Author Archives: Artmistice Dance

Passion Portrait: Gabrielle Alicot

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GABRIELLE ALICOT-

 

PROFESSIONAL MAKE-UP ARTIST AND OWNER OF MUA COSMETICS-

 

I have been a professional make-up artist for 5 years now. Since I was little, I always loved working with my hands and for as long as I can remember, I’ve always done manual work such as painting on fabrics, drawing, sculpting, glass engraving, etc.

 

At a young age, I quickly gravitated towards the arts, starting with dance. It’s an environment in which I always felt comfortable. I have never been a person capable of being enclosed in an office all day. I love walking to the beat of my own drum, being in my bubble, ultimately being creative. That’s what makes me tick. When I spend a day without being able to touch my brushes, it brings me down. Make-up and the creative process are vital to me.

 

I am proud of my career and I love seeing people leave my chair feeling beautiful and good in their skin. However, being a very artistic individual, little by little, I began body painting. It’s an aspect of my work that leaves space for unbounded creativity. I love starting from nothing and transforming a body the way a painter brings life to a blank canvas.

 

More importantly, what I love most is to be limitless and my career makes that happen. Whether it’s for weddings, fashion shows, cinema, theatre or television, I never do the same thing. Every face, every body and every project is different. I never get bored.

 

I wouldn’t change my career for anything in the world. I guess the one thing that may make it slightly more difficult is that as any independent worker, it’s not always easy. I don’t have a fixed schedule, and therefore no fixed income. We are often faced with uncertainty and stress. However, when I wake up in the morning to go to work, I do it with a smile and for that, I consider myself really privileged.

 

To find out more:

Website:  http://www.muacosmetiques.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/mua.cosmetiques.5

Passion Portrait: Shaharah Sinclair

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SHAHARAH SINCLAIR-

 

SINGER-

 

What inspires me to keep doing what I do is simple: I love it. What ‘allows’ me to keep doing what I do is a very different question. Most aspiring artists who are yet to catch a break in this crazy industry are stuck working a dead-end job while feeding their passion for the arts on the side. I, however, am one of the lucky ones. I’ve managed to build a lucrative business around my love for singing. And not just ‘singing’ as in ‘do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do’, but singing the songs the way my heart desires. Magic. Freedom.

 

I had a conversation with a fellow professional singer in Montreal the other day who was dumbfounded to hear that I was doing so well in the corporate world without singing songs like ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘It’s Raining Men’. Those melodies have never been produced by my vocal chords, and hopefully never will…unless very specially requested by a very special friend on a very special day (fingers crossed). I am far from your typical corporate singer. I don’t wear sequence or change outfits after every set, I don’t learn choreographed dance moves and I don’t sing the songs that drunk people are able to sing along to. Respect to the singers that can do and enjoy it, it’s just not for me.

 

Why does my stripped-down, free-style approach work? Because it’s genuine and different. If all the bands after me were to follow suit, I’d be in big trouble. Luckily, my current financial situation allows me to create and focus on original music during the days which will lead my transition into the big leagues before long. I’m confident but I’m not stupid. Nothing in this business is guaranteed and some days I wonder why I invest so much time, money and energy into such a risky career. It’s a pretty crazy idea when you break it down like that, especially when there are so many other ‘safe’ options out there. That’s why singing the songs I love to the people I love is so important to me. It keeps me loving and wanting a professional singing career so bad that my willingness to sacrifice is renewed every single time I perform. If it’s supposed to be about the journey and not the destination, we need to make sure we’re smiling on the way there right? :)

 

To find out more:

Website: www.shaharah.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shaharah.news

Twitter: @shaharah

My Space: www.myspace.com/shaharahspace

Wicked in Montreal, August 1st – 26th

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The Tony Award-winning musical Wicked is currently on tour and making a stop in Montreal from August 1st to 26th at the Place des Arts. Wicked is based on the novel by Gregory MaGuire, of The Wizard of Oz, told from the perspective of the witches, from their meeting at The Shiz University to the iconic witches they grow to become. Tickets are on sale now. We highly recommend you go see it!

It’s Festival Season in Montreal!

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Summer is finally upon us and there is no lack of great things to do and see in Montreal in the summertime. Known for our great festivals, here is a list of the ones you don’t want to miss! Click on the links for programming information so you can book your calendar!

 

Festival International Montréal en Arts – June 27 to July 1st

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal – June 28 to July 7

Montréal Complètement Cirque – July 5 to July 15

Festival International Nuits d’Afrique – July 10 to July 22

Just for Laughs Festival – July 10 to July 2

Fantasia International Film Festival – July 19 to August 7

Montreal Electronique Groove – July 26 to August 5

Festival Mode & Design – August 1 to August 4

Osheaga Music and Arts Festival – August 3 to August 5

Montreal World Film Festival – August 18 to August 28

Enjoy and make the most of this summer!

