Montreal

I had the rather auspicious opportunity to snoop around Montreal company Dot & Lil's studio last February -- I know, I know, I've been wanting to write about Dot & Lil for months, I've got a backlist of Montreal companies whose services and wares I am anxious to share with you, some I discovered as far back as last summer (!) but haven't had the time to cover properly, just bear with your heavily solicited guide, I'm gonna get to them as soon as I can and I just know you're gonna love them as much as I do -- when owner Anne Dardick invited me to check out her spring/summer line of handcrafted, preservative-free bath, beauty and skincare products.

Two items in particular stood out for me, which both happen to be pretty nifty for men, and by extension, us women who love you. And test them out, I enlisted the help of a gentleman I have dubbed "His Bluntness" because he does not hold back. And he does not work in PR. He is a man of the people. And he has been using these products for well over three months, judiciously putting Dot & Lil's claims to the test.

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Jaded city folk. We think we've seen it all, we think we've heard it all, tasted it, smelled it, groped it, whatever. Then someone stands you in front of a glorious, mythical white horse who looks you in the eyes, cuddles you with his muzzle and before you know it, the gates of heaven open wide to bathe the moment in a blinding, gold-tinted glow as that cynical facade you worked so hard on since early adolescence just melts its way to the pits of hell.

Mind you, I still squeal in gibberishy delight when I spot a prancing Pomeranian or a block of Emmental at 50% off and I ALWAYS point out the pretty butterfly fluttering in my path because, well, it's a pretty butterfly. Yay. So I'm not exactly your typical, hardened urbanite.*

But I'm a city dweller nonetheless. And we don't see much horses in these parts, which might explain why Cavalia's Odysseo is such a soul trip.

Having had a chance to catch the made-in-Quebec show last week just north of Montreal in Laval, I can't sing Odysseo's praises enough, this, even though I've seen horse stunts with a seemingly higher degree of difficulty and experienced flashier stage productions. It was magical. And I don't take this word lightly. Actually, I don't use this word ever, having once asked my Facebook friends to slap me if I employ it in an article.

Representing horse circus troupe Cavalia's second feature offering since its eponymous debut in 2003, Odysseo has no clear storyline, instead impressing upon the audience the intense emotional bond between horse and rider. As furthered by performer and Strasbourg native Lara Gabin in a backstage interview, they are a genuinely happy bunch. "If a horse is maltreated, it simply would not be able to perform," she says. Again, the stunts are a wee tamer compared to, say, what I saw at SAKA back in 2009. But wow. The costumes, the music, the 67 horses that make up the show, a video backdrop the size of three IMAX screens... every element comes together to produce a spectacle worth its hefty admission fee.

Which brings me to my next point. Valued readers? Splurge on the VIP tickets. Do it. For roughly an extra $70 on top of what you would pay for decent seats, you get access to an open bar with white beer, wine and bubbly, you're offered dinner -- it's a buffet format minus the cheap cocktail weenies and egg rolls, instead it's donned with smoked salmon, jumbo shrimp, melted brie, arugula/feta/strawberry salad and sweet potato puff pastries. You get access to a crazy perfect dessert buffet at intermission -- two words: strawberry cheesecake. You also get choice seats in the first rows. AND you get to meet the horses in the stables after the show. I doubt that saving that $70 will amount to as amazing an experience.

Final verdict?

The Odysseo VIP experience was five hours of good food, unlimited bubbly, 8 desserts (!), inspiring entertainment -- yes, I squeezed out a couple of tears -- and face time with a horse that unwittingly lifted my spirit in a matter of seconds, practically making me rethink my life purpose with a simple nudge of his muzzle.

Cavalia's Odysseo. Magical.

Cavalia's Odysseo continues its Montreal (Laval) run now through July 21, 2013. Regular tickets range from $44.65 to $138.88. VIP tickets range from $164.65 to $215.88. VIP tickets (first row seats only) range from $194.65 to $245.88.

In line with About.com's full disclosure policy, readers should be aware that Evelyn Reid was provided with complimentary VIP tickets for the purpose of reviewing Odysseo, a common procedure in the entertainment industry. Also note that the latter gratuity has not influenced this review.

