In the U.S., hip-hop dance is no stranger to the stages at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Lincoln Center in New York, or Carnegie Hall (as far back as 1985)!

Boxe Boxe by Kafig, performed at the Louvre in 2011

But let’s talk about France.  In l’héxagone, hip-hop is now performed on leading stages throughout the country: the national theaters in Chaillot and Chatelet, the world renowned Avignon Festival, Vaison Danses, and the Dance Biennale in Lyon.   Even the Louvre has invited dancers to perform among famous statues!  In addition, several of the National Choregraphy Centers have hip-hop dancers as their directors: Kader Attou in La Rochelle and Mourad Merzouki in Créteil, just to name a few.

Today, dancers who have chosen hip-hop as their preferred medium have been trained in a number of disciplines in addition to hip-hop: theater, mime, jazz, modern dance, music, ballet, Capoeira, acrobatics, and so much more.

These foundations mean their interpretation of the American hip-hop style is one-of-a-kind. One of the most noticeable differences between French hip-hop and the stereotypical American hip-hop performances is the music choice (although this is being seen in the U.S. as well). During this year’s Urban Corps Festival, spectators will notice orchestral compositions by Philip Glass, blues (think Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell on You“), and urban jazz (think Al Green meets Lauryn Hill).

In short, hip-hop is no longer hovering on the margins of the dance world; it’s arrived! And it has something to say about the lives and experiences of people around the world.

Be part of the conversation next week as we celebrate urban dance as a universal language of social expression and cultural exchange.

A full schedule of events is available on our website.

As exciting and lovely as the cherry blossoms have been, they can’t help but make an inner Francophile yearn for a spring day stroll along a sprawling boulevarde in Paris.  A relaxing morning reading in the Luxembourg gardens or an afternoon exploring the endless lawns of Versailles would be just the ticket. Unfortunately, the difficulties of distance, time and money make such a day a bit hard to come by.  Fortunately, if you are craving a Parisian spring, there is a D.C. alternative.  If you’re like me, an afternoon at the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens might successfully fulfill your appetite.

Located right in D.C., the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens offers myriad of French art, furnishings, jewelry and porcelain, which are all among a beautiful mansion and acres of gardens.  The museum displays the extensive collection that Marjorie Merriweather Post accumulated throughout her life, nurturing a great passion for French art, craftsmanship and culture.  She admired and bought Russian artifacts as well, a dual passion that drove her to collect and display these pieces throughout her homes, and sequentially, to become a great philanthropist in Washington, D.C.  Ms. Post later donated her Hillwood home to serve as a museum for her collections so that people could come and celebrate their love for the art and culture of France and Russia in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. 

Happily, the estate does a wonderfully successfully job of satisfying an inner Francophile as well as spring fever.  The most striking room of the mansion is the French Drawing room; with its high ceilings, elegant furniture set, grand tapestries, art work lined walls, a piano, and tall French doors leading to the garden, the room looks like a slice of Versailles.  Ms. Post had a fascination with the fine craftsmanship made for French royalty and pieces in the drawing room include tapestries (woven as a gift for Marie Antoinette) and Sèvres porcelain.  These decadent artifacts create a stunning and authentic historic atmosphere.  

Upon exiting the museum itself, the estate has many acres of gardens and woods available for walking and lounging.  The grounds include comfortable chairs, fountains, statues and greenery, which are all elegantly groomed and maintained – and are perfect for a long walk on a warm day.

So if you find yourself daydreaming of a sunny afternoon snoozing along the banks of the Seine, snap out of it!  Remember that DC has many of its own little escapes and head out for a Saturday afternoon to enjoy the warming days.  Whether it’s strolling along the banks of the tidal basin, a sunny sidewalk café, or the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, if you can’t take yourself to France for the spring, bring a little French mentality (or a pique-nique) to your favorite local spot and you’ll be ready to go!

-Samantha Cohen, AFDC Blog Ambassador, American University

If you consciously listen to a conversation between two – or more – people in your native tongue, you’ll start to catch all sorts of smaller, extra words, looping sentences, and relays that don’t go back and forth so much as zig-around-up-zag-forth. 

Part of this depends on using filler words (mots de remplissage).  Try inserting a few of these into your next try at French dialogue and see if it doesn’t make your conversation less rigid and more free-flowing.

Note: These words don’t necessarily translate directly. The explanations here seek more to give you counterparts to common (American) English usage.

