After two seasons of sold-out  performances at the Arsht Center, Haiti’s Ayikodans is returning for a weekend of dance February through Sunday. The company will be presenting a world premier of their Artistic Director Jeanguy Saintus’ “Lamentation 13,”  a work commissioned by the Arsht Center. Not only that, the dance company will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary here with a companion piece “Eritaje 25” (Heritage 25), a collage of 25 years of Ayikodans’ choreography.

We spoke with the award-winning Saintus about the Miami visit.

Q: What should a South Florida audience expect from your February performances?

A: These works are largely autobiographical. They are the work of a Haitian interested in creating a country, let alone a place for dance in that country. They are the work of a dialogue between a Haitian and the rest of the world.

Our entire company will be in Miami. That includes dancers, drummers, and our vocalist.

Since so much of Ayikodans’  work has deep roots in Haiti’s traditions, those drummers can’t be separated from the dancers. The same goes for the tonalities of our vocalist.

Q: Your choreography has often been compared to that of Martha Graham. Do you feel indebted to her?

A: I find the comparison very interesting. While I have taken a number of workshops on various techniques, I have never  worked intensively within a Martha Graham system of dance. As dancers I think we learn various techniques to more easily communicate with one other, let alone help protect our bodies. But as any dancer knows, technique will only take you so far. What transforms a dancer and an audience, is the feeling a dancer can convey. Graham knew that. But to find it for myself, I turned to my own traditions. I spent far more time deep in the Haitian countryside than I did in workshops in New York City. I studied the artistry, the dancing of the vodou ceremonies, for they are the stuff of art. I was hardly the first to recognize this.

Katherine Dunham, the dancer and choreographer, contemporary of Martha Graham, spent years in Haiti studying these dances.

Q:Yet even the mention of vodou makes people nervous, no?

A  Yes, we have Hollywood to thank for those distortions and prejudices.

But imagine what it was to be a young boy who loved to dance, as I was in Haiti far more than 25 years ago. The only options available to that young man in Haiti then was classical ballet. This, while my body was hungry to express so much more. Of course I turned to my own traditions to try to understand my place and my heritage.

Q: By now your company has become something of a legend in South Florida. How does it feel to return again and again to the Arsht Center?

A: It  is nothing less than a homecoming. After all, it was thanks to a fundraiser sponsored by the Arsht Center that we had the monies to find a new home for Ayikodans after the 2010 earthquake. Not only that, the Arsht Center has been and continues to be keenly aware of what is happening in the arts in Haiti. Thanks are not enough to their commitment to spread the word.

Ayikodans performance in the Carnival Studio Theater of Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, on February at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Tickets cost $25; www.arshtcenter.org.

Photo credit: Carl Juste

This preview also appears in Miami New Times.

The acclaimed Haitian troupe returns the world premiere of “Lamentation 13″ and “Eritaje 25″.

The legendary Haitian roots band highlights a Big Night in Little Haiti, held every third Friday of the month, produced by the Rhythm Foundation.

For anyone who listens  — and dances — seriously to music in Miami, Boukman Eksperyans conjures thoughts of upbeat folk-rock rhythms met by socially conscious lyrics. This has been the legendary group’s signature sound for three decades and never fails to get the crowd jumping. Boukman will headline Friday’s Big Night in Little Haiti concert (it’s free!), held at the Little Haiti Cultural Center (212 N.E 59^th Terr., Miami), from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The Grammy nominated, 12-member roots ensemble was formed in 1978 by lead singers Lolo Beaubrun and his wife, Manze. The husband and wife duo named the band after Haiti’s greatest architect of social change, Dutty Boukman, a leader of the country’s successful slave revolt. As Haiti’s most highly acclaimed roots band, Boukman stays true to its protest lyrics and continues to pull musical inspiration from Haiti’s traditional culture — a sound that has been labeled “voodoo rock.” While the music has evolved, “the message is stronger,” says Lolo, through his translator and Miami representative, Jimmy Moise.  “The message has changed for the people.”