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*Hardened urbanite... who am I kidding. I live in Montreal. Have you seen this place??? We dance to tribal drums once a week on a mountain located in the middle the city. We speak two languages at the same time in the same sentence. We're ridiculously stylish even though we're collectively broke. We drink bubbly like it's nobody's business.** And the food! God bless the food...

**In moderation, naturally.

For many years, Montreal's Fête Nationale parade was also known as the Défilé des Géants, French for Parade of the Giants, an annual procession held every June 24 during Quebec's Fête Nationale, formerly known as Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day or simply La Saint-Jean.

The reason it was called Parade of the Giants was because it featured larger-than-life papier mâché "giants" representing Quebec's favorite historical and fictional figures, including former Quebec Premier René Lévesque, poet/musician Félix Leclerc and Montreal co-founder Jeanne Mance. View photos of the Défilé des Géants.

But this June 24, 2013, the Fête Nationale parade's 179th run is going to be a little different. Organizers want you, cher citoyen, to not only be in the parade, but to join in the preparations, hence the name change to Défilé participatif des citoyens, French for Citizens Participatory Parade. By the way, it's very easy to get involved and kids are more than welcome to join in. Here's how it works.

More on:

• Fête Nationale 2013 in Montreal
• Fête Nationale 2013: What's Open, What's Closed
• Photos of Previous Fête Nationale Parades in Montreal
• The History of La Saint Jean: From Pagan Rite to Catholic Procession to Sociopolitical Declaration

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You could cough up hundreds, if not thousands, on a dress, on fundraiser admission fees, on cost-inflated bubbly that rates lower in taste than bottles a fraction of the price. You could walk up a red carpet to said fundraiser, a carpet dripping with ostentation, positioned to arouse a sense of glamour and self-importance, and then parade around some ballroom and prime yourself to have your net worth assessed via the state of your frock, jewels and shoes by select -- there's always at least one or two -- yahoos in the room who base their willingness to share oxygen in the same space as you on this visual scan. And by the end of the night, you don't really know how much of the money raised actually goes to whoever is in need.*

Or, you could spend $400 to $800 on a fanfare-free photograph to put up in your home and remind yourself every time you pass by it that you saved at least one woman who saw her life fall apart because she was brutally raped, attacked so harshly that there are holes, tears inside her body from the damage. She cannot bear children anymore and she can't even go to the bathroom without her own waste leaking into parts of her body never meant for that purpose, a constant humiliation, a daily reminder of what was done to her. And her husband? He abandoned her because she is now considered a disgrace. A disgrace because she was the victim of violence, a sad but common cultural reasoning in many parts of the world such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some even argue it's a mindset found here too, in North America. That woman? Your money saved her by keeping the safe house offering her refuge, security and a ray of hope when no else bothered, functional. And not one penny of it went to paying the safe house's founder, The Vagina Monologues creator Eve Ensler, who "has never received payment from V-Day for her work as an author, performer or organizer."

More on:

• Where to See and Buy These Photos
• The Man Behind the Camera and the Story Behind the Safe Houses

Previous Features on About.com Montreal:

• Child Marriage: The Politics, The Culture Explored in Tall as the Baobab Tree
• One-on-One with Malcolm McDowell: On Stanley Kubrick, Christopher Walken and the State of Cinema
• Being a Movie Extra: Noelle Hannibal Dishes the Dirt on the Biz, Working With Jim Carrey and the One Quality You're Gonna Need to Get Ahead
• The Medium Behind Medium: I Talk to Dead People

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*Disclaimer: obviously not everyone with a privileged financial status judges people's social suitability by their physical appearance and the objects they own. It would be silly and cognitively lazy to tar an entire tax bracket with the same brush. And some charities do incredible work and raise money ethically and responsibly in the context of fundraising events. The problem lies in the ones who don't possess a moral compass and/or a grasp of everyday reality -- cake anyone? -- leading the more cynical, or even sensible, among us to question the motives and modus operandi of non-profit overall, which in itself, is not a bad thing.

