by Dr. Susan Boldrey (French professor, translator)
In the USA, we all know the silly joke “What came first – the chicken or the egg?” As participants in the unique, creative, dynamic 2023 CHICAGO PARIS CABARET CONNEXION, we can ask ourselves, “What came first – Paris OR Chicago?” Determining a response to this is as personal and challenging as keeping up with our topnotch Cabaret team as we hike up to Montmartre, with the beats set by our gifted pianists, with the ever-changing colors of the Paris skies along la Seine and with an effort to save enough room for one more delicious taste of French cuisine! Here’s what we learned…
In Paris from August 28th to September 4th 2023, American and French musicians and friends had vocal and performance training each morning and afternoon near la Sorbonne. We began our learning with our French and American pianists Howie Pfeifer, Stefan Kukurugya, Jean-Claude Orfali and Patrick Pernet who openly told us that their role is “as a collaborator…to make the singer make choices. The pianist is the frame, and the singer is the picture. The pianist is feeling truth from the performer: truth in knowing what you want to express. The lyrics tell a story. This story means something to you. I need information so that I can inhabit the lyrics…Know the feeling you want!” Musicians have a ‘secret language’ of gestures and signals that they share with the pianists.
Liz Howard’s Vocal Power method reminds us “Anyone can sing!…Listen and copy to develop your own sound!…You have to love what you teach!” Isabelle Georges stressed, “Be in the moment! The stage is sacred space. Use it! Move! If you want to do something, do it! There’s only now! Be your best friend! Write your story of what you’ve done.” Our pianists and our coaches seemed to breathe with us at every moment! Our eyes and hearts were connected! OUI…another aspect of “la Connexion” as we say!
Who hasn’t dreamed of singing in an ol’ Parisian cabaret or of singing and swaying to the beat of a piano in moonlight on a barge along la Seine or of strolling with a Parisian accordionist along the narrow cobblestone streets of Joséphine Baker’s Paris…? Punctuated by a ride on a Bâteau Mouche, le Musée de Montmartre’s CHAT NOIR posters, the sparkling lights and beacon shining from la Tour Eiffel…Some of us even discovered and sang at Les Milandes where Joséphine Baker’s Rainbow Tribe thrived…We sang there in the shadows of “la Baker” and were whisked into her dream of a world of peace for all children. This journey will continue in our hearts forever. We met top cabaret specialists and writers who shared the rich history of cabaret, and we walked in the footsteps of Montmartre’s celebrated singers thanks to Anne-Sophie Guerrier’s unique tour that is becoming more famous every day! Among our patters, circus acts and surprising stories we melded our 21st century with the “hidden” secrets of Paris.
A few special thoughts to share:
It was so wonderful to be with our French hosts in their own country! We’d met them here in Chicago in 2018 and 2022, but being in their apartments, sharing stories and singing together in their country was so magical! Discovering their neighborhoods, their favorite hangouts and just breathing Paris air together made our Cabaret Connexion’s tapestry even more sparkling.
“I can’t believe it! I actually sang in Paris!”
“I actually spoke French in France with French people who understood me!”
“Our French hosts made us feel so ‘at home’…Because several of us had already met and sung together in Chicago, we felt as if we were visiting old friends in their Paris which has now become OUR Paris!”
“The essence of “connexion” was present for all of us!
MERCI, CABARET CONNEXION!
Merci à Claudia Hommel et à notre nouvelle Association créée à Paris en 2023! Merci pour votre vision, votre énergie et votre soutien fervent! Une équipe naît parce qu’on y croit, on y travaille et on s’entraide.
As we bid “au revoir” to 2023, we happily sing “Bonjour” to 2024 when we’ll meet again in Chicago to renew friendships, learn, sing and celebrate the art of cabaret that we love so much!
Bonne année! Rendez-vous à Chicago!