1. Bref
Technical definition: (adj) brief, short, fleeting.
Used like: Basically.
Use bref to round up a long list or stream of thought, especially one that may have wandered around a lot.

[Monologue de dix minutes sur ton échec de faire du pain chez toi]. Bref, j’ai joué le chef aujourd’hui.

2. Enfin/’fin
Technical definition: finally.
Used like: Basically; Anyway… ; I mean… ; you get the idea.
Used somewhat like bref. You may notice it allows the speaker to cut off a thought, to round off an idea, or to make it clear that the listener gets the gist.

“‘Fin” with an apostrophe is meant for oral conversation and it not proper terminology for writing.

Le spectacle n’as même pas commencé, mais, enfin, bon. Si tu veux on part.

J’ai pas mis l’alarme ce matin et par conséquent j’ai raté le bus.  Et puis je me suis renversé du café partout. ‘Fin, bref, c’était un matin pourri.

3. A priori Technical definition: a priori, deducing from general principle Used like: Supposedly; apparently; as far as I know; as far as I can tell; should A little-used phrase in day-to-day English, this Latin term is much more common in French.   Use it to make it clear that based on the information you have, something is as you say.

-A quelle heure viendra ton frère ce soir?
-A priori, il arrivera avec sa femme à 20h.

If you have any filler words that you’ve found particularly useful in real French conversation, be sure to share them with other readers in the comments!

Thumbnail image from Frenglish.

In many cases, we can take a guess at how to say what we want by building on concepts we’ve already learned. When we’re lucky, we can just tack a French accent  onto an English word. With the latter technique, we can easily talk about la révolution in which le peuple founded a new gouvernement and constitution démocratique. Just add a relative clause, a verb, and some un/e/s and ets and you’ve got a sentence that’s good to go in all of your everday conversations where you need to  sound like a French history buff!

But alas, French and English aren’t just the same language with different accents, so this particular strategy can also turn out to be your ennemi. Here are a few words that will trip you up and how to avoid the trap:

1. TRICK: You know what happens when you assume.
Assumer means “to assume,” non? No.
At least, not in the way an English speaker means it: ie. I assume that assumer and “to assume” are cognates. In this case, the word you want is actually présumer, which really isn’t all that tricky to remember since “to presume” is an English synonym for “to assume,” although it may be a bit more formal. Assumer in fact means “to take on” or “to gain,” which is the second meaning of “assume” in English.

TIP: While it may seem difficult to separate “assume” and assumer and présumer, there is an unofficial mnemonic device we can take away from this cognate confusion: when struggling to find a French word for an English term, try thinking of the more formal synonym of the word in English, and then French-ify it. This works for “to assume,” as well as some other common words:

“To get” becomes “to obtain”: obtenir
“To answer” becomes “to respond: répondre
“To understand” becomes “to comprehend”: comprendre

Obviously, this trick isn’t fool-proof, (“to hurry” isn’t hastener for example), but it will give you another tool to help remember some French words when you’re on the spot.

2. TRICK:  I don’t care.
This one is always tricky. While “to care” in the senses of worrying about something, liking something, looking after something, or wanting something is all expressed by one word in English, French actually breaks down these different nuances into different words.  Here are just a few variations:

To be concerned: Se sentir concerné (to feel concerned), tenir à cœur (take to heart), or s’inquiéter de (to worry about).
To care about something: Se soucier de, se préoccuper de, or se sentir concerné par.
To take care of someone or something:   S’occuper de

On the other hand if you want to say I don’t care (as in “It doesn’t matter”):  Peu importe, or je m’en fiche (familiar, from se ficher de, which confusingly means to not care), or even more strongly je m’en foue (strong to vulgar).

Phew!  So how do you keep them all straight?

TIP: To try and unpack these verbs, try breaking down what you’re actually trying to express. For example, if you want to say “I care for my mom,” try thinking about what exactly it is you’re trying to express. Is it “I feel affection for my mom,” “I look after my mom” or “I’m worried about my mom”?  From there, you can apply the most appropriate French term.

Unfortunately, knowing which verb to use isn’t always an easy task, and you’ll certainly make mistakes along the way. But if you try thinking about the fundamental sentiment that you’re trying to express and less on translating English words to French words, you’ll be less likely to say “je m’en fiche!” about the whole thing.

3.     TRICK:   Expect the unexpected :
The other day in my French class, I timidly raised my hand to bring up a point, unsure of exactly how to properly express my thoughts. But my professor called on me, and as I spoke my confidence grew, thinking that my words were coming out better than I had expected. After making what I thought was an excellent point about la différence entre les ‘expectations’ du personnage et la réalité, my professor kindly responded with “excellent, mais ‘expectation’ n’est pas un mot français.”

