9th edition of the Festival Musique et Danse Orientales

Montreal, June 18th 2007 — Festival Accès Asie, in collaboration with the Chinese Garden of the Montreal Botanical Garden, is proud to present the Festival Musique et Danse Orientales outdoors at the Chinese Garden . This annual event is a four-day celebration from Thursday, July 12th to Sunday, July 15th. Every afternoon two groups will perform a thirty minutes set; the first begins at 1:00 p.m. and is followed by one at 2:30 p.m. and the last will be at 3:30 p.m.. Each year, more than seventeen local and national artists and community groups with traditionally based dance and music performances attract a public of over 5,000 people to this idyllic outdoor environment.

Founded in 1995, Festival Accès Asie is a Montreal-based collective of artists of Asian origin. The Festival was formed in response to a need for a stronger Asian presence in the Quebec cultural climate. The month of May was declared in the Senate as the "Asian Heritage Month" by the Honourable Senator Vivienne Poy. Officially recognized by the ex-minister Sheila Copps in the year 2003 and by the City of Montreal in May 2004, Asian Heritage Month was celebrated by over ten cities across Canada in 2005.

Media contact: Andy Carton (514) 575-9436