2023 Line-up:
LGS
Singer - Pop, Canadian trad
If the name LGS doesn't ring a bell, you've probably already heard the band's songs. The group's original swinging and lively music will make you discover current texts, set to music, that will make you get up from your chair and dance.
Created in 1999 by Michel Bénac, SWING introduces a new sound to Canadian ears, transforming traditional French-Canadian song with a flavor of American pop music. He was joined by Jean-Philippe Goulet in 2002, when the group was propelled to prominence with the unexpected success of the album "La chanson sacrée", which included the songs "Un bon matin" and "Ça va brasser". Their second album "La vie comme ça" (2003) attracted media and public attention, especially with the track "Au nom du père et du fils et du set carré".
After the success of their 3rd album "Tradarnac" (2009), Bénac and Goulet decided to take on a new challenge: to move away from the violin, while continuing to create festive music, faithful to their urban-folk roots. The duo came back in force in March 2015 with a homonymous album and the success was immediate: "C Okay" was in the top 10 of the Montreal radio station CKOI for 18 weeks, while "La Folie" was at number one for 4 weeks (July 2015). That same year, LGS had the chance to perform at the closing ceremonies of the PanAm and Para PanAm games, in front of over 54 million viewers worldwide.
In 2016, the band, which now uses the acronym LGS (Le Groupe Swing), launched an album in Europe and the United States to implement its communicative madness and energy, which irrevocably transforms every concert into a unique experience, and its immoderate taste for feel-good songs.
Abel Maxwell
About ten years ago, Abel Maxwell arrived in North America without money, without connections and without a job.
Today, he is an acclaimed artist and a public figure recognized on the internationally who inspires people to believe in themselves and make a difference with their gift.
His music consists of strong melodies, with catchy lyrics lodged in afro-infused productions and cadence or music with a string classical strings arrangements influence framed with a soulful piano.He blends ingredients from his roots, modern harmonies and his personal life journey while letting the listener in on the ride.
Abel Maxwell is:
• Winner of the UNESCO / International Humanitarian Fashion Week Community Achievement Award (2016)
• Nominated as the best male performer at the Trille-Or Gala by Radio- Canada and APCM (2015)
• Best-selling Author " (Hollywood 2014)
• Producer/Radio Show Host of TROPIC FM 89.1 FM - University of Ottawa
Singer - Afrobeat
ADAMA DAOU
Born in the city of Mopti in Mali and since childhood with his family, he began to practice the African percussions of his region, the djembe, the dumdum, the calabash, the balafon, and to play in traditional ceremonies. Later, he studied drama at the Center National des Arts in Bamako. During a tour in France with Acte Sept, he was invited by the French group Lo’jo to perform at the Les Nuits Couleurs festival.
In 2000, he moved to France and multiplied concerts and tours with renowned groups (Lo'jo, Zenzile, Adama Yalomba, Maré Sanogo, etc.). He plays in particular at the Printemps de Bourges, Solidays, Le bout du monde, Africolor, Africajarc, Festival d'Avignon, Jazz à Montreux, etc. festivals. He also participates in composition projects on the albums of Lo’Jo (Bohême de cristal) and Adama Yalomba (Kassa), or for the contemporary dance company, Norma Claire.
In 2011, he moved to Montreal. He performs alongside local and international world music artists in Quebec and Canada (Nuits d’Afrique, Vues d’Afrique, AfroFest, etc.). In 2013, he received a first creation grant for the project, Bala-Phone, a show he presented at the MMM Festival, notably surrounded by the trad/jazz guitarist Marc Maziade (MAZ) and the pianist Javier Ascencio (Latin jazz). The same year, he joined the Zab Maboungou/Nyata-Nyata dance company, with which he has since toured several times in Canada and internationally.
For several years, he has also collaborated with the Center of Musicians of the World where he gives workshops, and with which he carried out a creative residency in the fall of 2020 with the musicians Olivier Babaz (double bass) and Gabriel Schwartz (saxophone, pandeiro , flute). He also offers numerous percussion and balafon workshops in schools and festivals for different audiences (schoolchildren, families, adults, etc.).
