Dancing in Haiti and Boston
Dancing in Haiti and Boston
Even though we have been prevented from physically traveling to Haiti in the last few years, we have continued to maintain a connection between dancers in Boston and Haiti. Dancers and musicians from Haiti have journeyed to Boston to teach and learn in our classes and teen intensives. During the last few years, groups of 4-8 young students from the Center for the Arts in Port au Prince have joined our Lawrence Summer Dance Institute and Teen Apprentice Program over Zoom. In summer 2022, some of these students will be joining us in person for our Summer Dance Institute in the Dominican Republic!
Student Reflections
Learn more about the experience of young dancers from Haiti who have joined our programs based in Massachusetts.
Left: Carline traveled from Haiti to teach both in the Lawrence Summer Dance Institute, and in Jean’s weekly classes in Cambridge.
Right: Shara is a CAC student who has participated in 3 of our teen intensives, both in-person and, more recently, online.
Wichemonde (left) came north to play for our teen students, community movers, and company dancers — and, as you can see here, to share some new rhythms with company dancer Mcebisi.
Jean Appolon Summer Dance Insititute in Haiti
Beginning in 2006, Jean Appolon has directed the free Summer Dance Institute in Port-au-Prince serving young, aspiring Haitian dancers who do not have regular access to dance education. In this time, there have been no comparable opportunities for young dancers in Haiti. Paying for dance classes is not possible for most young Haitians, and opportunities to study Haitian folkloric dance are limited inside of Haiti. Unfortunately, Jean was prevented from running the program 2019-2021 due to local unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic. We are headed to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in 2022 because if we still can’t get to Haiti, we’re at least going to get as close as we can! This is making it possible for some of our teen apprentices in Haiti to join.
Students benefit from JAE’s Haiti Summer Dance Institute in numerous ways. In addition to overcoming obstacles to get an education and to help provide for their families, the daily challenges these students face are many. Dance heals body, mind and spirit and is associated with these outcomes:
Studying folkloric dance supports a connection between dancers and Haitian folkloric culture
Dance education benefits students’ self-esteem and self-image
Dance education is healing and therapeutic, requiring a union of body and mind, and is a refuge where one can find an outlet through corporeal expression
Dance education strengthens perseverance, which is essential to combating life’s challenges
Intensive participation in the arts improves academic performance, school attendance and graduation rates
Read our Report Backs from previous years!