POP Montreal 2013 lineup highlights just started trickling out earlier today, with R&B legends young and old the prized centrepiece of the entire fest so far, with singer/songwriter/producer The Dream at the top of the list, followed by an appearance by Dorothy Moore of "Misty Blues" fame circa 1976 and count on some face time with two of Parliament's original members, trombonist Fred Wesley and keyboardist Bernie Worrell.

Reggae dancehall purists will be happy to know that a live recreation of 1984 album Yellowman versus Josey Wales featuring its eponymous performers is also on the list. Closer to home, avant saxophonist and Arcade Fire touring member Colin Stetson is also booked, and likely to fill to capacity if his recent back-to-back appearances at la Sala Rossa in May are any indication.

Tickets for the first wave of POP Montreal 2013 concert announcements go on sale June 7, 2013. The Super Pass is also on sale for the early bird rate of $200 until June 30th, which gives passholders priority access to over 100 shows and events during the entire 2013 edition, slated to run September 25 to September 29, 2013. Buy tickets.

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• POP Montreal: The Music, The Arts, The Etc.

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The Montreal Jazz Festival 2013 free concerts roster was just revealed earlier today. And apart from discovering that the "magic" blind couple from Mali, Amadou & Mariam -- read my bio on them -- are closing the fest with a free show on July 7, I can't say with any degree of honesty that I'm blown away. So I've decided to whittle down my usually exhaustive list featuring top picks by day. I can tell you right now it's gonna be short.

MORE TO COME.

More on the Montreal Jazz Festival 2013 Edition:

• Feist Opens the 2013 Jazz Fest with Free Show
• Montreal Jazz Festival 2013 Lineup Highlights
• Montreal Jazz Festival: The Dates, The Deets
• Montreal Jazz Festival 2013: Free Shows

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Of but a handful of world class sporting events held annually across the country, Canada Grand Prix 2013 runs June 7 through June 9, with Montreal welcoming F1's usual cast of characters as well as their travelling fans and party people in tow, roughly in the low hundreds of thousands, to be vaguely precise.

So what does one do in Montreal, outside of the race? I handpicked a few events, some F1 themed and others not and I also selected three brand new hot spots I consider the ultimate pit stops for Montreal Grand Prix weekend.

Canada Grand Prix 2013:

• The Ultimate, Carefully Curated Guide to Montreal Grand Prix Weekend

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A hero to some, a murderer to others, Dr. Henry Morgentaler changed the lives of women all over Canada in his lifelong fight to legitimize abortion. Longtime Montreal resident and Holocaust survivor, Dr. Morgentaler, the abortion activist who changed the face of Canada's abortion laws and saved the lives of countless women who at one time faced jail time even if a pregnancy put their life in jeopardy, died of a heart attack today in his Toronto home surrounded by family, at age 90.

"Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps, do not rape and do not murder." -Auschwitz death camp survivor Dr. Henry Morgentaler

As excerpted from this CBC report, "Morgentaler's comments about abortion also sparked controversy, as he pointed many times to what he saw as one of the root causes of Adolf Hitler's death machine -- unwanted children who were fighting back against a family that abused them. "By fighting for reproductive freedom, and making it possible, I have made a contribution to a safer and more caring society where people have a greater opportunity to realize their full potential," he said in 2005, shortly after receiving his honorary doctor of law degree from the University of Western Ontario in London."

Read the full CBC report here.

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La Champagnerie, on the brink of opening to the public this Wednesday, May 29, 2013, is Montreal's one and only bar specializing in champagne and all things bubbly. And sabery. The Old Montreal hot spot is taking carbonated vino to the next level, offering an on-the-spot saber service for select champagnes, reawakening the masses to the noble art of sabrage. That's fancy talk for whack-open-bottle-with-sword.

Why not? Napoleon and his troops allegedly did it. And if it's good enough for a pint-sized tyrant bent on world domination, then hey! [Insert rimshot].

Right. So I'll be dropping by La Champagnerie's pre-opening, get a feel for the place and report back to you as pronto as possible.

More on:

• La Champagnerie
• Bubbly: What Is It and Why the Hell Are You Paying So Much For It?

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