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TOUR 2006 July 31, 2006, after 33 days living out of their suitcases, Zéphyr's artists came back from their first North-American tour, which took them to Washington, D.C., Drummonville (Quebec), and North Carolina (U.S.). Four of the troupe's dancers: Aline Dupuis, Casey Edmunds, Ginette LeBlanc, and Amanda Tardif, had been chosen to represent Alberta, from June 28 to July 13, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Each day the dancers presented a one-hour show. They acquired extraordinary professional experience in Washington. Many promotional packages were distributed to promote Zéphyr to our American neighbours. Then from July 14 to 16 the entire troupe participated in the Mondial des cultures de Drummonville (Drummonville's folklore festival). The Quebec public gave Zéphyr a very warm welcome! A crowd of thousands of spectators gave an ovation to the show presented by Alberta's troupe on the festival's main stage. During the closing ceremony our French-speaking artists were presented in the Persévérance (perseverance) category, which was a nice tribute to the work accomplished by all Francophones in minority situations. Finally, between July 17 and 31 Zéphyr's journey continued in North Carolina (U.S.). Zéphyr had the privilege of representing Canada at FOLKMOOT 2006 USA, North Carolina's International Festival, which is an important American festival that gathered troupes from China, Columbia, Scotland, Ecuador, France (Brittany), Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, and Venezuela. Just imagine the rich cultural experience that was had by Zéphyr's members! The troupe's success on an artistic level as well as on a social level was such that precious bonds were created with directors, dancers, and musicians from other groups. Future projects are anticipated. The Association la Girandole would like to thank all those who made it possible for the next generation of artists to have such an enriching experience. |