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French culture, in just a few steps
Monthly dance parties import continental flavor
By Jeff Miranda, Globe Correspondent | December 30, 2007
Xavier Legaud was looking for somewhere to party. Though Boston is home to a bevy of nightclubs and bars, Legaud encountered a problem that many newcomers to a foreign country often do: the language barrier.
"It's hard when you go to a bar and the music is very loud so it can be hard to interact with other people," said Legaud, 25, who moved to the city two years ago. "Even if you're in Boston for 10 or 15 years, it's still a foreign country."
But Legaud, and other Franco-Americans, are finding solace in the Boston French Party, a monthly club night hosted by Julien Jalouzet and Thomas Derosne in an effort to bring a "disconnected" French population together. The duo, who met through mutual friends, say the nights have consistently attracted 150 to 200 people since the first party in July.
"Between the both of us, we knew about 80 French people who didn't know each other, and we knew a lot of people who wanted to speak French," said Jalouzet, 27, who moved to Boston 3 1/2 years ago and works as a consultant for a local nonprofit agency.
The parties don't discriminate; while most of the attendees are French, Jalouzet says they welcome both French natives and anyone simply interested in meeting French people.
Unlike at American clubs, Boston French Parties don't play the latest Top 40 hits from the likes of Kanye or 50 Cent. They stick with a structure that starts with slower, low-key French lounge music at 9 p.m. and gradually moves to '90s French pop, as the tempo and volume pick up. From there, a DJ spins French house music until the end of the night.
"I like that it's quieter early on so you can talk to people . . . especially when people are dealing with a language barrier," said Devika Suri, a second-year Tufts graduate student, who has attended two parties so far.
Some nights, French films are screened as well. And at most parties, a Berklee College of Music student entertains the crowd by pounding a snare drum in rhythm with the music.
Jalouzet and Derosne get the word out through a mix of fliers and Internet sites like Facebook and Going.com, and a $5 cover charge gets you in the door to the parties, which take place at various bars and clubs throughout Boston.
"It's a great way to practice the language and meet people who also share an interest in French culture," said Andrew Palmacci, a first-time Boston French Party attendee, at a party at the Caprice Lounge. The 27-year-old freelance writer studied in France while a student at Boston College and said he enjoys French films and music.
Suri said the nights have given her an opportunity to learn about a culture she "knew nothing about previously." Since she started attending, she said she has noticed that French people and Americans interact differently.
"I feel like French people are much more open, honest, and direct with each other. They always kiss each other on the cheek - I love that greeting. There's no awkward 'Oh, hey, should I shake your hand, give you a hug?' They're much more touchy-feely. I feel like Americans are much more PC, but in the French culture, when they first meet you, they can't wait to break the ice," she said.
Not every party-goer shares Suri's view. Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student Jerry Chen said that although interactions between people may be different, it's still "more or less the same: guys hooking up with girls."
Still, Chen said the Boston French Party has appeal. His French friends often feel out of touch with the hip-hop and rap popular in American clubs, he said, and prefer the music at Jalouzet and Derosne's monthly gatherings.
Nostalgic for the club scene in France, Legaud said he needed to adjust to the American club environment. In France, establishments close much later and there are fewer restrictions on smoking.
While the parties allow him to experience a taste of French clubbing in Boston, he does enjoy a mix of the two.
"Most of my friends now are Americans and I like going out with them, too," he said. "When you're in the US, you need to learn how to party in the US."
Vincent Moulis, 25, who works at Citi Group, moved to Boston five years ago. He said a more international crowd draws him to the Boston French Parties.
"The music is different. The people are different," he said. "You don't see the same people at these parties that you do at Matrix or the Roxy."
Access the article online at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/30/french_culture_in_just_a_few_steps/
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CheapThrills
http://ryanbarrett.typepad.com/cheapthrills/2007/10/a-piece-of-fran.html
October 16, 2007
... Needless to say, I had an absolute blast on the French Exchange. It was on this trip that I fell in love with everything about Paris and her ever-chic citizens.
While I try to make a trip back every summer (here are my Flickr photos from a trip to Paris two months ago), I crave French culture during the time in between.
Which is why I was ecstatic when a newfound Parisian friend sent me information about the Boston French Party. This group provides a little piece of France by throwing monthly parties and events for French, Francophone, and Francophile people living in Boston.
From their site (sounds oh so French-to-English, I love it):
The Boston French Party is the best place to meet the French community in Boston.
Whether you are a French speaker, in love with France or just interested in the French culture, join us for some unforgettable nights in Boston!
French music, lots of good conversations and the French "joie de vivre" are our recipe for a fun night!
Though I can’t make their next event (which is tonight at Middlesex those who are interested), I will be sure to attend and blog the next one.
Anyone partying French style tonight, please report back!
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http://michigan-vertigo.blogspot.com/2008/06/jai-teste-pour-vous-la-boston-french.html
June 5, 2008
J'ai teste pour vous... la Boston French Party
Rien que le nom en dit long, elle a lieu tous les 15 jours dans un bar-lounge de Boston, le plus souvent le Caprice. Je vous décris mon expérience:
Je me rends a cette Party avec Jérôme et Noemie, arrivée vers 22h30. Bar sympa, moderne, pas grand monde. Jérôme très a son aise nous présente a ses amis: moitie Français, moitie pas Français, mais tout le monde est francophile... En même temps on a pas le choix car 5 mn après notre arrivée, quelle ne fut pas notre surprise de voir le DJ changer de disque pour nous passer un magnifique "Pour un Flirt"! Michel Delpech enflamme les nuits Bostoniennes. Ce n'est que le début d'une série de French Music de toutes les époques, Benabar, Goldman nous ramènent en France et nous réchauffent le coeur par cette froide et pluvieuse journée.
Petit a petit la salle se remplit, les gens se mettent a danser, a discuter: " Et toi tu fais quoi a Boston? - Moi je suis à Harvard en stage, toi? -Moi en stage au MIT- Moi je suis chez Schlumberger en stage" (D'ailleurs quelle ne fut pas ma surprise de retrouver au moins 4 personnes de Schlumberger).
Au fur et a mesure, la musique change et on passe a un Mix de David Guetta/Daft Punk/Royal Gigolo. La House a la Française a détrôner le RnB américain et on ne s'en plaint pas. Bref, comme dirait certains: "On se croirait au Styx" (le bar de Polytechnique).
Rapidement, la salle est bondée, tout le monde semble se connaitre, bref très bonne ambiance. Et la, dans une ambiance de folie, le DJ se lance et nous propose un Alexandrie, Alexandra qui rend la foule en trans. Suivi d'un Voyage Voyage qui m'a permis de danser un petit Rock des familles!
Enfin c'est avec plaisir et émotion que nous avons tous chante avec Gloria Gaynor I will Survive. A quelques jours du Début de l'Euro, c'est l'occasion de se donner rendez-vous lundi midi dans l'un des pubs qui retransmettent le match de la France. (Evénement autrement plus important que le Game 1 entre les Celtics et les Lakers de ce soir)
Bref la soirée fut fort sympathique et promet un belle été a Boston!
