Rara Tou Limen Dance Company
would like to extend a personal invitation to you, requesting your presence at
RASANBLE!
Haitian Arts & Culture Festival 2024!
This vibrant festival celebrates Haitian arts and culture through dance workshops, music, art exhibitions, academic presentations, a spiritual Vodou Ceremony, delicious cuisine, and more!
Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Haitian traditions and experiences that will leave you inspired and enlightened.
RASANBLE! is not just a festival; it's a transformative journey.
From the rhythmic beats of the Haitian drums to the graceful movements of the Folkloric Dance, every aspect is carefully curated to captivate your senses and nourish your soul.
Witness the captivating GODMAMA: Great Mother of Power Photo Exhibition that beautifully
portrays the essence of Haitian culture and history.
From the rhythmic beats of the Haitian drums to the graceful movements of the Folkloric Dance, every aspect is carefully curated to captivate your senses and nourish your soul.
Witness the captivating GODMAMA: Great Mother of Power Photo Exhibition that beautifully
portrays the essence of Haitian culture and history.
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This festival is a celebration of heritage, creativity, and community. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or new to Haitian arts and culture, RASANBLE! offers something for everyone. It's a space where academia meets creativity, and tradition embraces innovation. Mark your calendars and get ready for an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Thursday, September 12
Richmond, CA
Friday, September 13
The Finnish Hall | Berkeley
Rara Tou Limen 20th Anniversary Celebration
IT'S A WHITE PARTY!
A night of DANCE, MUSIC, ACADEMIA,
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY!
featuring:
KONPA DANCE CLASS
with Robenson Mathurin & DJ Dynamic
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Get ready to move and groove with Robenson Mathurin, a dynamic Konpa dance instructor, making his debut at RASANBLE! Haitian Arts & Culture Festival!
Learn the captivating steps of this beloved Haitian dance style from a celebrated instructor. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the vibrant energy of Konpa firsthand! Whether you're a seasoned dancer or a complete beginner, Robenson's infectious energy will have you dancing like a pro in no time! DJ Dynamic, the Bay Area's celebrated Haitian DJ joins Robenson, in addition to spinning all of your favorite Caribbean, R&B, and Hip Hop tracks at RTL's 20th Anniversary White Party!
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Single Konpa Class
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Konpa Class + RTL White Party
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Lineage. Legacy. Life:
The REBIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION Woosler Delisfort Chèche Konnen VODOU ART EXHIBITION Christine Carmelle |
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We are pleased to announce Iya Dr. Halifu Osumare
as our 2024 keynote speaker for RASANBLE! Haitian Arts & Culture Festival!
Read BIO Below
as our 2024 keynote speaker for RASANBLE! Haitian Arts & Culture Festival!
Read BIO Below
Saturday, September 14 ~ Sunday, September 15
The Finnish Hall | Berkeley
PRE-SALE TICKETS
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RASANBLE! 2024
Guest Artists
Cindy Belotte
Haitian Dance
Born in Montreal and of Haitian descent, Cindy Belotte was introduced to traditional Haitian dance at the
age of eight. She began her career with MAPOU GINEN Dance Troupe, which has now been in existence
for over 50 years in Canada. Within the company, she evolves as artistic director, dancer and
choreographer and teacher at the school level. For the past four years, Cindy has been leading the
Haitian Repertoire of the Artistic and Professional Training programme in Dance (PEFAPDA) offered at
the Nyata Nyata Dance Company of the well-renowned choreographer Zab Maboungou. And is, since
2023, nominated the Associated Artist at Nyata Nyata.
Cindy's creative approach is influenced by her knowledge of the history of traditional Haitian dance where
body movement flows from the sound of percussion and drums while giving way to her instinct as a
choreographer. Cindy utilizes the teachings of the LOKETO principles (ref. Zab Maboungou) as well as her knowledge of
her traditional background to encourage her students to engage inner conversation, acceptance of
thyself, as well as embodiment, connection and grounding, in the mindset of healing and wellbeing.
She collaborates with various artists from the Montreal dance scene and elsewhere (West Can Dance
Company, Portsha Jefferson of Rara Tou Limen from California, to name a few).
In 2014, Cindy was asked for the creation of several choreographies such as Monologue Fanm fò, a theatrical piece telling the story of women of importance in the history of Haiti as well as Lakay (My Home, in haitian creole), for a candidate of Miss Haiti Canada 2015 contest. In 2016, she was invited as a guest teacher at various seminars offered in New York and Jacmel, Haiti.
