By Regine Roumain
On June 5, over 200 people gathered in the outdoor amphitheater of Von King Park in Bedford Stuyvesnt, Brooklyn for a dance tribute to Haiti featuring the Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater and Peniel Guerrier Dance.
Organized by Central Park Summer Stage in collaboration with Haiti Cultural Exchange, the evening kicked off at 7pm with a 45-minute Yanvalou Haitian Folkloric Dance class taught by Master Teacher Peniel Guerrier.
Peniel started the class by talking about the various drums of Haiti – ManMan Tanbou (Mother Drum), Segon (Father Drum) and Boula (the baby) and participants of all ages learned about the traditional rhythms and movements of Yanvalou. In Haitian culture, the Yanvalou dance represents the rise and fall of the waves and the movement of spirit Dambalah, the source for energy and life.
After the class, the Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater took the stage with dancers, drummers, and other musicians to pay tribute to those lost during the earthquake of January 12th. The performance was the premiere of the dance play, 7.0 by Julio Jean, “a journey world of mysticism, history, art and culture of Haiti culminating in the tragic event in January 2010: the 7.0 quake”.
Peniel Guerrier and his dance troupe took the floor once again and performed a series of pieces, ranging from the IBO to BANDA and culminating in a vibrant RARA Dance, traditionally held during the period of lent and which has strong ties to the Vodou tradition. The audience was asked to join in the RARA celebration and the tribute ended with a powerful reminder of the power of dance and music to bring people together and provide hope.
Thanks to Danni Gee, Dance Curator of Central Park Summer Stage for making the wonderful dance tribute to Haiti possible and for partnering with Haiti Cultural Exchange.
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