The largest of the three classrooms in Pepperdine’s Lausanne Switzerland program proved unusually lively the night of Monday Feb. 23.
French 152 251 and 282 students performed an array of songs and dramatic scenes that they had been practicing for two weeks at the request of their teacher JoÃlle Zagury Benhattar.
The first performance was a modified language exercise adopted into a skit by the small French 152 class which drew enthusiastic applause.
A pair of choral items followed two French songs sung by the French 251 class. First they sang the chorus of “Les Champs d’Elysees then performed an a capella rendition of Sur le Pont d’Avignon”
French 282 students appeared as characters from a Renoir painting grouped in twos and threes as a larger party of Parisians at a social event by the river Seine. Costumed in the closest approximations to nineteenth century garb that Pepperdine could afford they proceeded to act out five skits they wrote themselves.
The skits elicited laughs intentionally – a Frenchwoman appeared to be more interested in her dog than her would-be suitor – and unintentionally – a man’s wife had been dead for 80 years instead of four due to a ruinous slip of the tongue.
The exercises were fun and forced students to practice the language organizers said.
“It’s good to have students actively using their French said Mary Mavenfisch, director of the Lausanne program. It improves their confidence you know and shows how much they’ve achieved since they’ve arrived.”
Benhattar said her students performed well.
“I am always looking for new things to motivate students Benhattar said. I was very proud of the students. They came up with their own costumes and they built their own characters. I was not expecting them to be so well prepared.”
Some students also performed musical compositions some of which they had written themselves.
“We have great musicians Mayenfisch said. And I think they keep getting better.”
Other French classes who attended the performance had positive responses to it. “Two thumbs up!” said sophomore Brittni Ping. “I wish that the upper and lower division French classes could interact more so we’d have more chances to practice French with each other.”
Using French in public performances encourages students of the language to use it and force them out of their shell according to Benhattar.
“It is like putting them in an icy bath she said. So that they have to dare.”