In 2016, she was invited as a guest teacher at various seminars offered in New York and Jacmel, Haiti.
Cindy continues her journey by offering dance workshops in various educational and community
institutions across Canada. She joined forces with two of her acolytes, Aïka Mathelier of Ekspresyon and
Sherane Figaro of Oredans, to co-found Espas Youn in 2019. It is a collective which proposes a
collaborative space for the transmission of Haitian Art through Dance. In 2020, she was a guest teacher
in the online workshop, KB Minokan proposed by Peniel Guerrier alongside Edwidge Duverger (former
dance teacher at ENARTS and first dancer at Troupe Nationale in Haiti) and many great teachers around
the world.
In 2021, Cindy animated the crowd at Place des Arts' Festival Art en Soi and made her first creative
collaboration with two emerging artists from Montreal's cultural diversity scene at Festival Phénomena,
curated by Claudia Chan Tak. In 2022, Cindy was awarded a dance residency at Maison D'Haïti. TRAS,
her creation, was presented during Maison d'Haïti's 50th anniversary festivities. In 2024, Cindy received
the Emerging Artist Award from Maison d'Haïti.
Multidisciplinary artist both in dance and singing, Cindy collaborates with several artists from the Montreal
and international music scene (Wesli, Eddy Francois, Jean Jean Roosevelt, Strictly Gainsbourg in Dub,
etc.) At present, she is a member of the traditional music group Rara Soley, winner of Syli Bronze and
AfroPop Awards of the International Nuits d’Afrique Festival Syli d’Or contest in 2014.
Cindy has also followed various trainings such as in West African, Afro-Cuban, West Indian dance and
many more. She is currently continuing her apprenticeship at (PEFAPDAA) and continues to work and
allow her piece TRAS to grow with her and is looking to present in the near future.
age of eight. She began her career with MAPOU GINEN Dance Troupe, which has now been in existence
for over 50 years in Canada. Within the company, she evolves as artistic director, dancer and
choreographer and teacher at the school level. For the past four years, Cindy has been leading the
Haitian Repertoire of the Artistic and Professional Training programme in Dance (PEFAPDA) offered at
the Nyata Nyata Dance Company of the well-renowned choreographer Zab Maboungou. And is, since
2023, nominated the Associated Artist at Nyata Nyata.
Cindy's creative approach is influenced by her knowledge of the history of traditional Haitian dance where
body movement flows from the sound of percussion and drums while giving way to her instinct as a
choreographer. Cindy utilizes the teachings of the LOKETO principles (ref. Zab Maboungou) as well as her knowledge of
her traditional background to encourage her students to engage inner conversation, acceptance of
thyself, as well as embodiment, connection and grounding, in the mindset of healing and wellbeing.
She collaborates with various artists from the Montreal dance scene and elsewhere (West Can Dance
Company, Portsha Jefferson of Rara Tou Limen from California, to name a few).
In 2014, Cindy was asked for the creation of several choreographies such as Monologue Fanm fò, a theatrical piece telling the story of women of importance in the history of Haiti as well as Lakay (My Home, in haitian creole), for a candidate of Miss Haiti Canada 2015 contest. In 2016, she was invited as a guest teacher at various seminars offered in New York and Jacmel, Haiti.
In 2016, she was invited as a guest teacher at various seminars offered in New York and Jacmel, Haiti.
Cindy continues her journey by offering dance workshops in various educational and community
institutions across Canada. She joined forces with two of her acolytes, Aïka Mathelier of Ekspresyon and
Sherane Figaro of Oredans, to co-found Espas Youn in 2019. It is a collective which proposes a
collaborative space for the transmission of Haitian Art through Dance. In 2020, she was a guest teacher
in the online workshop, KB Minokan proposed by Peniel Guerrier alongside Edwidge Duverger (former
dance teacher at ENARTS and first dancer at Troupe Nationale in Haiti) and many great teachers around
the world.
In 2021, Cindy animated the crowd at Place des Arts' Festival Art en Soi and made her first creative
collaboration with two emerging artists from Montreal's cultural diversity scene at Festival Phénomena,
curated by Claudia Chan Tak. In 2022, Cindy was awarded a dance residency at Maison D'Haïti. TRAS,
her creation, was presented during Maison d'Haïti's 50th anniversary festivities. In 2024, Cindy received
the Emerging Artist Award from Maison d'Haïti.
