Entertainment Notebook Etc: Musician Rafael Energia Dominicana gives a boost to seniors; Montréal en Lumière and more

Musician Rafael Energia Dominicana is walking and singing his way through the streets of Laval with a program called,  Bringing Joy and Happiness to Laval Seniors: Ritmo del Patio (Rhythm of the Patio) with Rafael Energia Dominicana. He is doing so with the support of the City of Laval, Culture Laval and Conseils des Arts et Lettres du Quebec and performing a Laval tour-series of emotional performances at CHSLDs, community centres and seniors' residences.

Watch him perform 

A singer, songwriter, bandleader and producer, Rafael was born in Bani in the province of Peravia in the Dominican Republic, an hour’s drive south of Santo Domingo. He has called Laval home now for many years. He is proud to say that his music connects with seniors with emotional healing effects. This tour began in September. Upcoming dates include: Thursday, December 12, 2024: Centre Du Sablon, Laval; Tuesday, December 17, 2024: CHSLD St-François, Laval; Wednesday, December 25, 2024: Sunrise Beaconsfield; Monday, February 3, 2025; Le Rendez-vous des Aînés, Laval; and Friday, February 28, 2025: Dominican Independence Day (Montreal).

Rafael received a MEDAL OF HONOUR from Héritage Hispanique Québec - Herencia Hispana Québec, presented by Alexandra Regalado Director, President and Founder in recognition for his current touring program “¡RITMO DEL PATIO: Bringing Joy and Happiness to the Seniors of Laval!”

“This project is inspired by an idea I had since the pandemic when I performed at a few residences for the elderly and saw the effect my music had on the residents and staff,” said Rafael. “It really touched me; I saw so much joy and happiness. This brings me to this project where I perform at CHSLDs, residences and recreation centres for the elderly in my community in Laval. My show features a typically Dominican ambience to share my music and culture, and to bring some sunshine. I aim to make everyone feel like they’re with me on vacation in the Dominican Republic. When I see people enjoying these moments, it reminds me of my parents.”

For more details log on to https://rafaelenergia.com/

MONTREAL EN LUMIÈRE: Setting the table for its 26th edition, the Montréal en Lumière Festival unveiled its programming at a lively press conference last week. It will take place from Feb. 20 to March 9, featuring more than 60 participating restaurants and a redesigned outdoor site for food experiences, music and ice skating. The charismatic Alexandre Diaz, a noted Montreal foodie, is back as an ambassador for the event and she and the team were delighted to share the fact that no less than 70 percent of the participants in the gourmet program, from chefs, sommeliers and winemakers, are women. Founded by Alain Simard in 2000 the Festival dreamed of injecting new life into our city’s winters. Today, it ranks as one of the biggest winter festivals in the world.

SPANKING NEW BANK HEADQUARTERS: The most significant takeaway from last week’s press conference, besides the lineup of participants, was the venue where everything was announced: the barely three month old new head office of National Bank on Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal’s business district. Construction began on what became the largest commercial real estate project in Montreal in 30 years in February 2019. There are more than 11,000 employees in the building which is 40 storeys high. It features collaborative workspaces and various facilities, including a gym, a two-storey cafeteria with terrace, 400 bike parking spots, 80 charging stations for electric vehicles, an outdoor garden on the 40th floor and a daycare centre with space for more than 180 children aged three months to five years. Debby Cordeiro, Senior Vice-President, Communications, Public Affairs, Marketing & ESG at National Bank, says the venue will be use for more events like this.

A PANDEMIC EPHIPANY: Back in the height of the pandemic, Jessica Yaffe ended up developing a bit of an unhealthy online shopping habit. After all, what else was there to do? Each package was delivered, and she had nowhere to wear the items she had purchased. With a lot of time on her hands she started to research the origins of “fast fashion” and the things she learned were astounding, surprising, and disturbing. Jessica promised herself that she wasn’t going to buy anything new for a year and wear what she had in her own closet, and try to buy secondhand pieces if necessary. What she discovered in the secondhand market was incredible. The quality and craftsmanship of things that already existed were second to none and she enjoyed having original and interesting pieces. Jessica’s best friend Jen Lassner witnessed her transformation and slowly got on board. The two Hampstead residents started collecting interesting pieces and hosted their first pop-up sale for friends and family in 2022. The response was encouraging and they felt amazing about providing friends and family with cool, one of a kind pieces, and doing something socially and environmentally good for the planet. Low and behold two years later, they have our own retail space called reLOVE VINTAGE at 5590 Sherbrooke Street West in NDG (next to 5 Saisons Sushi) and source every piece in the store ourselves. The only two rules that they have are that they both have to love every item and that they are size and price inclusive “ Most vintage stores that sell the kinds of things that we do don’t carry sizes for people who are bigger, or much smaller,” says Jessica. “ It feels good when somebody comes in and falls in love with an interesting piece of clothing, and feels good wearing it.” Listen here for more. 

MATH DUFF’S FAVORITE PASTA: Quebec standup comic Mathieu Dufour, better known as Math Duff, has been telling his 270,000 Instagram followers about his passion for Lulu’s Pasta Bar. “We’ve been pretty excited to see him come by our Griffintown location,” said Anthy Siounis, who co-founded the business with her husband Jimmy Petropoulos.

The Griffintown spot opened last January and it became an instant hit. Interestingly, so many teenagers whom I know in the West End of town are consistently making orders via the delivery apps. In November 2024, the Latin Quarter became the home of the second location. It is conveniently located at the corner of Ontario Street and St. Denis where foot traffic is heavy, notably because of the French CEGEP and university as well as the CHUM hospital right nearby.

You can choose from a variety of recipes such as creamy cheeseburger, Bolognese, Mushroom Truffle, Chicken Tarragon, pistachio pesto, Tuscan chicken, parmesan bacon, Chicken Chipotle, salads and more. The concept here is so unique that expansion makes sense. A second location will open in September on St. Denis and Ontario, with Carrefour Laval also on the planning board.  

DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL CONCLUDES: The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) concluded on Dec. 1. The winners of this 27th edition were revealed during an awards ceremony which took place at the Cinémathèque québécoise. The grand prize for International Feature competition went to Republic by Jiang Jin (Singapore, China). Republic captures the restless dreams and defiant spirit of Beijing’s youth as they forge a communal utopia within the tiny, vibrant space of their self-declared Republic, challenging the political and social constraints that surround them. The intimate, immersive cinematography brings the viewer directly into the room, transforming the confined setting into a boundless world of collective imagination, resistance and the pursuit of freedom.“ The grand prize for national feature competition went to Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych (Quebec/Canada, France, Ukraine). Without losing sight of its intentions, convictions and without losing its edge, this powerful film maintains a rare balance, both formally and thematically. It reveals the brutal consequences of an invasion, as well as the human and social dramas that in wartime are the lot of the majority. Intercepted makes tangible the actual situation in Ukraine, while revealing something about contemporary Russia. We believe it is important not to forget this ongoing conflict, and its impacts. The special jury prize for national feature competition was awarded to Archéologie de la lumière by Sylvain L'Espérance (Quebec/Canada). Radical and minimal, yet sensitive, this film attentive to matter, light and their manifestations, reveals the nature and hypothesis of the human gaze, its potential presence or absence. It is a mysterious work, by a filmmaker who’s searching. The jury for the national feature film competition was comprised of Félix Dufour-Laperrière (filmmaker, screenwriter and producer), Hama Haruka (director of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival) and Wouter Jansen (founder of Square Eyes). Log on to ridm.ca to learn more.

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