Wednesday, October 09, 2013

1 Week Countdown to Pre-Registration and Artist Plug no2

Originally Posted September 27, 2013
1 Week Countdown to Pre-Registration Deadline and Artist Plug no2


The CONGOLESE DANCE AND DRUM FESTIVAL 2013, entitled BIAMVU BIA KONGO (Bridges of the Congo), will be held Friday, October 11th - Sunday, October 13th at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice Street, 3rd floor in downtown in Oakland, CA. This is a friendly reminder that we are within the One Week Countdown to Pre-Reg Deadline 10/4/13. Send your pre-registration form by OCT. 4, 2013 with 4 or more dance workshops chosen and pay $13 per workshop. View Schedule and other details at:WWW.YOUMUSTDANCE.BLOGSPOT.COM. Check out the highlighted festival artists below representing the Diaspora through the Congolese lens. Festival is going to be Hot, Hot, Hot! This is a not to be missed event!


CDDF 2013 Artist Plug no2 (PERU and HAITI):


JAVIER GORDILLO BARRERA, direct from Lima, Peru! Javier Barrera is a Master Dancer, Choreographer and Percussionist(Cajon). He’s the director of Escencia Negra Afro Peruvian Performing Company. Javier's classes are highly requested by all who have encountered his teaching style!



LAURE FLEURENTIN: Haitian Master Dancer Laure Fleurentin can be considered as one of the most versatile Haitian Folkloric dancers of our times. Ms. Fleurentin is not only a graduate from L'ENARTS (Ecole National des Arts in Port au Prince, Haiti), but she's also a trained Ballet and Jazz dancer because of her training at the American Academy of Ballet & Arts in Delmas, Haiti. Later, she studied Haitian Folkloric dance with Armande J. Piard and Viviane Gauthier, the most respected professor of Haitian Folkloric dance traditions also called in French "La Doyenne de la danse Folklorique Haitienne". With Viviane Gauthier dance company, Laure professional career began as a dancer. Florencia Pierre "Fofo", master dancer and teacher at Viviane Gauthier's school invited Ms Fleurentin to be part of her dance company "Afoutayi JAKA". Ms Fleurentin got invitations to dance with Peniel Guerrier dance company "Tamboula", Ramses Pierre P., "ADA" (Ayiti Dance ensemble) of Emmanuel Louis, Jean Apollon and many others. Ms Fleurentin is also a trained vocalist in Haitian traditional chants, the ones that usually accompany the many Folkloric dances. Today, Ms Fleurentin has decided to work with long time friend Cassy Joseph to help expand Haitian Folkloric art and culture in the United States and the Bay Area.


                                             
 

CASSY JOSEPH: Cassy Joseph is an exceptional Haitian master drummer who started his training of Haitian rhythms at 12 years of age, at a Catholic church in South East Haiti with Pere Edner Desvalcin. Mr. Joseph continued developing his drumming skills in Petionville, Port au Prince with Eddy Jean, mostly learning Haitian folkloric and Rada rhythms (Yanvalou, Pas Rigol & Mahi).
Mr Joseph had the privilege to work with La Troupe Aradayo, Arawak d'Haiti, La Troupe Baleldjo d'Haiti directed by master dancer Viviane Demerville, ADA directed by Emmanuel Louis, La Compagnie ARTCHO Danse Repertoire directed by Jean-Guy Saintus, the Institute of Dance Lynn Williams Rozier, the Jean-Rene Delsoin Dance center & and the dance company CDJRD. With the later, Mr. Joseph traveled throughout the French Caribbean, Canada, China, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Today, Mr. Joseph has decided to associate himself with long time friend Laure Fleurentin to help develop the appreciation of Haitian culture in the United States, and most particularly the Bay Area.





COLETTE ELOI: Colette Eloi is a former student of Laney College having taken her first formal Haitian Dance class there with Lynn Coles. Ms.  Eloi has dedicated her life to sharing with the world the rich traditions and cultural history of her parent’s native Haiti. She is the Artistic Director of El Wah Movement Dance Theater. She has performed professionally, nationally and internationally as a dancer/singer/choreographer. She has performed with various groups including Petit Le Croix, Reconnect, Chouconne Haitian Dance Troupe-NY, Emese (Messagers of the African Diaspora), Dimensions Dance Theatre,  and Nuba. She is also a board member of the Northern California Katherine Dunham Project. She received her formal foundational dance training at UC Berkeley where she received a BA in Development Studies. She also calls the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Performing Arts, formerly the Alice Art Center, her home. She has studied many styles including; jazz, ballet, modern, Dunham Technique and many traditional and folkloric styles. She has traveled to Haiti to study dance with master teachers.  To complement her understanding of the intricacies of Haitian Dance, Colette studied Haitian drumming as well. Ms. Eloi is a celebrated artist having earned awards for her artistic endeavors including  several exemplary choreography commissions, such as the West Coast premiere of the Tim Rice and Elton John’s “Aida” for which she received an award for choreography. She was also commissioned to choreograph a piece in Tribute of Ms. Katherine Dunham with Ms. Ruth Beckford. Having done dance research in Africa and several locales in the African Diaspora, Ms. Eloi offers a thorough glimpse into the world of Haitian Folkloric Dance, emphasizing the connections that exist in African based cultural art forms. Ms. Eloi received her MFA from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco California.







View Previous Artist Plug: Jean-Claude Biza Sompa at:http://www.youmustdance.blogspot.com/2013_09_01_archive.html

See full BIAMVU BIA KONGO Schedule at: http://youmustdance.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html

SEE YOU ON THE DANCE FLOOR!!!!!

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