Multidisciplinary artist both in dance and singing, Cindy collaborates with several artists from the Montreal
and international music scene (Wesli, Eddy Francois, Jean Jean Roosevelt, Strictly Gainsbourg in Dub,
etc.) At present, she is a member of the traditional music group Rara Soley, winner of Syli Bronze and
AfroPop Awards of the International Nuits d’Afrique Festival Syli d’Or contest in 2014.
Cindy has also followed various trainings such as in West African, Afro-Cuban, West Indian dance and
many more. She is currently continuing her apprenticeship at (PEFAPDAA) and continues to work and
allow her piece TRAS to grow with her and is looking to present in the near future.
Christine Carmelle
Artist, Art Exhibition: "Chèche Konnen"
Christine Carmelle was born in Haiti and spent half her childhood in South Africa. Through music, history lessons and Haitian food at the dinner table, Haiti was always present. So too did it inspire her artistic practices. From mosaics to stained glass projects, family and friends annually received homemade gifts for Mother & Father’s Day and birthdays. Christine returned to Haiti before studying Human Development and Global Health at Cornell University. After graduating, she worked in Tanzania alongside healthcare professionals on various public health focused research projects. Tanzania afforded her the time, space and groundedness to Create. Oil painting has since become her primary medium of choice. Christine currently resides in the Bay, where she is pursuing a medical education.
Christine Carmelle’s work is heavily inspired by Vodou, with colors and patterns reflective of where she grew up. For Carmelle, painting is a practice, a meditation and an opportunity to deepen her understanding of her culture and Ginen, African roots.
Her debut collection is entitled Chèche Konnen, Seek to know.
Christine Carmelle’s work is heavily inspired by Vodou, with colors and patterns reflective of where she grew up. For Carmelle, painting is a practice, a meditation and an opportunity to deepen her understanding of her culture and Ginen, African roots.
Her debut collection is entitled Chèche Konnen, Seek to know.
Manbo Lanise Colon
Guest Speaker
Lanise Colon, also known by her (re)membered Ayisyen indigenous name is Chèche Fouye Bon Manbo" (she/they) is a Two headed Doctor, Healing artist, and community organizer. She was raised up in a spiritual sanctified home, and learned from a very early age how important collective prayer and ritual makes access to the necessity of healing both collective and individual .Her grandma taught her to guard what she allowed to enter her physical and spiritual woman, teaching her that plants have always been the primary source of medicine to heal the full body-spirit.. She is the daughter of a Hougan great granddaughter of Manbo Dantes and the great-granddaughter and many greats of farmers both on Gullah Geechee land and lands of Ayiti. .They have travelled the world in search of how to create sanctuaries for Black folk with the traditions of their ancestors. As a certified Reiki Master and Clinical herbalist/farmer, she offer a variety of healing services centered around African indigenous practices under the name Lakou Dantes Botanika and Farm
Lakou Dantes is an Afro Indigenous-led and centered, healing quilombo, land-based intentional community, sacred herbal farm & botanika. We are a collective of healers, Manbos and Oungans working hand and hand with the lwa and ancestors to steward sacred land in Jakmel, Ayiti. Giving birth to land reclamation, community wellness, Vodou veneration, spiritual & ancestral Rites of Passage and transformative justice. We commit to creating the necessary synergy and community based relationships that begin to merge and heal our indigenous intergenerational communities- globally and locally.
Lakou Dantes is an Afro Indigenous-led and centered, healing quilombo, land-based intentional community, sacred herbal farm & botanika. We are a collective of healers, Manbos and Oungans working hand and hand with the lwa and ancestors to steward sacred land in Jakmel, Ayiti. Giving birth to land reclamation, community wellness, Vodou veneration, spiritual & ancestral Rites of Passage and transformative justice. We commit to creating the necessary synergy and community based relationships that begin to merge and heal our indigenous intergenerational communities- globally and locally.
Woosler Delisfort
Photographer, Photo Exhibition: Lineage. Legacy. Life: The REBIRTH
Woosler Delisfort is an award winning documentary photographer and filmmaker. His latest project titled: GODmama: Great Mother of Power, is a documentary series with a focus on the intersectionality of afro-spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora and the essential role of women, specifically prevalent in the ceremonies of Vodou, Santeria, and IFA traditions found in Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Benin, Nigeria, and throughout the U.S.