Lolo spoke to us from his hilltop home near Port-au-Prince, about the group’s legacy and why performing in Miami is special.

Q: What is the sensation that you feel when playing in Miami?

I have a lot of friends here. We get a lot from the crowd with the ambience. In Miami, I feel like I am still in Haiti. Because of the Haitian population that lives there, you feel the vibration. They are waiting for us and it’s a pleasure for us to play for them. It’s a very important meeting.

Boukman Eksperyans tours internationally, but how do you spend your time in Haiti these days?

We rehearse. I have a new cultural affairs foundation [that helps showcase some of the best artists in Haiti]. You know in Haiti there are a lot of talented people. This is work that the government should do, but they don’t.

What were some of your most memorable performances in Miami?

There are two. One in 2000 by Operation Green Leaves and another one organized by Island Records. I will never forget them. But you know every concert is important for us. It’s like a ceremony. They can receive the social message we are passing on. That’s like with every concert.

What inspires the group’s sound?

We have many inspirations from our culture. We have voodoo music, Native American [music] and we have world rhythms incorporated. It’s a fusion of different sounds. I’ve also loved Jimi Hendrix since I was 12. Those people have an influence on our music. I discovered James Brown at four years old through my father. I also love Stevie Wonder. These are legends. But overall, Boukman Eksperyans is an experience of unity, so we fuse Creole and some rock, jazz and music from different cultures.

What is your vision for Boukman Eksperyans in, say, five or ten years?

For us to continue the spiritual evolution. For the message to go out to as many people as possible. For us to stand on our principle. So that’s what we are working for. We are going to make a social economic change.

Big Night in Little Haiti is a free event held every third Friday of the month, produced by The Rhythm Foundation and the Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59 Terrace. The event showcases local bands and big name Haitian artists alike. In addition to live, open-air concerts under the stars, the event features gallery exhibits, open studios, food vendors and arts and crafts for children.

A version of this story appears in the Miami New Times

Like so much else when it comes to Haiti, clichés abound in our perceptions of its arts and culture. If it’s painting, then it must all be colorful and bright and in the naïve style! If it’s music, well, heed the voodoo call! But a lot of people probably wouldn’t put Haiti and modern dance in the same sentence.

Time to rethink that.

A chance to look anew at Haitian dance pops up with a one-evening only performance of the island’s Compagnie de Danse Jean-René Delsoin, at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC) in Cutler Bay on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 8:00 p.m.

Particularly interesting about the Delsoin dance ensemble’s visit, is that it is part of a program called Center Stage (www.centerstageus.org), which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, and is administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts, with funding from several other groups.

The purpose of this initiative, a public-private partnership, is to bring artists from other nations to engage Americans in a kind of cultural diplomacy, where opportunities for dialogue can open up.

“I can’t imagine a more powerful way to promote understanding between us,” Jean-René Delsoin said of what dance can achieve.

Maybe language differences present obstacles, but who doesn’t know how to tap while enjoying a performance? Thus, Haitian performers, as well as colleagues from Indonesia and Pakistan, come in a limited-run tour to touch people’s hearts, and feet, in several cities across the country.

“[Compagnie de Danse] is a really interesting company because they take all the influences of Haiti, and what it means to them to live and be Haitian, and then filter this through modern dance or contemporary dance, which is a highly American way of movement,” explains Eric Fliss, general manager of SMDCAC.

So even though the Haitian experience gets filtered through this very American art form, what attracted Fliss the most is that they “still have the feel and hold of what their roots are and how raw they are.”

The SMDCAC has only been open a year, and Fliss, with over two decades of experience in the South Florida arts scene, makes it a point of bringing artists whose work can connect with South Floridians. “We are trying to reach out and test the diverse cultural community around South Dade to see what really resonates with them,” he says. “We’ve made some benchmarks last year, and we want to follow up on the things that people are interested in seeing, but we also want to slowly introduce a few different genres to them each year to see if we can cultivate a wider breadth of mind.” And reaching out to that audience means engaging with them in different ways. Ways that also include performers in activities that take place off the stage.