Et voila, the limit to the “pronounce English words that sound like they could be French words with a French accent” strategy.

What I should have used was attente.  After categorizing the new vocabulary word in my head for future reference, I realized that attente makes sense as the word for “expectation,” since it’s related to the verb attendre, which means “to wait (for), or expect something.”

Other examples of less common words that have common references for a new French learner include:

Writer: Un/e écrivain/e (écrire)
Hope: L’espoir (éspérer)
Fin/Flipper: Une nageoire (nager)

In short, as you progress in your French studies, having a vague idea of what you want to say is indeed a prerequisite to actually speaking. But when you’re learning a language, knowing all of the words you want to say and exactly how to use them before you speak is unrealistic and, in fact, unhelpful to the learning process. A better strategy is to just try it out, even if you know what you’re about to say is wrong. Any correction or strange reaction you get will only help you learn the correct way to express that concept.

-Ariel Monde, AFDC Communications & Media Intern

This Friday and Saturday night will feature a highly unique experience for attendees at the Atlas Performing Arts Center: multi-disciplinary performances inspired by transcripts of stories told by DC locals about their lives. The French choreographer and director duo have each produced a separate interpretation of the stories, presenting DC life through the lens of French perspective.

Histoires Exquises – April 19-20, 2013

According to Windelschmidt, the result – a mix of theater and dance performances – is a profound exploration of how education and culture of our native countries can shape our experiences. For him, artists are the people who pose the questions.

For Vo-Dinh, creating dance from an interview transcript is an intense and enriching experience. By keeping her interpretation open-ended, however, she offers the audience space to ponder without providing conclusive answers. From her perspective, art ultimately serves to disarm the spectator and give them something to think about.

As viewers, we are given ample inspiration to think about these topics in a unique presentation that becomes more about a thought process than mindless entertainment. performances will take place over two nights, with each evening offering four performances (2 stories, 2 interpretations each), the revelation of the original video, (which neither the director nor the choreographer will have seen before Friday), and a conversation with the artists.

It’s an event you won’t soon forget. For more information on tickets and showtimes, please click here.

1. Make time for coffee.

Before living in France I, personally, did not like coffee and was entirely unfamiliar with what un café noisette was. Literally a “hazelnut coffee,” hazelnut actually refers to the size.  Simply put, it is a tiny cup of espresso, sometimes served with a little milk on the side. Now, after living in France, I rely on 1-2 cups of coffee every day.

If you really want to do it right, ditch the lid! The whole point of having a nice coffee is to sit for hours, not to rush off spilling coffee on your jeans. Once you’ve ordered, even it if is a venti, your choices should include people watching, reading, or enjoying the time with friends, family, or yourself. A mon avis, a life without paying respectful dues to coffee is a life wasted.

2. Take longer breaks to eat.

Even if work holds you back during the week, there’s no reason why you can’t allow yourself a leisurely lunch at least on the weekends. This doesn’t mean eating your food faster; it just means enjoying the company of others and taking more time to enjoy your meal and the pause it allows you to take from the daily hustle and bustle. Lunch is an underrated meal since it is usually a grab-and-go situation and Americans are missing out! Take some time for yourself.

3. Visit an outdoor market

They may be the apple of markets to France’s orange, but what could be better that a walk through open air aisles of food, flowers, jewelry, and more? The French markets are an industry in and of themselves and often take place along a sweeping boulevard or in a town square. Special attention is given to every single product, from cheese to trinkets. This sort of shopping has the added benefit of giving you a chance to interact with what you’re buying and who you’re buying it from. In America, the markets are most often held on weekends in cities or popular urban areas, so search the schedules now and plan accordingly!

4. Drink more chocolat chaud

One of my only regrets while living in France was that I did not take advantage enough of the chocolat chaud. Perhaps because I was too busy with the aforementioned coffee fixation. The point is, hot chocolate is a drink that the French deliciously overdo. It’s rich and decadent and deliciously velvety. It would simply wrong if I did not recommend Angelina’s, on Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Their world famous hot chocolate costs a whopping 7 euro, that’s how seriously they take it!

So, though you probably can’t hop on a plane today and travel to France, you can still dig out the best hot chocolate places in your city. Or if you’re up for it and want to get that chocolate mousse-like, rich, decadence, make it yourself! Say à-tout-à-l’heure to the little marshmallows and make it naturally with chocolate chips, milk, water and whipped cream (should you choose to include it). Then jump back to tip #2.