Storytelling is an integral component of Delisfort’s work as it depicts truth, authenticity, and the exploration of self and the unexplored. Fundamentally, it is an opportunity to connect with the core principles that affect the collective human spirit.
Delisfort, a native of Miami- born, raised and residing in the community of Little Haiti. He has dedicated the past decade capturing the energies driving the human experiences, aesthetics, sounds and rhythms of Miami’s Haitian community in Little Haiti. Such passion is evident in his commitment to building communities through photographic documentary partnerships, empowering the local youths to tell their own stories through their experiences and perspectives via his current fellowship with the HistoryMiami Museum.
Delisfort's past creative work, research and outreach has been supported by the Miami Foundation, HistoryMiami Museum Center for Photography, Bakehouse Art Complex, Oolites and IPC ArtSpace. He is also a board member of Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance's.
Storytelling is an integral component of Delisfort’s work as it depicts truth, authenticity, and the exploration of self and the unexplored. Fundamentally, it is an opportunity to connect with the core principles that affect the collective human spirit.
Delisfort, a native of Miami- born, raised and residing in the community of Little Haiti. He has dedicated the past decade capturing the energies driving the human experiences, aesthetics, sounds and rhythms of Miami’s Haitian community in Little Haiti. Such passion is evident in his commitment to building communities through photographic documentary partnerships, empowering the local youths to tell their own stories through their experiences and perspectives via his current fellowship with the HistoryMiami Museum.
Delisfort's past creative work, research and outreach has been supported by the Miami Foundation, HistoryMiami Museum Center for Photography, Bakehouse Art Complex, Oolites and IPC ArtSpace. He is also a board member of Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance's.
Houngan Jean-Sebastien Duvilaire
Haitian Dance, Vodou Song Workshop
Jean-Sebastien Duvilaire (Babbas) is a Haitian Artist and Houngan who strongly believes in the use of the performing arts to trigger social change. He has trained in African and Afro-Haitian techniques, as well as in classical ballet, modern, and contemporary dance. Babbas has worked with many artists internationally, and travels to teach, choreograph, and collaborate with artists throughout the U.S., the Caribbean, and West Africa. He is the founder of the AfrikAyiti Project, and always wishes to promote Africa together with Haiti in sharing his culture wherever he teaches or performs. He recently moved to Boston, where he has worked with JAE/Jean Appolon Expressions before deciding to continue his work independently from the company.
Jean-Sebastien continues to teach, travel, and choreograph, pursue study of Vodou, and runs a small cacao processing company in Haiti called Tahomey Chocolate. His commitment to cultural sustainability is mirrored in his work with Tahomey Chocolate, which employs and networks small-scale cacao farmers in rural Haiti.
Jean-Sebastien continues to teach, travel, and choreograph, pursue study of Vodou, and runs a small cacao processing company in Haiti called Tahomey Chocolate. His commitment to cultural sustainability is mirrored in his work with Tahomey Chocolate, which employs and networks small-scale cacao farmers in rural Haiti.
DJ Dynamic (Yves Dorvil)
DynamicPromo Entertainment
DJ Dynamic, the Bay Area's celebrated Haitian DJ!
Igniting dance floors with a fiery blend of Haitian rhythms and international hits! With years of experience rocking weddings, birthdays, and corporate events, DJ Dynamic knows how to create unforgettable memories. Get ready to move your body and elevate your celebration!
Bookings:
[email protected]
Igniting dance floors with a fiery blend of Haitian rhythms and international hits! With years of experience rocking weddings, birthdays, and corporate events, DJ Dynamic knows how to create unforgettable memories. Get ready to move your body and elevate your celebration!
Bookings:
[email protected]
Chef Alain Lemaire
Haitian Cuisine
Award-wining Chef Alain Lemaire is a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he first discovered his interest in cooking. That interest in food grew out of the need to feed himself what he wanted, and when he wanted it by watching his mother and grandmother in the kitchen, to full blown passion by the time he graduated high school.
Alain is the Co-owner and Executive Chef of Sensory Delights, a full-service catering company based out of South Florida. He is also the Owner of the brand “Ou Manje Deja?”
Chef Lemaire has featured on several TV shows: he was the host chef of the “Taste of Haiti” episode of the "Luda Can't Cook" series on Discovery+ with award winning rapper, actor, restauranteur Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. He is also a contestant of the Food Network's hit series, Fire Masters, Cutthroat Kitchen, and Chopped.