That’s why, on Oct. 18, two days before the Compagnie de Danse’s show, the artists will hold a free community outreach event and open dance classes for the public from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Little Haiti Cultural Center (212 NE 59^th Terrace, Miami). They will then do the same on the morning of the 20^th, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at SMDCAC.

Not only will the community be able to benefit from these experiences, but the dancers as well.

“We are giving the company an outreach experience too, a master class with Peter London, one of our local gems and certainly a master teacher and a former teacher with Martha Graham, because we know that in Haiti these master class opportunities are probably not very frequent,” says Carla Hill, education and outreach manager for SMDCAC, of the class that is scheduled for Oct. 18.

There will also be a special dance class for Homestead Senior High students on Friday the 19^th during the school day. In all, keeping the area’s residents center stage. “We want everyone to come and experience our wonderful performances,” states Hill, “but certainly our first priority is to make sure that the residents of South Miami Dade feel ownership of this center, because there has never been anything like that in this area.”

Compagnie de Danse Jean-René Delsoin at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, Saturday, Oct. 20, 8:00 p.m., 10950 SW 211 St., Cutler Bay. Tickets cost $10-$25 ($5 tickets through cultureshockmiami.com for ages 13-22). Buy tickets online at www.smdcac.org or by calling 786-573-5300.

Photo by Frédéric Thaly

This latest Haitian troupe to hit these shores combines traditional rural and urban dance with African drumming and classical ballet.

Delou Africa Inc. presents a concert extravaganza as part of its annual festival,  featuring Delou Africa Dance Ensemble, the local performance company; Delou Fatala, the traditional Griot-led performance company; and a special collaboration from guest artists.

Port-au-Prince based Ayikodans returned to Miami this weekend for the second year in a row. And choreographer Jean Guy Saintus, with his unrivaled corps of dancers, proved once again that Haiti is home to immense and sophisticated culture worthy of the world stage.

Ayikodans is an ideal of global artistic exchange. Saintus has mastered the potential of contemporary European and American dance while remaining loyally embedded in the traditional African influence that animates his country. Ayikodans uses almost none of the repetitive patterning found in folkloric dance, which Saintus dismisses as touristic. Instead, their elaborate spatial and movement compositions, defined by elegant lighting design and set pieces, were highly original.

As contemporary and culturally expansive as Ayikodans may be, their performance was intimately bound to the Haitian experience. Anyone who visits Haiti is imprinted by the sounds of the country. Music is everywhere — from compa on loudspeakers to roaming rara bands to the singing and drumming of Vodoun. At the Arsht, Ayikodans foregrounded both recorded and live Haitian music. Their new piece, Danse de L’Araignee, represents a spider spirit from Vodoun called Gede Zarenyen. Here, within fully developed contemporary dance language, Saintus planted the dynamics of traditional Haitian dance and music. Danse de l’Araignee began with a long interval of pitch black, colored by a high wailing voice. The singer was James Germain, a man with a humble but captivating presence. Over the course of the piece, Germain traded sound space with a group of impressive traditional drummers who sometimes shook with their own intensity. Alternately sharp and driving rhythms punctuated the dancers’ bodies as they pulsed through a stream of vivid visual configurations.

Distinctly Haitian emotional, political, and spiritual landscapes were also present in full. In particular, the heartbreak of the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath was keenly felt in Anmwey Ayiti Manman. Miami first saw this piece in 2011, but last year’s version was decorated by refined lighting effects. This year, the piece in its new form was almost unrecognizable. Aesthetic beauty was stripped out and the black box was left essentially bare. Two walls, papered with newspaper pages, stood on either side of the stage and the entire performance space was lined by razor wire. The performers were not so much dancing as expressing pain. They described physical wounds, but also betrayal by national and international political players and a crisis of faith in the earth itself. The audience was presented with anguish, raw, and unadorned. But finally, Anmwey Ayiti Manman revealed the persistence of the will to live. While this piece recalls tragic circumstances, its existence as a work of art is one kind of triumph against disaster.