5. Try ditching the peanut butter.

Not forever; just long enough to welcome some new yummy spreads to your palate. As you may have found out yourself, the French do not understand peanut butter. At its mere mention, they’ll make a face somewhere between confused, wary, or just plain closed-minded. It’s not particularly healthy for you, and it is definitely American.

But they may have a point. Why, you ask? Because there’s an alternative – speculoos. A Belgian graham cracker spread found all throughout France, speculoos is not healthier than peanut butter, but it is much more European. And you can get it in the U.S. at Trader Joe’s, so there is no need to worry once you get addicted. Side note: I’ve heard S+J sandwiches do the trick.

-Erica Finkelstein, American University

Thumbnail photo found here.

Depending on what it is that drives you in your daily life, it can be fun to focus on that particular niche everywhere you go as well. For example, a food connoisseur might make it a point to eat according to each culture and bring back recipes to try at home. A musician might attend a concert everywhere she travels to. These activities all loop back to our individual drive to explore.

Personally, the people of a place and their culture inspire me the most. Part of this relates to recognizing the similarities and differences between various cultures. Because of this, one of my favorite things to do when I travel is run. Running brings people together despite cultural barriers because you can do it together without having to talk or express touchy differences like religious or political views, for example.

Like many other sports, running has brought people together throughout history in many different ways. From the Olympics, to the World Cup, to the Tour de France, the world has been coming together for the sake of sport since ancient Greece. Thankfully, today you don’t have to be a first class athlete to participate in international sporting events. Road races exist around the world and are open for anyone to register!

As many of you in the D.C. area probably noticed, last Saturday morning the majority of downtown was shut down for the Rock and Roll marathon. As a participant, it amazed me how many people dedicated their morning to the event. Whether you look at the 30,000 runners who pushed their way through – running 13.1 or 26.2 miles – the thousands of fans who cheered on the sidelines, or the hundreds of D.C. police who kept the roads clear all morning, the event brought people together from around the area and world to run.

Route map: Paris Marathon

I have fortunately had to chance to run in four different countries already, including my favorite: France. Running is my personal way to connect with the world around me, and I have made it a goal to participate in the 2014 Marathon de Paris next spring. Starting in view of the Arc de Triomphe, passing Notre Dame, la Tour Eiffel, and with long sections along la Seine, participating in the Marathon de Paris is any French-loving runner’s dream.

Why we travel matters and it is important to acknowledge what we love in our own and other cultures. Whatever it is that you enjoy – food, art, music, sports or anything else – find ways to engage locally and one day the experience may take you across the globe as well!

Samantha Cohen, AFDC Blog Ambassador, American University

Il me semble, par contre, que depuis le tournage du clip « Broken Toy Boy » en octobre 2011, vous présentez un concept plus pensif, plus narratif, et surtout plus balancé qui montre les attentes romantiques de plusieurs femmes face à une société qui insiste en les voir comme jouet sexuels de l’homme. De cette manière, vous avez créé un clip de justesse féminin, mais toujours en gardant votre style et ligne de production musicale !

Broken Toy Boy EP

Et donc, par rapport à votre prochain spectacle du 23 mars 2013, comment est-ce que vous envisagez votre spectacle à Malmaison ? Qu’est-ce que votre public pourrait attendre de différent ?

MTGD : Belle analyse. Nous même ne pensions pas avoir autant intellectualisé notre musique. Mais il est vrai que nous mettons un point d’honneur à mettre les femmes en avant dans les clips comme dans les productions musicales. De ce fait, nous gardons un souvenir invraisemblable de notre premier show à Washington au Postal Museum, nous ne nous attendions pas à un tel accueil, du coup, nous attendons chaque date à Washington avec beaucoup d’impatience. Le show de samedi sera on l’espère aussi surprenant que les précédents, une chose est sûre, nous avons envie de tout casser.

DMW: Et comment décririez-vous vos propres pensées sur ces cinq concepts ?

L’AMOUR

MTGD: L’amour il paraît que c’est super bien.

LE MARIAGE

MTGD: Pour un dj set dans les mariages on demande 3000 dollars.

L’ARGENT

MTGD: L’argent, c’est ce qui nous intéresse en premier lieu parce que la musique on déteste en fait.

LA FAMILLE

Pierre: J’aime bien ma fille.

Greg: Moi pareil, j’aime bien mon fils et ma fille.