Chef Lemaire has participated in and featured as a guest chef in numerous food events and festivals throughout the United States and overseas. Most recent events include Charleston Wine & Food Festival, New York African Restaurant Week, Grace Jamaican Jerk Fest, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and much more. He has also participated as a panel speaker for Munaluchi's Coterie Retreat, New York African Restaurant Week, A Week on Haiti, and more.
Alain is the Co-owner and Executive Chef of Sensory Delights, a full-service catering company based out of South Florida. He is also the Owner of the brand “Ou Manje Deja?”
Chef Lemaire has featured on several TV shows: he was the host chef of the “Taste of Haiti” episode of the "Luda Can't Cook" series on Discovery+ with award winning rapper, actor, restauranteur Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. He is also a contestant of the Food Network's hit series, Fire Masters, Cutthroat Kitchen, and Chopped.
Chef Lemaire has participated in and featured as a guest chef in numerous food events and festivals throughout the United States and overseas. Most recent events include Charleston Wine & Food Festival, New York African Restaurant Week, Grace Jamaican Jerk Fest, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and much more. He has also participated as a panel speaker for Munaluchi's Coterie Retreat, New York African Restaurant Week, A Week on Haiti, and more.
Royland Lobato
Cuban-Haitian Dance, Herencia Guantanamera
Royland Lobato is originally from Guantanamo, Cuba, and is a founding member of the Havana-based dance company, 7 Potencias, an Afro-Cuban Folkloric dance and music ensemble. With over 20 years as a dance educator, Royland has been teaching Afro-Cuban and Cuban popular dance throughout the Bay Area. He is also an Artistic Director and Choreographer of several acclaimed dance companies. Royland has also participated as a principal dancer and instructor and is an invited guest in performances, workshops and classes throughout the greater Bay Area, Hawaii, New York, Cuba, and Mexico.
Robenson Mathurin
Haitian Dance | Konpa + Folkloric
Robenson is a New York-based dance artist performing, choreographing, and teaching Haitian Folklore, Konpa, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, and Afro-based dance styles. His professional dance career began in 2012 as a principal dancer in the international Compagnie de Danse Jean Rene Delsoin, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through which he has toured in the USA, Trinidad, and Taiwan. In 2017, he created the platform "Robenson Dance & Fitness" to support better health and dance training in Haiti and abroad. he created the course “Rabòday Fit” taught regularly at Fit4Dance studios in Brooklyn. Mathurin has worked with US-based companies including but not limited to Jean Appolon Expressions and Alison Cook Beaty Dance Company. He is also worked with Sidrabelldance and Derek Fordjour. He continues to expand his choreographic portfolio and training through local and international teaching opportunities and residencies including the Mark Morris Teaching Artist Training Program and dance studies at The Taylor School. Robenson is the Founding Artistic Director of NANM, A Robenson Mathurin Dance Company.
Angel Yoel Mulen-Robert
Cuban-Haitian Percussionist, Vocalist, Herencia Guantanamera
Angel Mulen-Robert learned traditional and popular Afro-Cuban, percussion, and song from master musicians and dancers while growing up in Guantanamo, Cuba. He is a respected lead vocalist,composer,arranger, percussionist and director of forkloric band of Afro-Cuban Yoruba, Abakua (Calabar), Rumba, Arará (Dahony), Palo (Congo), and Franco-Haitian music.
He is also a lead vocalist for traditional dance music: Boleros, Son , Changui etc. Before coming to the United States in 2013, he had worked with Danza Libre of Guantanamo Cuba and Habana Sonlar Dance Company. During this time, Mr. Mulen-Robert had travelled abroad extensively for performances and workshops in UK, London (Royal Opera House), Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. In addition, Mr. Mulen-Robert had worked with Seven Potencias Dance Company in Havana, Cuba right before coming to US.
Since his arrival in US, Mr. Mulen-Robert has been continue teaching song classes, percussion classes performing at local dance theaters and playing with a few local music bands throughout the bay area.
He is also a lead vocalist for traditional dance music: Boleros, Son , Changui etc. Before coming to the United States in 2013, he had worked with Danza Libre of Guantanamo Cuba and Habana Sonlar Dance Company. During this time, Mr. Mulen-Robert had travelled abroad extensively for performances and workshops in UK, London (Royal Opera House), Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. In addition, Mr. Mulen-Robert had worked with Seven Potencias Dance Company in Havana, Cuba right before coming to US.
