French Spring in Manila, an annual event organized by the French Embassy here, conjures glamor, art, films, gourmet food.
It’s no different this year. Last Friday, we had French choreographer Abou Lagraa presenting two of his creations: a short piece “Sigh” and the one-hour “Allegoria Stanza” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Allegoria Stanza
is poetry in movement, sound, and light expressing man’s emotions as against nature’s temper. Combining modern ballet and hip-hop, it was refreshing, something we rarely get in Manila’s entertainment scene.
The choreographer’s background was evident in his masterpiece. French, with Mediterranean origins, the 25-year old Lagraa started dancing at the age of 16, in his hometown before entering the National Conservatory in Lyon. Then, for three years, he danced at the CSNMD in Lyon, where he worked with a lot of invited choreographers. From 1993 to 1996, he danced with Rui Horta (SOAP Dance Theater Frankfurt). He formed his company La Baraka in February 1997 with Aurélia Picot, one of the dancers. In 1998, he won the Second prize of Contemporary Dance at the International Competition of Ville de Paris. Since 2002, La Baraka has been in close ties with the dance festival “Les Rencontres chorégraphiques de Carthage” in Tunis. He has recently shown his last creation in Opera de Paris.
Lest we think the performance was enjoyed only by the privileged in Philippine society, appreciative reactions came from the balcony where a big group of street children were seated.
Before the show, we saw Carol Lucas, the embassy’s press officer, attending to the children.
Carol said since the show was hip-hop, she thought that the young people would enjoy it.
The French embassy has a number of projects for young people in stressful situations. Last year, “Clowns without borders”, a group of French professional clowns, actors, puppeteers, musicians and jugglers who perform voluntarily all over the world for children in crisis, went on a road show all over the Philippines.
Alliance Francaise, the cultural arm of the French embassy, asked three photographers, Juan Caguicla, Cris Severino and Richard Guzman, to document the group’s work with the children. 
The photographs will be shown in an exhibit this week at Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center and at Alliance Francaise at 209 Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel-Air 2, in Makati City.
Circus techniques are also being utilized in another project that the French embassy where they brought together an Iloilo- based French-Filipino association, Chameleon, and Zanzibar Circus in France.
Chameleon was founded in 1997 by two friends, Laurence Ligier and Ellien Regondon, when they saw the alarming number of children who sell themselves for survival. The association commits itself to fight against child labor and to rehabilitate the abused girls in their natural or foster family.
The Zanzibar Circus, on the other hand, was created in Valence “L’Ecole D Marches” which is “a learning place where education enables every individual to find his place.”
Chameleon and Zanzibar Circus met last year and they collaborated for their common objective of helping the abused girls overcome their trauma through circus arts and regain their dignity.
This year, they will work on a new show, “Sang et or” in Iloilo starting June 25 to July 11.
Another most-awaited French Spring program is the film festival. It will open on Thursday at 8 pm at the Cineplex of the Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong with “La Haut.” Special guest is the director, Pierre Schoendoerffer, who will be meeting Filipino filmmakers in a symposium at the CPP on June 10.
For more information about the film festival and other activities in French Spring ’06, please call 857-69-20 or visit www.frenchspringinmanila.com.
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