Musician - drums from Mali
Alpha Rhythms Roots
Song - Percussion
The founder and artistic director of Alpha Rhythm Roots, Alpha, is from Guinea, West Africa. Alpha has played African percussion for over two decades, and is based in Toronto – Canada.
Before working as a full time business owner and musician / instructor, Alpha used his bachelor's degree to work as a Planner / Project Manager in the corporate world, in Europe and Canada, for over 15 years.
Our company started in 1999 as a source for the best professional mandingue musical instruments sold worldwide, and developed into multiple music related live and virtual services.
In collaboration with award winning percussionists Walter MacLean, as well as other professional musicians and artists, Alpha regularly performs and provide drumming related services, in French or English, at concerts, festivals, cultural events, schools, private corporate events, and community fundraiser in the Greater Toronto Area, across Ontario, in Canada, and worldwide by means of virtual services.
The many past appearances and collaboration work of “Alpha Rhythm Roots” include a concert with rock band Juno award winner “Sam Roberts” and “Sam Roberts Bands”, with a percussive arrangement for a few tracks of the “New Years Eve 2014 E.T Canada concert” in Niagara Falls:
Alpha is specialized in base drum “Doundoun” percussion instrument, but also plays the Djembe drum among other West African musical percussive instruments.
Atlas Géocircus
Circus
After visiting the 4 corners of a round planet, Atlas Geocircus raises his eyes to the sky and sets off to conquer space bound for infinity. A space circus show where, through a clownish adventure, he is organizing his greatest expedition of all time.
Seeking answers to the greatest existential questions: Can you juggle on the moon? Where is the cosmos? Can wire be made between 2 stars?
Rediscover this playful and intergalactic Globetrotter, tightrope walker and juggler of comets in his brand new show which combines circus, interstellar humor and above all, which offers an experience opening a door to the Milky Way and the stars to the depths of the galaxy.
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Bermuda
Signer - Pop Funk
Bermuda's songs oscillate between funk, rap and pop with bold energy without compromise. An ambassador of inclusion, she proclaims loud and clear that she's comfortable in her own skin, and wants to bring everyone in her wake.
Je ne m'excuserai pas (I won't apologize) is an album that unites, dares and focuses on her talents as an explosive performer. an uncompromisingly mature album. Rebellious, outspoken and often irreverent irreverent, Bermuda invites you into her world of French grooves.
For the recording of her album, the singer-songwriter surrounded herself with the same team same team as for her EP, ensuring continuity in approach and aesthetics. aesthetic. Alexandre Lapointe is the producer (The Brooks, Hanorah, etc.) and bass, talented musicians Maxime Bellavance, Jean-Sébastien Chouinard and Daniel Thouin, and Gautier Marinof on mix and sound. In concert, she Sarah Dion, Raphaëlle Chouinard, Émile Farley and David Osei-Afrifa.
Née aux Bermudes et élevée en Irlande, Bermuda vit maintenant à Sherbrooke. Diplômée de l’École nationale de la chanson, elle a foulé les planches de plusieurs salles et concours d'envergure au cours des dernières années.
Breezy
Signer - Folk
“Breezy is a Canadian singer/songwriter, musician, recording artist, and producer currently residing in Hamilton. He has had several releases on all platforms since 2020 starting with his first project Victory, following with his EP Cabin Fever, and now his newest album release Me, Myself & Her.”
Interventions Divines
Dance - Contemperative, a capellla
Imagined in confinement, this wandering show is intended as a playful remedy to the challenges of 2021, and the post COVID-19 era.
Following rumors circulating throughout the universe about the disastrous state of our planet, 5 goddesses descend to Earth to assess the extent of the damage. With songs composed for 5 voices by Anika Johnson (winner of a Dora in musical composition), they offer us their blessing, guidance and advice. They come in peace, to the rescue of nature and humanity.
Choreographer Bonnie Kim creates a physical language that evokes timeless rituals. Like an ancient Greek choir, our goddesses emanate eternal wisdom through song and dance. David Danzon, artistic director of CORPUS, and Matt O'Connor, long-time collaborator of the company, together inject humor and poetry into this improbable show in the public space.
