University Engagements

University engagements are a great way for me to actually engage with those who will be active and even leading our institutions in the future. Without them, there is no “change for this world to be a better place”.

Working at the University level around the world has been a big part of my engagement. As an ambassador for a culture that I believe isn’t given enough credit in this world, it is an opportunity for me to advocate for black cultures with a community of thinkers. Through dance workshops, lecture demonstrations, and collaborations with scholars, conferences and papers, I hope to plant a seed that can have an impact on the future. We strive for the students to have a better understanding of our black culture, and of Vodou culture, and for them to understand the importance of Haitian history (as the first black independent country in the world) in relationship to globalization and human rights.

Community Workshops

Community workshops hold a very particular place in my heart. To me there is nothing more “real” then community. There is no better way to get a real sense of where we are as a people or to figure out where we want to go. Communities are my inspiration, they are my commitment, they are the reason why I engage through dance because it is through them that the world can become a better place.

They are our elders, they are the college students, the professors, they are the rich, they are the poor, they are the artists, the scientists,… and most importantly, they are the children.

In the Vodou culture we do not say “I am because I think”; we say “I am, because we are !”. Being a Houngan in the Vodou culture and religion, this could give you just an idea of how important it is for me to meet and work through and with different communities of people. They are the ones who give purpose to my work.

My Performances

I love performing, and I really enjoy dancing to the works of a choreographer whom I relate to.

Performing was a big part of my debut as an artist. However, teaching and producing work now occupy a much bigger space in my activism.

Whether it’s through my traditional practice, through my entrepreneurial projects, or through my contributions to different institutions, performing seems to have taken up a whole new meaning in my life. It feels more to me like I am constantly engaging in performance. I do what I do full heartedly, and always wish to have an impact on a person or a community: they represent my audience.

I use to just feel great on a stage; now I feel great everywhere.

My Choreography

Choreographing work for me is a passion. I continue to choreograph dances, but choreography in itself has also taken a whole new meaning in my life. Every time I have an objective in life, or just an inspiration in the moment, my process is like choreographing to me.

I feel very fortunate as an artist to not just consider art happening in a frame or in a box, I really feel like I tend to live the beauty of art. I believe that is my strength. It is also what keeps me happy.

When I am building a business, or planning a project, I feel like I am choreographing a piece. When I am doing healing work for a client as a Houngan, I get the opportunity not only to choreograph the process but to also perform it. I feel so lucky to have access to divine energy for inspiration. It initiates my work. And when I get to share it visually through dance, it is like getting to give an autograph to an audience on the work that I do.

My whole life’s work is about “moving spirits”: spiritual interactions.

As a Houngan in my Haitian Vodou traditions, I primarily look at everything in its enegitical state before the physical one.

The roots of my work come from expressing a certain physical manifestation of the mystical interactions happening within my own spiritual space of awareness. This need that I have to express myself comes from the idea that “I AM, BECAUSE WE ARE”.

My intention isn’t to search for affection, but I believe that by giving, you automatically receive; and without this interaction, there is no beauty, there is no healing, there is no good.

Let’s DANCE !!!