[Haiti through my lens] Discover Haiti's culture, art, people and more

Jean guy Saintus of Haiti among eleven international artists to receive the 2008 Prince Claus award

Visionary choreographer, dancer and educator, Jean guy Saintus (b.1965, Port-au-Prince) expresses the rich fusion of the Caribbean culture and the contemporary life of his country through the body. He studied anthropology, sociology and languages, taught himself Haitian classical and modern dance and co-founded ayikodans, a group that has matured over 20 years, establishing a center and training program. Researching and producing a new performance every year, Saintus continuously pushes the limits of modern dance. folk performance, free improvisation, voodoo religious culture and varied African, Indigenous Indian and French influences can be found in his work and his Afro contemporary technique offers a unique vocabulary. saintus's experimentation has significantly developed Caribbean dance, rooting it in the region's historical experience while exploring subjects such as the experience of people dying of Aids, journey to freedom, and tensions between ancestral forces and contemporary rituals. To expand local possibilities, Saintus runs an annual workshop for talented youngsters unable to afford tuition, organizes cultural exchanges, invites guest artists to Ayikodans, teaches in Jamaica and works internationally. Jean guy Saintus is awarded for his exciting contemporary work that connects the spiritual and the physical and honors the human body, for expanding the possibilities of the dance medium and fostering young talent, and for inspiring pride in the strenght, beauty and richness oh Haitian identity   [from the 2008 prince Claus Awards jury report]

The Sculptors of Grand Rue [Atis - resistanz group]

Andre Eugene jean Robert who is a member of the group , has been a wood sculptor for almost 25 years . click here to see more of his work