L’AVIDITÉ

MTGD: L’avidité on est globalement pour. Nous sommes nous mêmes avides de plein de choses que la morale réprouve et qu’on espère trouver à Washington.

DMW: Merci bien ! À samedi !

TICKETS: MTGD: Samedi le 23 mars 2013 à Malmaison

For Francophiles, there couldn’t be better news! It means a wealth of interesting encounters with people from all over the world, from all walks of life, and with a plethora (if we may) of fascinating experiences to share.  So whether you love Francophone culture, food, travel, or language, you’ve got no excuse not to get involved.

And just to give you an idea of what you’re working with, the latest census gives us the following number of regional speakers of French and its linguistic offspring.

In DC :
Number of people who claim French as a language spoken in their home : 7,927
… Patois : 109
… Creole : 1,152

In Maryland :
Number of people who claim French as a language spoken in their home: 45,762
… Patois : 1,720
… Cajun : 91
… Creole : 11,269

In Virginia :
Number of people who claim French as a language spoken in their home : 34,357
… Patois : 893
… Cajun : 147
… Creole : 5,465

If you’re interested in learning more about French language and how it’s used in the world, join Abdourahman Waberi, Georgetown professor and Djiboutian intellectual, who will speak tonight as part of the 2013 DC Francophonie Festival.  The discussion will deal with French as a native language, as a past-time, a professional tool, and more.

*Did we mention it’s Macaron Day? Several bakeries across the city make the delicious treats and some are giving away free ones today, so be sure to check them out: Paul Bakeries, Macaron Bee, The Sweet Lobby, DC Patisserie, Artisan Confections, Tout de Sweet Pastry Shop.  We’ve probably missed some, but if we didn’t include your favorite, be sure to tell others about it in the comments!

Share your favorite French cachettes around DC in the comments!
1. Café Bonaparte

If you’ve never heard of Café Bonaparte, you’re missing out. Café Bonaparte strives to create a true Parisian feeling, and you won’t be disappointed. Their $10 lunch special is great if you would like to sample a half a crepe, half a salad. The setting is ideal, situated in Georgetown but not in the center where it can certainly get overwhelming. Most importantly, the quality of the food can transport you back to France and you will leave full, satisfied, and hopefully craving more. We hear the dessert crepes are to-die-for as well. Café Bonaparte also has a sister restaurant in Adams Morgan, Napoleon, which turns into a neat bar at night with a similar atmosphere.

2. Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar
Trying to stay away from Georgetown but craving French food or drink in DC is close to impossible. Bistrot Lepic is situated on Wisconsin Avenue in a cozy enclave. Although they have brunch, lunch, and dinner, the wine bar at night is supposed to be the winner. Monday and Wednesday nights are Jazz Nights in the Dining Room, and although no promises can be made, free wine is a possibility. The Wine Bar Menu itself is authentically French, with an extensive worldly list of choices. Perhaps the Bistrot’s most unique feature occurs every Tuesday night – from 6 pm to 8pm for the Lepic wine tasting session. “Discover 2 wines every week and, depending on the sommelier’s choice, taste either red and white, or rose or champagne.”  Ooh la la…there is a very good chance you won’t leave disappointed with this one.

 
3. An event sponsored by Meetup.com (Locations vary)
Do you enjoy hiking, biking, crafts and more? Just want to do all that in French, alongside French people? If you’re looking to practice your French all you have to do is just personalize your search on Meetup.com and you might as well be jogging along the Seine. Some of the most popular groups include Les Compagnons French Meetup Group of Washington, D.C., D.C. French Meetup, and Afternoon French Conversation in Metropolitan D.C.. Check it out to get some ideas or inspiration!

4. Blogs about French culture (Cyberspace)
This one works best when il fait froid dehors or t’as la flemme and you don’t feel like moving. No worries, the Internet world has a variety of addicting blogs relating to French cuisine, activities, and culture. Personal favorites include French Twist DC, My French Kitchen, or any of these funny vloggers.

5. Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern (Herndon, VA)
This might be a stretch, but since I’m half Canadian I couldn’t resist. It’s worth the drive into Virginia, or so the reviews say. When you try it you will be satisfied, assuming you like poutine (beware, it is truly an acquired taste). Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern has poutine that attracts tourists from all over the region, who are somewhat shocked that the dish is on the menu “this far south of the border.” There are some other awesome perks, like Open Mic Nights on Wednesdays and free parking whenever you want.

 Erica Finkelstein, American University

*Funny stamp photo found on Etsy.