2MAD is a belgian dance crew that just entered the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Las Vegas.
Dragons Film followed them on their way to the semi finals.
Here is one of the videos :
You can find all the others video on their blog :
They finished the contest among the 20 best crews , and we really hope to see them again soon !
Here are some footages from the event in Venezia !
The official Show reel will be released soon …
Stay tuned !
On Wednesday 25 May 2011, the Imagix cinema complex in Mons hosted the world preview of DreamWorks Animation’s latest production: Kung Fu Panda II, filmed in 3D.
It was possible for this event to take shape in Mons thanks to the determination of Franco Dragone and the dynamic commitment of the Fondation Mons 2010, which once again had the opportunity to bring together its young ambassadors.
The large family audience that attended the preview warmly welcomed back Po the Panda, the hero of the day, as well as his father the goose and his Kung Fu friends, whose stories develop in beautiful settings with perfect graphics.
Far from “freezing” characters, the use of 3D seemed to give each of them extra soul, as it were materialising the emotions and personalities they embody, and accentuating the action’s flow.
A few days before this exceptional viewing, Franco Dragone welcomed Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, to his Franco Dragone Entertainment Group offices in La Louvière.
Indeed, it is no secret that Franco Dragone’s teams are working on directing a touring show inspired by the adventures of Po the Panda.
For our 10th anniversary, we take you on a ride through a lot of videos about the shows of the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group on our Youtube Channel : Dragone TV.
Fasten your seatbelt and have a nice trip !
A new Day :
FMX (motorbikes) from Macau :
Liège Guillemins :
Crown Macao Opening :
And many more on our Youtube channel : Dragone TV !
Macau is a legend. The mere mention of its name takes the traveller’s imagination beyond the horizon to where the sun rises.
Macau, which is situated 65 kilometres away from Hong Kong on the southern coast of China, has gone through the ages picking up surprising and contrasting elements from China at its most traditional, Portuguese colonisation and an extraordinary urbanisation revolution. All of these elements are combined in present-day Macau.
To become even more globally attractive, Macao had to change culturally while preserving its identity as an advanced post in the Far East’s economic development strategy. This is precisely the principle behind the wild project launched by the promoters of the City of Dreams, the extraordinary complex of high luxury hotels and shops, casinos and theatres on the forefront of entertainment technology, the masterpiece of which is the theatre dedicated to “The House of Dancing Water”.
By offering gamblers and travellers the opportunity to reside in the heart of Macau, Lawrence Ho, who co-founded the City of Dreams and is Chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment, also wished to take part in making in-depth transformations to his city’s public image for more family-oriented stays.
The selection of Franco Dragone was a deliberate choice in this process. To recall, according to Chris Jones, an academic at Chicago’s Columbia College, the creative and conceptual dimension of Franco’s work is one of the most remarkable artistic contributions to urban culture in modern America.
Mutatis mutandis, this type of approach, which is based on being open to all forms of expression from the post-modern era and conveyed by a personality who defines his source of inspiration in his relationship to people and to the world, could only appeal to the promoters’ wish of anchoring their beacon-city at the crossroads of civilisations between an adventurous past and a future writing its own history, between East and West, on a bridge made of glass and audacity where promises and traditions fuse, a bridge called Macau.
Franco Entertainment Group celebrates its 10th anniversary on 15 March 2011.
10 years is the first double-digit anniversary – a first step away from childhood.
Above all, we must not lose the energy bestowed by our unshakeable faith in the future. In the scope of our experiences, we must strive to retain the indispensible nugget of innocence that fuels our dreams.
The first of the two candles on the cake stands for unity, self-awareness and identity. The other is for this closed loop that encircles the world, and for future promise.
Together they represent the strength that comes with being together.
10 years, like the fingers of two hands. Hands that have been shaken with other hands, on every continent. Hands for drawing, exchanging, speaking and building.
10 years, like a breath of air. We have behind us Le Rêve, A New Day, The House of Dancing Water, Décrocher la Lune, and so many other emotional moments, all shining out from the shadows of days gone by, the better to light the way along the path ahead.
Faces, roads, flights, meetings, departures, discoveries, shows, dancers, artists, friends, theatres, gardens, happiness, tears and laughter.
Who is talking about taking stock? You take stock when you have grown weary.
I am ten, or rather we are ten: a little paper boat carrying our hopes and in turn carried by the current; a boat that has grown with your nurturing.
Now, with you all gathered here, it is time to hoist the great sail. With the candles only just blown out, now is the time to get on board and write the rest of the adventure together…
At the 32nd World Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow (Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain), which took place in Paris on 27 to 30 January, the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group handed out one of the gold medals to the Balagans for their Korean plank act.
Recently graduated from the Stockholm University of Dance and Circus, the Balagans lend their rigour, boldness and inventiveness to the development of a highly codified discipline by taking it into a choreographic dimension while maintaining exceptional technical performance.
It is from this strong alliance that true poetry of movement is born, which is in itself the fulcrum of their act.
Highbloo is a young DJ from La Louviere, and he just released his new EP on the label “Lektroluv”. I wanted to share his music with all of you, so here’s a short video about him.
