Chocolate croissants, a French flag and a play spoken in French, based upon "Snow White" and writer Samuel Beckett, were some of the sights and sounds on Hayden Lawn Wednesday as part of National French Week.
The ASU French Club put on Fete de la Francophonie, or Celebration of French Speakers, to celebrate the French language and its culture, said Barbara Fleming, French club adviser.
National French Week is Nov. 2-8 and is organized by the American Association of Teachers of French, according to its Web site.
Spanish may be a more popular language to study in Arizona, but French has its place as well, said former French professor William Hendrickson, who serves as an adviser to the club.
France and the United States have a great history together, Hendrickson said.
"The French provided 44,000 troops for America during the Revolutionary War," he said.
America helped inspire France's own revolution, he added.
French culture was the initial attraction for Cathy Amos, a French language senior and club president.
"I was drawn to French because of the culture, the music, the shows and the food," she said.
The club had French food available for people walking by or attending the event including chocolate croissants, quiche, apple and strawberry tarts and French onion soup.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was a play balancing American and French cultures.
Students performing the play, "Blanche Neige," spoke entirely in French in front of about 100 people on Hayden Lawn.
The lighthearted play captured the themes of Disney's "Snow White" and "Waiting for Godot," a play by Samuel Beckett.
Beckett was an Irish writer who moved to France.
In "Waiting for Godot," the main character never finds the enlightenment for which he is searching, said Anais Chrzan, a comparative literature graduate student and "Blanche Neige" playwright.
In the student production, Beckett does not find enlightenment, but there is a happy ending because he falls in love with Snow White, Chrzan said.
Many in the audience did not speak French, but stopped to watch the play anyway.
Japanese language freshman Ae-Hyun Yum said she enjoyed the play even though she does not speak French.
"I think it is cool," Yum said. "The visuals and the movements are done well."
Beckett was a theme chosen for the play because he was born 100 years ago this year, Chrzan said.
Two students performed swing dancing on the stage to "Johnny Be Good" which was sung in English and French.
Swing was brought over to France from the American soldiers during WWII and the French call their version of swing "le roc," said Brendan Lewis, a political science junior.
Lewis was onstage throwing and spinning his dance partner, which brought cheers from the audience.
"The French version uses less footwork and more aerials," Lewis said.
There were several happy faces in the crowd, which may be the point of the afternoon, Chrzan said.
"Even if the French and American governments don't get along, the people should still get along," Chrzan said.
Reach the reporter at: jeffrey.mitchell@asu.edu.
