The Dance of Haiti ( ), also known as Haitian Dance is a collection of performing art of the Haitian people's culture. They pull from roots and a mix of African traditions, Arawak/Taino, European and distinct local origins in Haitian Society.
The history of Haitian Dance is as a reflection of the attitudes to the society from 1501 to the present. Dances like Mereng/Méringue were created from creolisation or hybridisation of the movements of the influences. It demonstrated how dance in Haiti served as a means of expressing religious beliefs, social interactions, and even resistance against oppression.<br> A Haitian proverb is "Apre Dans, Tanbou Lou" which means "After dance, drums are heavy."
It shows the purpose of dance in everyday life as a means to uplift despite realities in the Haitian viewpoint.
The orthodoxy of Catholic Church leaders such as Bishop François Marie Kersuzan in his 1896 crusade against Haiti's "despicable African paganism," Even though Rara stems roots founded on Afro-Catholic traditions. Dance troupe members were labeled as practitioners of black magic.
The Acte de l'Indépendance freed Haiti from colonial rule. After the revolution, dances were used to celebrate the victory and express the newly found freedom. Haitians actively used and adapted elements of the former colonizer's culture for their own purposes, ultimately contributing to a unique and vibrant Haitian identity as a "spoils of war". Haitians explored every facet of the arts.
The US occupation introduced American genres of music to Haiti, such as Jazz, Rock, and American ballroom dancing. During that time, implementation a broader policy of martial law, censorship of the press, and general suppression of dissent in the resistance to the occupation.
A political and cultural awakening known as the Négritude Movement emerged in the 1930s among French-speaking African and Caribbean writers and intellectuals. It challenged French colonial rule and US occupational slavery by affirming Black indigenous identity. It spread as an ethnocentric movement with the arrival of artists from all over the world. Its roots come from the writings and collaborations of such Haitians as Anténor Firmin and Benito Sylvain with others like The Harlem Renaissance's writers. In a movement that encompassed a philosophy of Noirism, etc.
During this period, people like Katherine Dunham's legacy and work were in documenting Haitian Dance and bringing it to mainstream attention. The dances were also documented by Zora Neale Hurston's work in Tell My Horse (1938). At the End of the occupation, "Haiti attracted a sizable number of American folklorists and anthropologists, including Melville and Frances Herskovits, Harold Courlander, Alan Lomax..., and George E. Simpson."
François Duvalier's efforts to promote national pride and cultural identity birthed celebrations and institutions in Haiti.
On January 12, 2010, up to 300,000 people were killed when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits the capital Port-au-Prince and its wider region. The 2010 earthquake was Haiti's worst in 200 years. Many institutions and infrastructure were destroyed or damaged, heavily impacting the culture of Haiti.
Primarily recognized as a popular genre of guitar-based music, Twoubadou pulls from a combination of Méringue and Cuban guajiro.
Kontradans, also known as Kwaze Le 8 or a croisez les huit, evolved from the European Contra dance. In the dance, "Four couples perform the main figures (8),... where they exchange places and move in Entrechat" without touching in a fast pace and tempo. "In both urban and rural areas, the dance became a form of communal bonding, where people from various backgrounds could come together in a shared space."
Tumba francesais line and square dances named after the freed mulattos.Tumba francesa combines musical traditions of West African, Bantu, French and Spanish origin. The word "tumba" derives from the Congo and Mandinka words for drum.
Kombit, also known as Danse Konbit, are Dance troupes that developed from Kombit cooperative culture, similar to a collective. They perform at all facets of events and festivals of society, notably in Rara celebrations historically. Music (drums, chants, conch shell trumpet) is used to set a synchronized rhythm to drive the work and sustain the workers' energy and morale.
In reference to the rhythm, the particular drum on which it is played, and its associated dance....The term "bamboula" or "bambula" is in Kikongo language, meaning to remember.
Vodou Dances are ritualistic folklore dances that provide energy, timing, coordinated movements, rhythmic footwork, vibrant costumes, and incorporation of live drumming and singing in the Haitian cultural tradition from the origin of African Dance.
Musical instruments
Dances are lead in the polyrhythm of the Haitian Vodou Drums. Haitian ritual music are the drums, the rattles, the bells, etc. The dances are named after the instruments used and the tribes of origin.<br />
Rada rites dances are slow, undulating, snake-like body movements. The tone is calm, fluid, and orderly. Rada represents a large family of rhythms, dances and songs from the Dahomey region (Arada(Allada), Fon, Mahi, Ewe, and Yoruba) nations that manifest in Haiti's north provinces. The beat utilizes a Rada drum.
"Dahomey is a family of Haitian rhythms, dances, and songs linked to the northern Haitian provinces of Gonaïves, Souvenance, and Badjo.."
Ibo (Igbo) is a dance that expresses freedom, pride,rage, and resentment against the tyranny of the slave masters. Ibo represents a large family of rhythms, dances and songs from the Igbo nation in Haiti.
