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Back in the day, before the bankers
conquered New York, there was once a
legendary party deep in downtown
Manhattan called Body and Soul, where
every Sunday the children went to work
it out all afternoon and evening. There
was a lovely vibe at that well-loved
club, where the celebrants understood
that it was all about music that filled
the body and soul.
We were reminded of Body and Soul
throughout this year's edition of
Divers/Cité, Montréal's annual weeklong
summer music festival. Founded as
Montréal’s LGBT Pride celebration in
1993 on the principles of diversity,
solidarity, and openness, Divers/Cité
has subsequently evolved into an urban
Burning Man festival that brings
together tens of thousands of music
lovers from around the globe.
With nearly fifty hours of free outdoor
parties and performances, Divers/Cité
rivals the intensity of Winter Music
Conference while channeling the
love-fueled atmosphere of Woodstock -
and the 19th anniversary of Divers/Cité
proved yet again that it's all about the
music: the music in Montreal's
collective heart and soul.
Aptly named, Divers/Cité is one of the
most beloved of Montreal's forty annual
festivals with programming that includes
a range of music as diverse as
Montreal's population, including dance,
blues, jazz, electronica, trance,
techno, deep house - and, of course,
vocals. By the time we hit Saturday's
Sunset Party at Parc Emilie-Gamelin, DJ
Paulo (aka LA's Lord of the Drums) was
tag-teaming with Montreal heartthrob, DJ
Alain Jackinsky, and their
turbo-charged, tribal-injected set
perfectly paved the way for Brazilian
bombshell DJ Ana Paula (returning to
Divers/Cite for her fifth consecutive
appearance) and DJ Isaac Escalante, the
two of whom turned out a multi-layered,
euphoric performance that was as
inspirational as it was vibrant.
Without question, one of the most
popular events during Divers/Cite's
weeklong reign over the city is Mascara,
the annual three-hour, gender-bending
tour de force, hosted by Montreal's
resident drag diva extraordinaire, Mado.
Thousands of people gather for this
event, whole families in tow, along with
lounge chairs and video cameras - and
rarely have you witnessed so many people
so happy to laugh and cheer and sing
along with a man in a dress. And those
dresses! Mado and his costumers combed
the closets of "Priscilla, Queen of the
Desert" and raided the recent Jean Paul
Gaultier exhibition to create ensembles
that were as surreal as the lovechild of
Tim Burton and Salvador Dali.
Inspired by "Glee" and "So You Think You
Can Dance," this year's 14th edition of
Mascara was almost immediately
legendary, thanks to nearly thirty
musical numbers (performed by more than
two hundred dancers) that were as
brilliantly executed as a Broadway
production. These kids can move - and
shake and bump and grind - and
choreographer Scott Fordham, a
terpsichorean dynamo, is another one of
those immensely talented Montreal
artists who makes you realize the point
of long Montreal winters (practice,
practice, practice). While Fordham has
performed with and choreographed for
Deborah Cox, Katy Perry, LL Cool J,
among others, there was no question that
he and his incredibly tight corps owned
this stage. Bring these kids to New
York!
The climax of Divers/Cite's seven-day
festival is La Grande Danse, the
largest, free outdoor dance event in
North America. Commencing in the
afternoon, the ten-hour, open-air dance
extends nearly half a mile and continues
long past sunset. Noting the pervasive
popularity of the Iberican sound, this
year's Grande Danse deejays included an
entire roster of Spanish superstars,
among them members of the New Iberican
League, David Penn, Abel Ramos, and
Pablo Ceballos, all three of whom
delivered booty-shaking sets that kept
the crowd roaring their enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, over at Parc Emilie Gamelin,
DJ Lady Miss Kier was hostessing Le
Grand Bal with her inimitable
Deee-Lite-ful shenanigans. Lead singer
of Deee-Lite, the 1990s sensation, Lady
Miss Kier threw down a crowd-pleasing
funky groove that mixed classic Candi
Staton tracks with a deep house vibe.
The Lady has body and soul!
Apart from the abundance of free music
all over the Village, Divers/Cite has
also been justly celebrated for its
technical brilliance. Massive video
screens spanned the street, projecting a
simulcast of the crowd and the
performances, while the lighting on the
stage and along la Grande Danse was as
colorful as the rainbow dancers on which
it flashed.
For years, "All Together Different" has
been Divers/Cite's tagline, a motto that
addresses the import of both
individualism and community - and
nowhere is that more happily expressed
than on the dance floor during
Divers/Cite. "I'm liking this vibe,"
said DJ Alyson Calagna, who was playing
the final party at Stereo on Monday
morning ("A temple of sound," in her
words - and perfect for her musical
message). "Some cities just get it
right," she said, noting the pervasive
happy atmosphere that has become a
hallmark of Divers/Cite. Of course, at
least some of that soulful atmosphere is
attributable to the legions of upbeat
volunteers, all working alongside the
inspired leadership of Divers/Cite's
General Director, Suzanne Girard. In the
words of a would-be U.S. President, it
takes a village - of volunteers.
By the time the sun set, DJ Ceballos was
ratcheting the energy to the sky with a
bottom-heavy, soul-shaking beat that had
thousands of dancers cheering, arms in
the air, sweaty and happy, smiling in
the night. And it was somewhere around
then that we found ourselves thinking
again about Montreal's musical soul.
Next year marks Divers/Cite's 20th
anniversary. Come celebrate our
diversity in a city that lets us make
beautiful music together.
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