Press Release - Compagnie de Danse Jean-René Delsoin - USA TOUR : October 14th to November 11th , 2012

7/31/2019 Press Release - Compagnie de Danse Jean-Ren Delsoin - USA TOUR : October 14th to November 11th , 2012

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Press Release - Compagnie de Danse Jean-Ren Delsoin Page 1

The Compagnie de Danse Jean-Ren Delsoin, like its founder and mastermind,moves through the many worlds that intersect in Haiti: the rough-edged andvivacious rural dances and ceremonies, the refined social dance of the cities, and

the vivid yet stark lines of contemporary global dance.

Bold swaths of color alternate

with somber, focused intensity.The earthy, expressive voices oftraditional drums interweavewith the precise grace ofclassical ballet. Modern danceaesthetics and a deep love of

popular moves meet beats thatmigrated from West Africa toHaiti: They all come togethereffortlessly in bold, emotionallyresonant moments that will

open doors to a better, morenuanced interaction andunderstanding betweenAmericans and Haitians,between the artists and their

American viewers and counterparts.

Dance is my prayer, Delsoin explains. I want everyone in the audience to betouched by the colors and the rhythms, and to feel the energy and spirit of the

company. I cant imagine a more powerful way to promote understanding betweenus.

Impeccable performers and evocative artists, the company of four dancers andthree musicians has cultivated a distinctively nuanced, sophisticated view ofHaitian culture and movement traditions, drawing on ballet and modern dance

techniques in dialogue with Haitis plethora of traditional rhythms and sounds.


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In October and November 2012, they will move through the U.S. as partofCenter StageSM(www.centerstageUS.org).

An initiative of the U.S.Department of States Bureau of Educational andCultural Affairs, Center Stage brings compelling contemporary artists from Haiti,

Indonesia, and Pakistan to the United States to engage the American people incultural diplomacy as a way to create opportunities for greater understanding.Administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts, with funding fromthe Asian Cultural Council, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, andthe Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art,this public-private partnership isthe largest public diplomacy effortto bring foreign artists to American stagesin recent history.

I started dancing withmy first breath, reflectsDelsoin.

The young Delsoin couldeffortlessly reproduceevery movement he saw

around him, and wasoften found stagingsmall performances orsimply dancing for hisown and his familyspleasure on the front

porch. When a local

dance teacher insistedhe take a ballet class,she was shocked: Theboy with the perfect pli

had never taken a singleballet lesson.

Ability met profound passion and curiosity, and took Delsoin to the worlds dancecapitals. He toured the world as a dancer, watched every performance he could,and studied at the schools of contemporary dances leading lights, from Alvin Aileyto Jos Limn.

Though an established figure on the contemporary dance scene, Delsoin dedicates

himself to promoting creativity and technique in his community, as a teacher andchoreographer. And he finds profound inspiration everywhere, in abstract notionsand in the concrete details of everyday Haitian life: It could be a concept, an idea,some movement I want to explore and sometimes its just a sound, a passage ofmusic that sparks a million images in my head and my body
http://www.centerstageus.org/http://www.centerstageus.org/


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Delsoins images, shaped by Haitis movements, colors, sounds, and history,emerge through a conversation between drums and voices, between musicians

and dancers on stage. Haiti is a source of great inspiration for me, he notes.Traditional dances are extremely rich; the rhythms are sensational, as well as the

history behind them. My work, in part, explores how drums are vitally important

to Haitian life, how each beat, each rhythm speaks to us, fortifies us, moves usalong.

With the companys highly disciplined, engagingly lithe dancers, Delsointransforms the pulse of African-origin rhythms like the wave-like yanvalouor thebright ibointo athletic, riveting movements, and makes Haitian history do a

bittersweet, utterly contemporary dance. As we work together and when weperform, everybody becomes one, Delsoin says. The dancers, the musicians, andmyself. We all bring our experiences, skills, and ideas to a lifelong melody thatleaves its impression on the audience.

Center StageSM will bring 10 ensembles from Haiti, Indonesia and Pakistan to theU.S. for month-long tours from June-December 2012, connecting artists with diverse

communities across the country. Residencies will include performances, workshops,discussions, people-to-people exchanges, and community gatherings. Keep up with

Center Stage by liking the program on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/CenterStagePage) and following us on Twitter(@centerstageus).

Center StageSMis a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of StatesBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is administered by the New EnglandFoundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations,

and with additional support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the AsianCultural Council, and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Generalmanagement for Center StageSM is provided by Lisa Booth Management.

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/594.cfm
http://www.facebook.com/CenterStagePagehttp://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/594.cfmhttp://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/594.cfmhttp://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/594.cfmhttp://www.facebook.com/CenterStagePage


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10/16/2012, Tue Millennium Stage @ The Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street

NW Washington,DC Ph. 800.444.1324

10/20/2012, SatSouth Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 Southwest 211thStreet

Miami, FL

Ph. 305.375.3584

10/24/2012, Wed Coker College

Hartsville, SC

11/02/2012, Fri University of North Carolina-Wilmington

Wilmington, NC

11/07/2012, Wed

University of Nebraska @ Hixson-Lied College of Fine and PerformingArts, 102 Woods Art Building

Lincoln, NE

Ph. 402.472.9339

11/10/2012, Sat Johnson County Community College @ Yardley Hall - Show: 8PM

Overland Park, KS Ph. 913.469.4445

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.tour/project_id/594.cfm
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.tour/project_id/594.cfmhttp://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.tour/project_id/594.cfmhttp://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.tour/project_id/594.cfmhttp://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/

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Press Release - Compagnie de Danse Jean-René Delsoin - USA TOUR : October 14th to November 11th , 2012