Jean-Rene Delsoin's Compagnie De Danse to perform in Miami

Friday, 28 September 2012 11:38

Traveling from Haiti as part of the U.S. State Department's program, Center Stage, the Haitian dance Company, Compagnie de Danse Jean-Rene Delsoin, will perform a one-evening public engagement at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC) on Saturday, October 20 at 8 p.m.

The acclaimed dance company under the direction of Jean Rene Delsoin will be in Miami in advance of the show to conduct free community outreach and open dance classes for the public on Thursday, October 18, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Little Haiti Cultural Center and on Saturday, October 20, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at SMDCAC.

The company will also engage in additional outreach including a special dance class for Homestead Senior High Students and a Random Act of Culture event at Southland Mall. In addition, SMDCAC has arranged a master class for the company with acclaimed choreographer and dancer Peter London in the Martha Graham style of modern dance.

Compagnie de Danse Jean-Rene Delsoin, like its founder mastermind moves through the many worlds that intersect in Haiti: the rough-edged and vivacious rural dances and ceremonies, the refined social dance of the cities, and the vivid yet stark lines of contemporary global dance.

"Dance is my prayer," Delsoin explains. "I want everyone in the audience to be touched by the colors and the rhythms, and to feel the energy and spirit of the company. I can't imagine a more powerful way to promote understanding between us."

"The Haitian community is an important part of the cultural fabric of Miami," said General Manger of SMDCAC, Eric Fliss. "We are thrilled to be presenting this company to our Haitian audiences and equally excited to expose the larger community to this outstanding dance company."

Impeccable performers and evocative artists, the company of four dancers and three musicians has cultivated a distinctively nuanced, sophisticated view of Haitian culture and movement traditions, drawing on ballet and modern dance techniques in dialogue with Haiti's plethora of traditional rhythms and sounds.

In October and November 2012, the company tours the U.S. as part of Center StageSM, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Center Stage brings compelling contemporary artists from Haiti, Indonesia, and Pakistan to the United States to engage the American people in cultural diplomacy as a way to create opportunities for greater understanding.

Tickets for the October 20 show can be purchased at www.smdcac.org. To RSVP for the free community dance classes at Little Haiti Cultural Center and SMDCAC the public should contact Carla Hill at www.carlah@miamidade.gov.>