As it is tradition in my district of Marseille, June is the month to celebrate culture, organised in the evenings with performances outdoors, on the lawn of Bagatelle Park, one watches a setting sun and feels its heat gradually retreating while professional musicians and dancers give exquisite performances that take you into that magical wonderland of colorful tunes, uplifting melodies and perfect elegant movements.

The Spanish Daniel Garcia Trio plays Jazz with a blend of Spanish, Cuban, African and a complexity of cultural inspirations. Their music resonates very well with this diverse Marseille audience that is a mix of French and Mediterranean origins. I treasure the beauty and diversity of humanity and the power of music and dance that reminds us all of our same Origin. Kora virtuoso Momi Maiga joins here the Trio and we enter their latest song the Gates to the Land of Wonders or just – Wonderland.

Probably you don’t appreciate traditional folklore music until the magic comes in and you spontaneously start dancing. That is telling enough for this type of music, and for the folk group Les Oreilles d’Aman, there is a joy that is universal and once it touches you you stand up and dance. During the last evening students from the Ecole Nationale de Danse de Marseille, the National Dance School of Marseille give a highly original interpretation of Ballet inspired by classical music and today’s Beat.

Marseille with its deep history as a city and with its people of diverse origins, there is the obvious mixture of cultures and yet it remains so typical French, a culture of acceptance and respect and sharing of inspirations. This is not always politically so 😉 Daniel Garcia Trio, Les Oreilles d’Aman and the performers of Ecole Nationale de Danse de Marseille uphold the beauty of an artistic culture that unites us all.

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