Featuring 5 talented actresses/singers from all walks of life, Interventions divines promises to brighten up these chaotic times. Audiences will meet these wandering goddesses by chance, or witness a transcendental rite during an intervention on a street corner or in a public park. Our intention is to offer a moment of poetry, beauty and the hope of benevolent support from beyond.
Coup de Coeur
Signer - African Varieties
The band Coup de Coeur is a gathering of talented musicians which includes: Sadio Sissokho on kora percussion and vocals; Diely Mori Tounkara on kora, guitar and vocals; Assane Seck on guitar and vocals; singer Seydina Ndiaye; and bassist Carlo Birri. The Senegalese Sadio Sissokho and the Malian Diely Mori Tounkara are descendants of a long line of musicians, oral historians and storytellers who follow in the footsteps of their ancestors. Their fathers were kora masters and the sons learned the kora and the teachings passed down from generation to generation. Seydina Ndiaye is a moving singer and a powerful voice who has shared the stage with many popular artists, including Cheikh Lo from Senegal, Pape & Cheikh, Fallou Dieng and others. Assane Seck is the son of the famous artist Zale Seck. He is an outstanding guitarist in many styles of African music and in demand among his peers for his guitar skills. Carlo Birri is an accomplished bassist and popular musician on the African music scene in Montreal. This group brings together the talents of these artists, each expert in their individual style and performing together songs that define the regional varieties, sounds and melodies of West African music. Some songs are traditional pieces, others were composed by the band's musicians.
HAMILTON BEAT HARMONIC
Samba, percussions
Hamilton Beat Harmonic is a percussion driven ensemble playing a dynamic mix of Afro, Brazilian, Latin and hip-hop music. HBH tight, upbeat, and high intensity performances aim to bring people together in dance and celebration.
One part of HBH's repertoire is inspired by the samba reggae musical traditions of northern Brazil under the instruction of Pato Martinez of T.Dot Batu, a banner under which Hamilton Beat Harmonic proudly plays on special occasions. Other arrangements are a unique fusion of samba reggae, samba, funk, and hip-hop. Join the beat!
Le Flo Franco
Signer - Hip Hop
Ottawa-based hip-hop sensation, LeFLOFRANCO brings to the table a sound high in energy mixed with heartfelt lyrical content. Striving to push Hip-Hop’s sound towards new heights, he refers to his unique sound as : multicolored urban pop.
FLO seeks to bring a colourful outlook to what can sometimes be somber times. Production-wise, he wants to take you on a musical journey going from modern Hip-Hop, to Trap, to EDM all the way to the Caribbean Soca vibes, reggae fusion and music from his Haitian background; Kompa. As far as the lyrical content goes, they tend to dive into an emotion, explore it while shedding some light onto his personal life, his hopes and aspirations.
The delivery may be in French but the music transcends and is sure to move any and all audiences; young and old. FLO believes that variety is the spice of life and adding colours and nuances to his offerings simply provides his audiences with a broader palette of emotions and sounds, thus, he takes great pleasure in collaborating with a variety of producers and beat makers from the Montreal-based-award-winning Sonny Black & his production team; The HookCo., to Ontario’s rising producers; DJ UNPIER, CHEVDOT & DJ SKORPYON.
In 2019, LeFLOFRANCO released his first full-length LP “Force Inhérente”. Since the album launch, two music videos were released; the festive-summer-ready “Bal exotique” and the gritty-thought-provoking “ON EN A ASSEZ!” and he’s been touring the album from Ontario to British Columbia.
Pascale Leblanc
Signer - Variety, Folk
His words evoke both his childhood memories of Haiti and his current life in his native Quebec. Her music, a veritable sound canvas, bears witness to her migratory journey in the opposite direction, and to an artistic approach in tune with her mixed-race identity. At the crossroads of French-speaking Quebecois chanson and world music, Pascale LeBlanc cradles two cultures within her, and brings them together in perfect harmony. But what is the musical background of this Haitian-Quebec singer-songwriter?