Since his arrival in US, Mr. Mulen-Robert has been continue teaching song classes, percussion classes performing at local dance theaters and playing with a few local music bands throughout the bay area.
Iya Dr. Halifu Osumare
Black Popular Culture Scholar, Dance Educator, Choreographer, Keynote Speaker
Dr. Halifu Osumare is Professor Emerita of African American & African Studies at University of California, Davis, and is recognized as a scholar, dancer, choreographer, and cultural activist for over fifty years. As a recognized global hip-hop studies scholar, she wrote The Africanist Aesthetic in Global Hip-Hop: Power Moves (2007) and The Hiplife in Ghana: West African Indigenization of Hip-Hop (201)2. As a dancer in the 1970s, she was a soloist with the Rod Rodgers Dance Company of New York, and a proud protégé of Ruth Beckford and Katherine Dunham.
As community activist, Dr. Osumare was the founder of Oakland’s Everybody’s Creative Arts Center and CitiCentre Dance Theater that anchored the Alice Arts Center, now the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. In 1989 she createdthe national dance initiative Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century in three cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Dr. Osumare published her autobiography Dancing in Blackness, A Memoir (2018), which chronicled her contributions to the Dunham dance legacy in Oakland, California, 1977-1994, winning the 2019 Selma Jeanne Cohen Prize in Dance Aesthetics and the American Book Award.
In January 2024 she published her sequel memoir, Dancing the Afrofuture: Hula, Hip-Hop, and the Dunham Legacy. In Dancing the Afrofuture she illuminates the resilience of African descendant peoples through performance and the trending lens of Afrofuturism. Dr. Osumare’s career “dances” across several fields, from Black dance to global pop culture, as she has dedicated her life, like her mentor dancer-anthropologist Katherine Dunham, to the arts and humanities for a better world.
As community activist, Dr. Osumare was the founder of Oakland’s Everybody’s Creative Arts Center and CitiCentre Dance Theater that anchored the Alice Arts Center, now the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. In 1989 she createdthe national dance initiative Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century in three cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Dr. Osumare published her autobiography Dancing in Blackness, A Memoir (2018), which chronicled her contributions to the Dunham dance legacy in Oakland, California, 1977-1994, winning the 2019 Selma Jeanne Cohen Prize in Dance Aesthetics and the American Book Award.
In January 2024 she published her sequel memoir, Dancing the Afrofuture: Hula, Hip-Hop, and the Dunham Legacy. In Dancing the Afrofuture she illuminates the resilience of African descendant peoples through performance and the trending lens of Afrofuturism. Dr. Osumare’s career “dances” across several fields, from Black dance to global pop culture, as she has dedicated her life, like her mentor dancer-anthropologist Katherine Dunham, to the arts and humanities for a better world.
Jeff Pierre
Celebrated Drummer, Haitian Drum Workshop
Jeff Pierre born and raised in Port-au-Prince Haiti, grew up surrounded by traditional Haitian drumming, dance and song in his mother's company. This is where he first fell in love with music and learned to drum. Jeff has been traveling the world sharing the beauty, complexity and Funkyness of Haitian Drumming.
Listening to music on the radio, Jeff became fascinated and curious on how electronic music is made. This is what inspired him to explore the world of electronic music. Jeff's music is a blend of magical melodies, Fun, Nature, Haiti and Grooviness. Jeff has brought Haitian culture to arenas and his work has been featured in tv shows and films.
Jeff's goal is to put out loving energy and inspire others so we can create a happier, simpler and more loving world.
Listening to music on the radio, Jeff became fascinated and curious on how electronic music is made. This is what inspired him to explore the world of electronic music. Jeff's music is a blend of magical melodies, Fun, Nature, Haiti and Grooviness. Jeff has brought Haitian culture to arenas and his work has been featured in tv shows and films.
Jeff's goal is to put out loving energy and inspire others so we can create a happier, simpler and more loving world.
RTL/Lakou Ashade Vodou Voyage '24 Participants
Benin Report Back/Presentation
RTL/Lakou Ashade Vodou Voyage is a Intercultural, Spiritual, Educational, Exchange trip hosted in Benin, West Africa. We offer new opportunities to learn and grow each year through RTL Vodou Voyages. This research/study travel excursion furthers artistic growth and aids in personal and professional development. Past Vodou Voyages have included Haiti (2014), Montreal, Canada (2016), Havana, Cuba (2017), NOLA (2018), and most recently Benin, West Africa: 2019, 2023, 2024.