Petro or Petro Rites is a voodoo dance from Yoruba origin. Their movements are described as fiery and aggressive. Petro represents a large family of rhythms, dances and songs from the Kongo/Angola nation that manifest in Haiti's central and southern regions. The sound of the beat utilizes Petro drums and rhythms.
Gede (Haitian Vodou) or () is associated with death, fertility, and the ancestors. Stemmed from the Ghede people from the plateau of Abomey Mostly celebrated on Fèt Gede is celebrated on All Souls' Day ("Festival of the Dead") on November 2.
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Kompa, also known as or is the progression of Merengue. Its creation is from the 1950s, by Nemours Jean-Baptiste. This genre combined elements of merengue, jazz, and Cuban music, utilizing a mix of electric guitar, vocals, horns, and drums. It has an evolving sound and dance. It is mostly danced in pairs but can be enjoyed alone in a solo dance. A close and expressive dance that still represents the ballroom elements of Méringue. Kompa quickly gained popularity and became Haiti's signature sound.
Modern Kompa incorporates popular mainstream African Diaspora music on whole, such as Afrobeat, Rap, R&B, Hip-Hop, Rumba, Trap influences etc.<br /> This has given elements of the dance style their own sub-genres, namely:
Fusions from the neighboring islands and beyond in the 90s resulted in:
Mini-jazz evolved from the Haitian rock played by the yeye bands in the 1960s, the import carried from the US invasion and occupation of the 1910s. The continuation of this is the PAPJAZZ events or the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival. Rock Kreyòl is also a continuation of this today.
In the 1990s, Haitian hip hop influenced and was influenced by Kompa Zouk music. Hip Hop Creole emerges and gains popularity. The 2010s brought Afrobeat and Trap influences.
Charyopye drumming style is a type of Haitian rhythm. shared in festival music. It means "foot-stomping" in Haitian Kreyol. It is a type of footwork that follows the beat of this cadence.
Rara in Haiti is celebrated to commemorate part of the slave revolution that led to independence. A unique form of festival music used for street processions that originated in the Catholic religion on the island. Harold Courlander speculated that "the word itself may come from the Yoruba adverb rara, meaning loudly." The lively street music was played with drums, maracas, bells, bamboo trumpets (vaksen), and other instruments.
Mizik rasin is often referred to as "rasin" or "racine" or "Vodou Rock" (in French). It emerged in Haiti in the 1970s. Dances performed to this music often incorporate movements, rhythms and symbolism from Vodou rituals, Rara and traditional Haitian dances. Fusions of expressive dance to freestyled with elements of reggae, rock, and funk. Boukman Eksperyans and RAM are well-known bands in this genre. RAM started out as a folklore Dance troupe that became a band, described as "Vodou rock and roots" In this genre, rock and political message mix with Haitian style and culture.
Rabòday was created from Rasin music. Its elements are often combined with live electronic sounds, pop-rock, rap, syncopated rhythms and freestyles. It emerged in the mid-2000s, and forms from the Rara dance rhythms.
Many dance companies and institutions focus on preserving and evolving these rich cultural dance forms, which often involve performance elements.
Ballet was developed in France, but exported everywhere. Haiti adopted the art form as a "spoils of war" from the Defeat of France
Jean-Léon Destiné was a highly influential figure who founded Haiti's national ballet. As a member of Katherine Dunham's renowned dance company, Destiné played a significant role in bringing Haitian dance to American stages and was an instructor at the American Dance Festival. In the mid 1980s, he created an "African Haitian Dance" class at San Francisco State University.<br />
Katherine Dunham, famous for her Dunham Technique which she developed upon living in Haiti on a travel fellowship in 1935, wrote many books and catalogued the Dances she saw in "Dances of Haiti." She had success for incorporating African American, Caribbean, African, and South American movement styles and themes into her ballets. She helped propel African American and Haitian Dance to a global stage, namely with her influential "Bal Nègre" production.<br /> By studying Afro-Haitian dance and culture, she sought to correct racist misrepresentations of African culture and challenge racist stereotypes.
A Haitian theatrical dance style that signifies a dance heritage that unites the rich spiritual and cultural tapestry of Haitian Vodou, drawing from a diversity of dance traditions. This ceremonial dance recognizes all the powerful forces that continue to guide devotees across times and spaces.
Naturally, several countries that share cultural traits (linguistic, geographical, historical or origin) with Haiti have picked up the culture as one of the best exports of the Pan-Americanism movement. For example, since the 1950s, frequent tours of the many Haitian bands have spread the style of Konpa in all the Caribbean. Beyond that, Haitian artists and people have introduced the world to Haiti's cultural heritage to unite people across the world. The global reach of Haiti's cultural influence has gone beyond the French West Indies to to West Africa, Europe, and beyond.