Événement

Haitian / Cuban workshop with 7 Potencias and Laure Fleurentin

Haitian culture has a strong presence in the Oriente province in Cuba, where Haitian immigrants of Dahomeyan (Benin/Togo), Congolese (Kingdom of Congo), and other African descents from the Bight of Biafra (and this includes Nigeria) began settling as early as the 1790's. In the early years, they formed cabildos, spoke Creole, and practiced vodou.

Come to explore the similarities & differences of dance and culture between Haiti and Cuba with us in a joint workshop with 7 Potencias and Laure Fleurentin. The workshop will include dance, songs, a group discussion on how the dances and rhythms relate, discussions on the importance of lwas in Haiti and their similarities in Cuban traditions, all that followed by a traditional meal at the end of the class.

Many of the 7 Potencias members are descendants of immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands which informs their work. Bringing this investigative work into their dance and highlighting the stories learned from family members makes it one of the more reliable groups presenting this lesser known Cuban folklore.

Laure is a graduate of ENARTS (École Nationale des Arts in Haiti) in Port au Prince and has more than a decade of experience as a professional Haitian dancer in Haiti where she performed for Viviane Gauthier Dance Company, as well as with Ramses Philius, Florencia Pierre, Jean Apollon and many other master dance teachers in Haiti.