Remember “MTV Cribs” ? This Tv show was a guided tour inside the luxurious houses of the richest musicians in the world and basically it was all about Hi-Tech, Ferraris, Lamborghini, and some high end musical gear among other very expensive things.
On the other hand, Highbloo is producing his music in his basement, with just a computer.
In 2 years, he recorded a few EPs, and he is now touring around Europe …
This is the beauty of technology. Nowadays, you don’t need a lot of money to share your art with the world, if you have the talent.
And Highbloo definately got it !
Enjoy !
Franco
Studio Footage, Interview and Editing : Mehdy Nasser
Live footage : Leslie Artamonow
Music: Highbloo
To which world does Pascal Jacob belong? The world of the wise, or that of the mad? Or maybe he’s just a typical Virgo with that double identification so characteristic of his star sign, representing both worlds at once.
Historian, writer, stage designer, costume designer for both opera and the circus, talent scout for the circus, teacher, collector… Pascal Jacob has turned a childhood passion into a profession: a passion for the circus.
He shares this desire to turn his most fantastic dreams into reality with the people he has met along the way who, as he writes in “La souplesse du Dragon”, “invest an unreasonable amount of themselves in their fantasies, succeeding in turning them, through the power of dreams, into opulent reality”.
In his own way, Pascal Jacob is, at heart, also a street acrobat, a saltimbanco.
You must, at least once, enter this artists’ workshop nestled in an archway under the buildings, which serves as both arch and caravan, in order to experience the dizziness of travel and be touched by an angel’s wing: you can’t help but raise your eyes.
Stacked up in a manner reminiscent of a Prévert inventory, the wings of a Museum or a quayside where the suitcases for an imminent departure are piled on top of each other; hundreds of objects, gathered together through Pascal Jacob’s ever watchful meticulousness, are on display. Hiding and adding together, they recount, like rare childhood treasures, the wonderful saga of the circus.
However, only a tiny part of Pascal Jacob’s collection, which contains over 17,000 items, is assembled here; a significant portion is now housed by the Cité du Cirque in Montreal.
However, it forms a world in its own right, which lives and breathes from one object to the next as it is explored by the fascinated visitor: every canvas, every etching, every poster, every bronze, every piece of earthenware, every piece of costume is brimming with meaning and has its own story to tell; a story that Pascal Jacob recounts with breath-taking learnedness and a desire for shared communication.
The animal engravings of mice, the face of Popov sculpted in film, the remains of the posts which supported the first Barnum Circus canvas, preserved like religious relics, as well as many other things: nothing here could be described as dull or boring.
Sit yourself down under our big top and let yourself be carried away: all you have to do is watch and listen.
Above all else, Pascal Jacob is, at heart, a wonderful storyteller…
English subtitle coming soon …
Hot news!
After Vegas, Franco Dragone dazzles Macao.
16 September 2011 will see the hosting of the first anniversary of the Franco Dragone show The House of Dancing Water, which has already welcomed over 700,000 spectators in Macao. An outstanding event, resulting from relentless hard work and remarkable cooperation between Melco Crown Entertainment and its co-Chairman, Lawrence Ho.
From 1993 to 2005, Franco Dragone revolutionised American urban culture and performing arts. From Mystère to Rêve, by way of the Céline Dion triumph (A New Day), each of his shows, first with the Cirque du Soleil and then with his own company, Franco Dragone Entertainment Group, has raised the bar of excellence, of fantasy and of wonder.
Dragone is more than just an artist. He is also an entrepreneur. He could have settled in Vegas and ridden the wave of his success, but instead he took to heart the words of Barba: “move towards the lightning, because where there is storm, there is water, vegetation, life.” And the lightning, at the start of the 21st Century, has been nowhere stronger and more enticing than in Asia.
The creation of The House of Dancing Water in Macao, 16 September 2010, was a roll of thunder in more sense than one: in the size of the project, which encompasses not only designing a show but also building the theatre, and of the budget (USD 250 million); in the artistic and technological challenges to be overcome; and in the amazing welcome of the audiences for this unprecedented event. Once again, Franco Dragone has pushed back the frontiers of his art.
Adding to an already impressive audience of 75 million people will, in one year’s time, be a further 700,000 enthusiastic spectators.
This great adventure would not have been possible without the exceptional partnership that formed between the Franco Dragone company and that of Lawrence Ho, Melco Crown Entertainment, owner of the City of Dreams complex that hosts the Dancing Water Theatre. A partnership based on mutual trust and respect, perfectly in harmony with the show’s theme of the meeting between West and East.
To celebrate the first anniversary of The House of Dancing Water on 16 September, a charity evening will be held, featuring a concert by prodigious Chinese pianist Yundi. The show itself will be followed by a prestigious gala dinner. Two thousand tickets have been sold, the prices for which vary from HKD 1,500 to 4,500. Profits, estimated at EUR 100.000, all go to the Melco Crown Entertainment “Yundi Scholarship” foundation, the aim of which is to promote Macanese culture and encourage young musical talent.
The decision to combine an anniversary event with a charity evening bears witness to Franco Dragone’s social commitment and that of his business partner Lawrence Ho, as well as of pianist Yundi.