In a subtler link to Haitian culture, every performer demonstrated a total and almost spiritual dedication to the artistic vision behind the performance. Such devotion points towards a high level of creative commitment but its particular tone bears a relationship to Vodoun. When devotees are possessed during a ceremony, their bodies are totally given to the expression of sacred spirit, and the individual’s own movements, physical limits, even ways of talking are transformed. In the same way, the Ayikodans performers seemed to have given every cell of their bodies over to the dance, and their athleticism was so complete that it was almost superhuman. On stage, performers jumped high in the air and then landed on the floor in complex poses like some kind of animal. They rippled from their heads and shoulders down to their feet while their hands and faces, even their gazes, were intensely focused. There was nothing unconscious about their movement — they were each entirely present in the performance, not as individual egos but as a cohesive group of high-caliber performers in service of an idea.

Given the quality of this performance, it was inconceivable that only a handful of people would see the show in the Arsht Center’s small Carnival Theater, even with a sold-out crowd. Recently, the company was saved from the brink of dissolution and now, with a broader base of support including Miami-based backers, the company may well be able to take their work to larger audiences around the world. This is the kind of exposure they deserve.

Photo: Manny Hernandez

This article first appeared in Miami New Times

Hip-hop purists still fret about sellouts. But somewhere between Run DMC hawking Adidas and Nas declaring “hip hop is dead,” hip hop got to be everybody’s culture. That much was clear at the Arsht Center last week on the sold-out opening night of the Cirque Èloize show, iD.

There was old school graffiti projected on a futuristic cityscape. Muscular dancers bust classic moves, spinning on their heads and flaring their legs. Little battles broke out as the dancers rocked up and back at each other. All these moves have technical names. But even if the audience didn’t know them, they recognized the moves. We’ve been watching them for nearly 40 years now.

So why not an urban circus? Everybody’s seen all the circus moves too. Might as well mix it up.

iD is the first venture into urban dance by Cirque Èloize, a circus arts troupe from Montreal. In the program, about half of the 16 performers are identified as “urban dancers” and the rest with circus specialties like “contortions” and “Chinese pole.” Onstage, they all look like they could be winners on Canada’s Best Dance Crew.

But whether it’s an air flare or a guy balancing on a tower of chairs, just because we’ve seen something before doesn’t mean it’s not breathtaking. Xuan Le moved like liquid poetry on inline skates. Fletcher Sanchez brought new meaning to pole dancing, whipping himself from top to bottom then pausing to hold his arms and body in a perfectly straight, horizontal line. And an entire show could have been devoted to things that contortionist Emi Vauthey can do in a back bend.

Over at the Little Haiti Cultural Center last Saturday, an evening of dance curated by choreographer Afua Hall proved once again that tradition is worth carrying on. The standing only crowd clearly exceeded expectations: there were programs for only about half the audience.

Each of the evening’s two acts opened with a performance by youngsters who participated in the Center’s Discover Art! summer camp. This was urban dance by urban kids, yet the most current street move was Michael Jackson’s moonwalk. If “urban” is a code word for African traditions, these dancers and choreographers went way back, through tap to centuries-old dances from Haiti and Senegal.

No sign of the circus here. If anything, the featured choreographers toned down the spectacular nature of many African dances by mixing those moves with contemporary concert dance. Of particular interest were works by Petagaye Letren and Ronderrick Mitchell that stripped down the leaps and arm circles of Senegalese dance into quiet meditations.

In videos screened on either side of intermission, Megan Swick set vaguely Cuban moves on serious-faced young women who swished while hanging laundry and wandering along railroad tracks and Lazaro Godoy, a choreographer visiting from Israel, pulsed through the streets of what looked like an Israeli city with the mischievous gestures of the Yoruba trickster, Elegua.