 

Passion Portrait: Kim Lallouz

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KIM LALLOUZ-

 

CHEF-

 

Food is my passion. Like an artist, I’m inspired by everything around me. Music, scents, colours… my worldly travels act as my muse for new recipes. I love everything about food and sharing this passion with everybody is just such a gratifying experience. I’m a strong believer in being socially responsible and reducing our carbon footprint, which is why we try to use local and seasonal produce for sustainable and simple cuisine. I hope to be able to instil the same passion for food to everybody I cook for, one bite at a time…

 

To find out more:

Website: www.misspretamanger.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/misspretamanger

Twitter:@missPretAManger

 

Black Divas Leave The Corona on Their Feet

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The Black Divas, a celebration of music’s most prominent and revolutionary black divas performed by the great Kim Richardson and Marie-Alice Depestre, lit up The Corona Theatre in Montreal on May 11th. We had the pleasure of working with these incredibly talented and wonderful women on their show. The evening was an enormous success, finishing in a well-deserved standing ovation. Congratulations, ladies!

 

 

Bust a Move ‘Keeping it Real’

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Congratulations to Spicey and Unkut Productions for the 9th edition of Bust a Move, held on May 4th and 5th. Special thanks to Jack-O-Lution for the great workshops. This was a great year full of outstanding performances and wonderful workshops with  extremely talented choreographers. Thank you all for “keeping it real”!

Thank You, Dancap

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We were sad to learn over the weekend that Dancap will be stepping back from the theatre industry after concluding its current season and a tour of Western Canada with Jersey Boys scheduled this fall. Over the past five years, Dancap Productions has been instrumental in bringing important Broadway shows to Toronto and broadening the landscape of musical theatre in Canada. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for all they’ve done for the industry and wish Mr. Aubrey Dan and everyone at Dancap all the best.

The Disappointing Smash

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I’ve been forcing myself to watch Smash, the new NBC hit about the making of a musical on Marilyn Monroe. Given the nature of my work, I felt it was my duty to at least watch the first season, hoping it would get better along the way, but to no avail. If this were a live show, I probably would have left at the intermission.

 

I tried to like it, I really did. Some things make it easy to want to: the choreographies are solid, the direction is more than adequate, and the original songs are rather catchy and worthy of the real deal.

 

There are two things that make me irk about this show: the unrealistic timeline and the trivialisation of the developmental process of a musical. In less than one season, the team managed to write and conceptualize an entire musical, cast and prepare a workshop. All of this thanks to one producer and no investors on-board until workshop rehearsals were almost completed.

 

I also find the debate ironic on whether or not the show needs a star in it. They attempt to sympathize with Broadway performers who, they suggest, are much more capable of delivering; implying that stars are merely used to bring in investors and to sell tickets. However, in less than 10 episodes, Nick Jonas, Bernadette Peters, and Uma Thurman made highly publicized guest appearances.

 

Despite its shortcomings, mainly based on issues of authenticity, Smash has managed to be just that so far. It has garnered much critical acclaim from television critics. In all fairness, I am sure that doctors cringe just as much at hospital dramas, a guilty pleasure of mine. As all clouds have a silver lining, I guess I must begrudgingly offer one. While Smash does not truly do justice to those who dedicate their blood, sweat, and tears to musical theatre, perhaps the accessibility it brings to the world of theatre will inspire a greater appreciation for the art. Let’s face it: who can argue with more support for the arts?

Passion Portrait: DJ Shash’u

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RICHARD ST-AUBIN, a.k.a DJ SHASH’U-

DJ & COMPOSER-

 

I started playing drums when I was 9 and my dad was a classical guitarist, so music was always in my family. Later on, I was introduced to making music by a friend. My curiosity grew into passion. I was 17 when I started making my own music because I had access to the tools. I went to sound-engineering school, sharpened my knowledge and now I feel that I can do anything audio-related. Now I make music for other artists, corporate clients and websites. I’m broadening my horizons not by just making music, but by doing audio creation as well.

 

It’s something I enjoy and that I consider I’m good at, but I keep working in this field in part because I love the positive reaction I get from people who hear my songs. You have to get that response back from people; it’s how I can relate to them. I also find it highly rewarding making people feel a certain way through music. I do it to make people happy. I create a physical, mental, and spiritual escape for them through music. That for me has no comparison.

 

To find out more:

http://soundcloud.com/shashu 

https://www.facebook.com/btm.shashu (you must be signed in to Facebook to view the page)

https://twitter.com/iamshashu

http://www.silencedor.com/