French Toast Festival of France Celebrates Nationís Dance, Music, Theater by Gary Tischler Itís hard to imagine that just less than a year ago, the French were not very popular in certain Washington circles. As so-called "freedom fries" become another historical footnote, this city is slowly rediscovering what much of the world has always admired about Franceóits culture, its flair and its contributions to music, theater and the arts. Thatís what French fans will be enjoying at the Kennedy Center over the next several months with the ongoing Festival of France, a joyful and eclectic celebration of all things French, including music, theater, dance and the unique French embrace of that most American of musical innovations: jazz. Itís a start toward forgetting political differences and other issues and remembering the truly important things in life: the high kick of a dancer to Jacques Offenbachís music, Django Reinhardtís unique guitar riffs, the streetlamps on a jazzy, dimly lit boulevard, the theater as an expression of strange dreams and last but not least, Cyrano de Bergeracís all-purpose metaphoric nose. The festival, described by staff at the Kennedy Center as a "reaffirm ation of the cultural and historic bonds between France and the United States," includes works from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theater, as well as a special mini-festival for young people. Among the illustrious participants are the Lyon Opera Ballet, opera diva RenÈe Fleming, the National Symphony Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants and the renowned OpÈra Comique. The festival just completed a series of concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, concentrating on an array of French composers. On Feb. 3, renowned soprano RenÈe Fleming teams up with mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and pianist Steven Blier in a recital of French song after conducting a series of master classes and two appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra. Also in February, the famed OpÈra Comique-ThÈ?tre Musical Populaire comes to the United States for the first time, bringing its unique brand of theater with a high-kicking production of Offenbachís opera "La Vie Parisienne," which was first performed at Parisís ThÈ?tre du Palais-Royal in 1866. Fusion is also the name of the game with ThÈ?tre de Lorient as it presents its production of "La BÍte dans la Jungle (The Beast in the Jungle)" Feb. 12 to 14. The play, based on James Lordís adaptation of a short story by Henry James, centers on a brilliant but neurotic egoist burning with the anticipation of something powerful and predatory as the woman who loves him watches helplessly. The play will be performed in French with projected English titles and will star Jutta Johanna Weiss and Jean-Damien Barbin. Technology and the romance of movement clash in the Compagnie Hendrick van der Zeeís performance of "Les Sublimes," a multimedia program combining dance, theater, acrobatics, circus art, video and poetry, also in February. Then thereís Les Arts Florissants, widely considered to be a French treasure. The multifaceted Baroque performance ensemble, led by American conductor William Christie, will perform two semi-staged concert versions of Antoine Charpentierís "La Descente díOrphÈe aux Enfers" and "Les Arts Florissants," a signature work by the company. Les Arts Florissants was founded in 1979 by Christie and was named after a short opera by Charpentier, focusing on the 18th- and 19th-century French repertoire that had long been neglected. For something completely different, there is the French Jazz Series at the Kennedy Centerís Jazz Club, which has already featured a three-part Django Reinhardt Festival in January. The event includes a one-night-only performance by the remarkable Dee Dee Bridgewater in "JíAdore líAmour" on Feb. 14. Bridgewater lived and worked in Paris for 10 years and is hailed as a dazzling jazz vocalist and stage actress. In addition, composer, jazz pianist and improviser Martial Solal, described by the New York Times as the "greatest living European jazz pianist," will perform on March 4. There will also be a "La Petit Festival des Arts" program geared toward families and young people. Included are "Can You Can Can?"óa history lesson on dance, music, comedy and circus acts; "The Treasures of Dibouji," which features the wondrous magician Dibouji in a one-man show; and "Envelopes and Packages," a mime and marionette productionóall running March 5 to 7. Looking further ahead, the famed Lyon Opera Ballet company comes to the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater with a modern rendition of a new ballet titled "Tricodex" by choreographer Philippe DecouflÈ from April 8 to 10. The Kennedy Center Festival of France runs through April 2004. For more information, please call (202) 467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org/france. Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.