her society who has a genuine concern for the community, the sensual and mysterious Ursula Rucker will grace the FVA stage with her unique presence and deliver her always incisive message with intelligence and sensitivity.
The must-see shows this year are the French-language soapbox Combat contre la langue de bois and the DADA Cabaret, which takes a QUEER turn with host Stéphane (Brad Spitfire) Crête. Emerging artists looking for their big break at the 2010 FVA include Sky de Sela and Fred Fortin, as well as a two-night happening entitled Dans la Fôret (In the Forest) featuring ten electric girls with their own specific schematics.
Festival Voix d’Amériques