Two Haitian pieces each hewed close to tradition, but the similarity in choreography was offset by the contrast in the dancers’ appearance. In the first act, the Haitian-born, long-time Miami based-beauty Yanui wore a white dress and head wrap that set off her dark skin. In the second act, the lovely Annie Hollingsworth and Brooke Joy Waszak, in stylish rompers and red lipstick that emphasized their pale complexions, looked more like silent screen stars than Haitian folklorists.

All three women performed faithfully, proving that skin color is no bar to any dance form. But the surprising contrast was a reminder that, thanks to the world order, Haitian dance has remained largely the province of Haitian people. Meanwhile hip hop has become a global vernacular as familiar to urban kids in the Bronx as to circus performers in Montreal. Let’s hope programs like this one will introduce more people to lesser-known traditions. Next up: a Haitian folklore circus.

This article was first published in the Miami Sun Post.

Originally published in SunPost on June 2, 2011

Ayikodans, one of Haiti’s premiere dance companies, brought so much power and passion to the stage that the Arsht Center’s small Carnival Studio Theater could barely contain them. For three separate shows the audience was packed to capacity, the air was saturated with drumming and singing, and stunning choreography exploded on stage in deeply felt and impeccably athletic performances.

Throw away any expectations you might have about Haitian dance. Jeanguy Saintus, the man behind Ayikodans, drew heavily from Haitian culture, including Haiti’s dance and music traditions, while maintaining his own distinct choreographic voice. Broad and extensive training was revealed in complex choreographic constructions – traces of ballet and modern dance came through, but his movement vocabulary stayed true to Haiti’s African dance heritage by rooting down towards the ground. Sometimes, particularly in ballet, dancers seem as light as air. They almost fly. Ayikodans represents the opposite end of the spectrum. Their performance was characterized by a heavy strength that drew power from the support of the earth below their feet.

Two choreographies were presented, Zantray and Eritaj. Of the two, Zantray was more closely tied to contemporary dance, using movement as an abstract language. Eritaj, on the other hand, was a vision of Haiti’s well-known and often misunderstood spiritual tradition, Vodoun.

Saintus readily ties his choreographic vision to his personal experiences with Vodoun. On stage, the deep roots of belief fed the dancers’ movements with an overwhelming sense of otherworldly presence. The spirits of the Vodoun pantheon are said to express themselves in exaggerated postures when they possess a devotee. In Eritaj, three incredible soloists embodied different spirits with absolute commitment, from bulging eyes to expressive and specific hand gestures. Their movements in space had clearly been influenced by close observation of ceremonial possession, as a matter of both artistic beauty and spiritual reverence. A supporting cast of equally impressive dancers played the role of hounsi, initiates, and their bodies shivered as if in the presence of a living spiritual force.

At times, the dancers were literally breathtaking in their physicality, particularly the men, who at times lowered themselves to the ground with such strength that they seemed to be unaffected by gravity. When these moments came, the entire audience was shocked into complete silence and stillness, followed by the murmuring sounds of awe and disbelief.

Add live music into the mix. Saintus recruited a crew of master drummers and a singer who stunned the audience during an intermission with beautifully rendered traditional rhythms and songs, also calling to the Vodoun spirits. The largely Haitian audience could barely sit still and some people joined in, singing in low voices. The live music continued into the second half of the performance. Not all of the show was backed by live music, but the night’s strongest moments certainly were.

As the show progressed, the theater was filled to maximum with a palpable buzz of excitement. After the show was over, a lively crowd stayed in the Arsht Center’s lobby to celebrate. Many reunions happened that night. The Haitian performance community is a tight group of artists who happen to be spread out across the globe. Dancers, singers, and drummers from Port-au-Prince, New York, California, and Miami embraced each other enthusiastically – some of them had not seen each other for years.

What was planned as a fundraising trip became something much more: an indisputable artistic success. It was a proud moment for Haiti, a reminder that the little Caribbean island so often associated with misery has given birth to artists of the highest caliber.