After university studies in music, Pascale LeBlanc presented her songs in various competitions, including the Festival International de la Chanson de Granby, where she became a finalist, winning the Prix de la Presse. Signed to a label, she released her first album, Mes différences, but with a courageous passion for doing things her own way, Pascale became an independent musician. From then on, she produced her own mini albums and singles, including the mini album "Sur la Route du Flamboyant", and the EP "Kinbé La", which she dedicated to the Haitian people. She devotes herself to several series of "full band" shows on various stages, including Place des Arts. She also explores solo and trio "live looping" techniques, drawing on her talents as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist. Accompanying herself on guitar or ukulele, she records her own percussion, keyboards and vocal harmonies live on stage. Her concept is endorsed by the Accès culture Montréal network, enabling her to enter Maisons de la culture. In 2018, Pascale receives support from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec to develop this show-performance entitled "Bon bagay". In the process, she fine-tunes her mixed musical style and writes new songs that will lead to the release of a full-length album. She is now responsible for arranging and producing her own songs.
The quality of Pascale's arrangements and the beauty of her crossbred songs are unanimously appreciated. But it's on stage that Pascale LeBlanc really shines! She is the embodiment of "harmony between cultures", proving that there is only one race: the human race.
Pirate Life
Pirate Life Theatre is a children’s theatre company that creates family friendly pirate-themed shows in Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton. We encourage our patrons to live a pirate’s life by presenting interactive theatrical productions in which you can join our crew and help us search for treasure, fire the water cannons, witness a sword fight and more! Our production is part theatre, part cruise, and all adventure! Our daytime children’s theatre performances are ideal for ages 3-12! We host escape games for older youth and adults in the evening. Of course, true pirates can be any age!
Two pirates will lead a variety of pirate-themed activities, including giving out pirate names, painting on tattoos, and leading games. During our 3 shows, our pirates will guide children through an interactive story on a quest for treasure and to become true pirates!
Interactive Theatre
Sentiment Collective
Danse - Hip hop
Sentiment Collective is a unique dance group based in Toronto, made up of members, self-taught and trained, in many dance forms, such as Ndombolo, Afro, Coupé Décalé, Hip Hop and Dancehall. The group came to life in 2019, and with over 7 million streams to date, Sentiment Collective works tirelessly to promote their culture and impact their viewers with the way they express themselves through movement.
Shauit
Signer - Folk, Reggae
Nominated twice as indigenous artist of the year for the prestigious ADISQ awards gala, Shauit sings about the complexity and beauty of the Innu nation. Most of the time in Innu, but sometimes in French, Shauit brings a music that is as festive and unifying as it is introspective and hypnotizing.
Accompanied by more traditional instrumentation with, among other things, violin, guitars, and other more classically Quebec sounds, Shauit offers a veritable musical fresco that will echo Quebec territories and their inhabitants, in all their richness and diversity. In a festive spirit and with renowned Quebec collaborators, the artist from Maliotenam on the North Shore will reconnect with his deep roots and deliver a powerful full album with folk/trad tones with, in the background, an idea of reconciliation and a burning desire to live.
Recipient of several honors such as the prize for the best indigenous album at the Indigenous Music Award, best singer-songwriter at the Folk Music Award, and also illustrated in several national and international showcases, Shauit, originally from Maliotenam in northeastern Quebec, sings songs strongly inspired by his Innu roots and traditional music. He fuses several popular genres (folk, roots, reggae, etc.) and offers honest, committed songs filled with emotions and personal experiences. Shauit's influence and solicitations for his music continue to grow, and he even finds himself in demand for feature films and television series.
Shauit is a proud representative of Innu culture around the world and is currently working on a second full album to follow up with the warm welcome he has received after the release of his first official album “Apu peikussiaku”. Focused on the interbreeding and fusion of the musical worlds of Quebec and Innu, Shauit will paint a magnificent fresco of influences against a backdrop of a feeling of reunification and reconciliation.
