Montreal Cultural Calendar

Laylit is a platform and collective celebrating music and artists from the Arab/SWANA region and its diaspora. Over the last four years their dance parties in New York City and Montreal have carved out an unmatched place in North American nightlife, becoming an anticipated social gathering and unique musical experience.

Each party takes you on a genre-spanning journey, highlighting the incredible musical diversity, depth and richness that comes out of the region. Laylit has established its place on the scene with a signature electronic sound blending shaabi, dabke, mahraganat, Arabic pop and hip-hop with contemporary, boundary pushing dance music (techno, breakbeat, hyperpop…) inspired by New York and Montreal’s thriving underground clubs.

With recent features in the New York Times and Pitchfork, Laylit is gearing up to celebrate its 5-year anniversary this year with a Boiler Room event in NYC and a tour across multiple North American cities.

Laylit values inclusivity and unity across cultures, languages, dialects, religions, identity and sexual orientations.

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Laylit est un collectif et une plateforme célébrant la musique et les artistes issus du monde Arabe/SWANA et de ses diasporas. Depuis maintenant quatre ans, leurs soirées à New York et Montréal sont devenues des incontournables de la scène culturelle et nightlife d'Amérique du Nord.

Les soirées sont un véritable voyage musical. Le son de Laylit se distingue par son alliage du shaabi, dabke, mahraganat, hip hop et de la pop Arabe avec des musiques électroniques (techno, breakbeat, hyperpop) inspirées des scènes underground de New York et Montréal.

Forte de plusieures mentions dans des medias tells que le New York Times et Pitchfork, la soirée s’apprete à célébrer son 5ème anniversaire avec un évènement Boiler Room à New York ainsi qu’une tournée dans plusieures villes nord-americaines.
Laylit valorise l'inclusivité et l'unité entre les cultures, les langues, les dialectes, les religions, l'identité et les orientations sexuelles.

Join us for an evening of drawing and sketching.

Come and practice your drawing skills.
Share your experience with other artists!
All levels are invited!

Bring a friend!

Book online to ensure your spot (15 max).

We provide the easels and drawing tables.

Bring your own drawing & painting material.

Please arrive 10 to 5 minutes before the session.
$17

[Le français suit]

Join Cinema Politica Concordia for our screening of UNARMED VERSES followed by a discussion with special guests!

In memory of our friend Charles Officer, who passed at the end of 2023, we are staging an encore screening of his beautiful and caring doc about a predominately Black community in Toronto that is faced with forced relocation.

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ABOUT THE FILM
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UNARMED VERSES

Charles Officer / Canada / 2016 / 1 hour 25 mins / English

In the feature documentary UNARMED VERSES, acclaimed filmmaker Charles Officer creates a thoughtful and vivid portrait of a family and a community facing a difficult transition. The largely low-income residents of a rental housing block in Toronto’s north-east end are threatened with imposed relocation due to the impending demolition of the place they call home. At the centre of this story is 12-year-old Francine Valentine, a curious and compassionate girl whose astute observations and innate ability to express her thoughts belie her young age. Having immigrated to Canada as a four-year-old, Francine lives with her father and other family members but has a distant relationship with her mother, who remained in their home country of Antigua. Francine’s remarkably insightful reflections on life, the self, and the soul are beautifully framed by her love for art of all kinds, from poetry to drawing, dancing, and music. The difficult realities of her existence—poverty, girlhood, family rifts, and community tumult—are no match for this bright and expressive youngster. Francine and her peers are aided through their community’s transition by teachers and mentors who show them the power of art and creativity in navigating adversity. From garage reggae jams to the soft jazz emanating behind languid shots of the neighbourhood and its people, from Francine’s careful reading of Edgar Allan Poe to the recording studio where the neighbourhood’s teenagers learn to lay down their musical tracks, the capacity of art to provide strength and create change is fully realized. As Francine herself says, art is an “escape from reality.” While Francine’s unforgettable voice speaks for an entire community facing change, UNARMED VERSES gives agency to those who are rarely heard in society. Francine’s transformative journey transcends a simple coming-of-age story: it mirrors our universal need to express ourselves, find our voice, and belong. Charles Officer builds a powerful bond of trust with this luminous girl, crafting a poignant urban observational film that explores intertwining themes of economic disparity, home, love, and self-esteem. “It’s a miracle that we exist at all,” is a line from a poem by one of Francine’s mentors, who encouraged her to improve her self-confidence through art. This universal truth transcends the struggles and triumphs of communities across the world that are facing adversity while celebrating their bonds.

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EVENT DETAILS
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This event is part of Black History Month and is co-presented by Brick by Brick and Black Theatre Workshop.

Admission is by donation ($5-10 suggested). The venue is wheelchair accessible. In order to prevent the spreading of COVID 19, wearing a mask at Cinema Politica Concordia events is strongly recommended.

More info: https://www.cinemapolitica.org/screening/unarmed-verses-screening-with-guests-in-attendance/

Version française à suivre…

Eternal Curiosities: Jam Hommage Steve Paxton

Join us this Monday, February 26th, at the vibrant White Wall Studio Montréal for a special Contact-Improvisation jam dedicated to celebrating the monumental contributions of Steve Paxton to the world of dance.