Singer - Variety, Folk
Stef Paquette
Stef Paquette has over 25 years of experience in the arts. He is best known for his career as a singer-songwriter, but he is also a champion improviser, television actor and comedian.
His name is linked to several projects: Improteine, TFO 24.7, host of the shows Planète BRBR (TFO), Shawarmaville and Bouge en ville (Fibe TV1). He played a leading role in the TV series Météo+ and Les Bleus de Ramville. (TFO) as well as in the English-language television series Hard Rock Medical (TVO). He also took on several secondary roles in Motel Monstre and Amélie et compagnie (TFO), in Eaux turbulentes (Radio-Canada) and in the film Noël en cane, to name a few.
Stef is also considered one of the great mentors of French Ontario. The proof? He was named sponsor of the Ontario Pop competition, sponsor of the FTAMS (Festival de Théâtre Action en Milieu Scolaire) twice as well as sponsor of the Festival Quand ça nous chante twice as well!
Trevor Copp
Trevor founded Tottering Biped Theatre (TBT) in 2009, a professional company that emphasizes highly physical and social-issue-oriented work. He completed Theatre Studies at Waterloo, an MA at Guelph, and Mime at the Marcel Marceau School in Paris.
As a devised theatre co-creator, Trevor performed/directed in TBT’s First Dance, The Second Life, Searching for Marceau, and MT Space’s The Last 15 Seconds, Body 13, and Amal. These 6 shows performed multiple times at the Theatre Passe Muraille, Grand Theatre, Firehall Theatre, and as part of Theatre Aquarius seasons, the IMPACT 09/11/13/15, Magnetic North, Prismatic, Undercurrents, In the Soil, and Canoe festivals. They were also taken on national tours and a tour of the Middle East, Tunisia, Egypt, Germany, and Albania. As an actor, he also performed in TBT’s Thom Pain, Home Free, and The Ends of the Earth; Oakville Festival of the Classics’ Pericles; Theatre & Company’s Beauty and the Beast, Metamorphosis, Ten Times Two, and Barefoot in the Park; and Motus O Dance Theatre’s The Shunning.
Trevor is also a former latin/ballroom dance competitor and has coached Canada’s 2 sets of World Amateur Salsa Champions. He co-invented a gender neutral form of partner dancing whose TED.com talk has garnered 800,000 views and led to further international speaking engagements. Trevor went from street busking to professional mime and creating/touring his solo physical shows which have performed to over 10,000 audience members. He is currently on the performer's rooster with Cirque du Soleil. He has taught/coached physical Theatre for The Shaw Festival, CanStage/Studio 180, Theatre Beyond Words, Pat the Dog Playwright Centre, Zacada Circus, Irish Classical Theater, The Iberoamerican Festival in Bogota, and in the university theatre departments of Guelph, Waterloo, Niagara, Brock and McMaster. He has been recognized with the Hamilton Theatre Award, the Burlington Artist of the Year Award, the Ontario Presenters Artist of the Year Award, and a Chalmer’s Fellowship. His work has been featured in the Canadian Theatre Review, TED.com, CBC Television, WholeNote, and the Dance Current.
Theatre - Mime
Ultimutts
The Ultimutts presents: Hollywoof Stars! Our 4-legged CAT and DOG celebrities will showcase how to bring a character to life on the big screen. The stunt performers are the daredevils of the movie world! Our Stunt cat/dog team will showcase some incredible stunts like; jump rope, skateboard ramps, scooters, handstands and tight rope walking!
Meet celebrity animal actors that have been featured on the big screen in Hollywood Blockbusters, Netflix Features and more.
Animal Show
Zapa Couture
Style & Fashion
Amang Pascaline Zock is a young woman from Cameroon, an international student at Collège Boréal in early childhood education. She completed her secondary and post-secondary studies in the clothing industry, graduating with a Technician's Certificate. Passionate about sewing from an early age, she took a post-graduate course in mixed-mode haute couture. She loves everything that is simple and beautiful, because for her, it's in simplicity that we find the true nature of people and things. She presents her creations and carries out commissions under the name Zapa Couture.