Dive into the theme of "Eternal Curiosities" and explore the infinite powerful discoveries that the state of curiosity can offer to your Contact-Improvisation dance.

Please bring an object that for you reflects your connection with CI. Together we will build a collective altar for Steve.

📍 **Location**: White Wall Studio Montréal, 4532 Avenue Laval

🚪 **Doors Open**: 7:15 PM

Price: **Free entry**

👥 **Opening Circle**: 7:35 PM - A moment to connect and set our curious intentions.

🌀 **Small Dance Led by Steve Paxton**: 7:45 PM - A unique opportunity to engage in Paxton’s most precious research into curiosity.

🌀 **Guided Transition towards Embodiement**: 8:00 PM - Led by Valerie Sabbah, this session will seamlessly transition into a free-flowing jam, inviting to explore and express curiosity through your dances.

🎥 **Special Feature at 9:00 PM**: Video excerpt of a talk Montreal dancers had the chance to have with Steve Paxton last August 2024, offering invaluable insights into his vision and philosophy behind Contact-Improvisation and his thoughts about CI today.

🎭 **CI Movement Curiosity Dances**: 9:15 PM - Present your own CI Movement Curiosity Dance, ranging from 1 to 6 minutes, as a personal tribute to Paxton's life work. Whether you're a seasoned dancer or new to CI, this is a beautiful opportunity to share your movement story. CI musicians are also welcome to offer a Music Movement Curiosity.

🗣 **Closing Gathering Circle**: 9:45-10:00PM - A moment to co-create a meaningful sharing of curious reflections discovered throughout the jam.

📩 **Participate in CI Movement Curiosity Dances**: If you're inspired to offer a CI dance or music, please reach out to me directly. All expressions of movement that resonate with the theme of Eternal Curiosities and pay homage to the pioneering spirit of Steve Paxton are welcome. You can also spontaneously choose to in the moment of offerings.

This event is more than a jam; it's a celebration of innovation, creativity, and the boundless curiosity that propels the art of dance forward. Let's come together to honor Steve Paxton's legacy and immerse ourselves in the transformative power of Eternal Curiosities in Contact-Improvisation.




Version française

Curiosités Éternelles : Jam Hommage Steve Paxton

Rejoignez-nous ce lundi 26 février, au dynamique White Wall Studio Montréal, pour une jam spéciale de Contact-Improvisation dédiée à célébrer les contributions monumentales de Steve Paxton au monde de la danse.

Plongez dans le thème des "Curiosités Éternelles" et explorez les découvertes infiniment puissantes que l'état de curiosité peut offrir à votre danse de Contact-Improvisation.

Veuillez apporter un objet qui, pour vous, reflète votre connexion avec le CI. Ensemble, nous construirons un autel collectif pour Steve.

📍 **Lieu** : White Wall Studio Montréal, 4532 Avenue Laval

🚪 **Ouverture des Portes** : 19h15

Coût : Gratuit

👥 **Cercle d'Ouverture** : 19h35 - Un moment pour se connecter et définir nos intentions curieuses.

🌀 **Petite Danse dirigée par Steve Paxton** : 19h45 - Une opportunité unique de s'engager dans la recherche la plus précieuse de Paxton sur la curiosité.

🌀 **Transition Guidée vers la mise en corps** : 20h00 - Dirigée par Valerie Sabbah, cette session passera sans heurts à un jam libre, invitant à explorer et exprimer la curiosité à travers vos danses.

🎥 **Visionnement Spéciale à 21h00** : Extrait vidéo d'une conversation quelques danseur.e.s de Montréal ont eu la chance d'avoir avec Steve Paxton en août 2024, offrant des aperçus inestimables sur sa vision et sa philosophie derrière le Contact-Improvisation et ses réflexions sur le CI aujourd'hui.

🎭 **Danses de Curiosités CI** : 21h15 - Présentez votre propre Danse de Curiosité CI, allant de 1 à 6 minutes, comme un hommage personnel au travail de vie de Paxton. Que vous soyez un danseur.e.s expérimenté.es ou nouveau dans le CI, c'est une belle opportunité de partager votre histoire de mouvement. Les musicien.ne.s CI sont également invités à proposer une Curiosité Musicale.

🗣 **Cercle de Clôture** : 21h45-22h00 - Un moment pour co-créer un partage significatif de réflexions curieuses découvertes tout au long de la jam.

📩 **Participer aux Danses de Curiosité CI** : Si vous êtes inspiré pour offrir une danse ou de la musique CI, veuillez me contacter directement. Toutes les expressions de mouvement qui résonnent avec le thème des Curiosités Éternelles et rendent hommage à l'esprit pionnier de Steve Paxton sont les bienvenues. Vous pouvez également choisir spontanément de participer au moment des offrandes.

Cet événement est plus qu'une jam ; c'est une célébration de l'innovation, de la créativité et de la curiosité sans limites qui propulse l'art de la danse vers l'avant. Rassemblons-nous pour honorer l'héritage de Steve Paxton et nous immerger dans le pouvoir transformateur des Curiosités Éternelles en Contact-Improvisation.