Our annual pilgrimage to Benin further enriches people's spiritual journeys and deepens our understanding of our shared ancestry. On this trip back home to the land of our ancestors, we draw parallels between Vodou's vibrant traditions in Haiti and the rich spiritual practice of West African Vodun. Through cultural exchange and collaboration, we strengthen the bonds between the two nations and foster a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of our shared heritage.
Our annual pilgrimage to Benin further enriches people's spiritual journeys and deepens our understanding of our shared ancestry. On this trip back home to the land of our ancestors, we draw parallels between Vodou's vibrant traditions in Haiti and the rich spiritual practice of West African Vodun. Through cultural exchange and collaboration, we strengthen the bonds between the two nations and foster a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of our shared heritage.
Rara Tou Limen
Ritual Theater
Accompanied by dancers, vocalists and celebrated musicians, the company brings to the stage a wide spectrum of diverse Haitian dance forms, from vibrant rituals of Vodou, the turbulent legacy of political struggle, to the celebratory and festive dances of Carnival, Rara Tou Limen is at the cutting edge of the evolution of Haitian dance and music in the Bay Area. The use of traditional rhythms, chants and movement integrates the grace, strength, fluidity and precision of Haitian folkloric dance.
Established in 2004 by Artistic Director Portsha Terae Jefferson, Rara Tou Limen has continually offered Bay Area residents, as well as people from all over the United States, the opportunity to experience Haitian music, dance and culture through classes, workshops, performances and educational events in both the United States and in Haiti. Our mission is to educate audiences about the richness of Haitian culture through artistic expression, while building and enhancing working relationships with other Haitian cultural groups in the U.S. and Haiti. The company is carrying on the long legacy of creating strength and solidarity within the Haitian community, while actively raising awareness (and funds) for Haitian organizations.
Our objective is to help nurture and grow Haitian dance and musical traditions in the Bay Area. The company is committed to showcasing the best of folkloric dance and music, which carries in it the stories, struggles, and spirit of the first free Black Republic in the world. Rara Tou Limen continues to uplift a country whose culture has increasingly sustained the Bay Area's artistic community and beyond.
In celebration of Rara Tou Limen’s 10th Anniversary, the dance & music ensemble traveled to Haiti (August 2014) for a two week adventure! Company members participated in folkloric dance workshops at Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS) with celebrated instructors, and visited natural and historical landmarks to investigate and research Haitian cultural traditions. In addition, RTL presented their full-length artistic offering, Limyè pou Ayiti... Lavi Kontinyè! In 2016, the company traveled to Montreal, Canada to perform in TWA, an artistic collaboration with celebrated Haitian dance companies, Mapou Ginen and Sole Danse Traditionnelle Moderne, celebrating the 225th anniversary of Bwa Kayiman. in 2017, Rara Tou Limen embarked on a cultural exchange to Havana, Cuba to participate in a dance intensive program that focused on technical training in Afro Cuban dance styles, Yoruba/Lucumí traditions and Cuban-Haitian traditions. In 2018, company participants traveled to New Orleans to research Street Festivals and Performance, and the cross-cultural influences of Second Lines in NOLA and Rara Bands in Haiti. Vodou Voyages to Benin West Africa (2019, 2023) provided the company access to train, research, and study Beninese sacred dances & musical traditions to deepen knowledge and understanding of Vodoun traditions, as they relate to Haitian Vodou.
Established in 2004 by Artistic Director Portsha Terae Jefferson, Rara Tou Limen has continually offered Bay Area residents, as well as people from all over the United States, the opportunity to experience Haitian music, dance and culture through classes, workshops, performances and educational events in both the United States and in Haiti. Our mission is to educate audiences about the richness of Haitian culture through artistic expression, while building and enhancing working relationships with other Haitian cultural groups in the U.S. and Haiti. The company is carrying on the long legacy of creating strength and solidarity within the Haitian community, while actively raising awareness (and funds) for Haitian organizations.
Our objective is to help nurture and grow Haitian dance and musical traditions in the Bay Area. The company is committed to showcasing the best of folkloric dance and music, which carries in it the stories, struggles, and spirit of the first free Black Republic in the world. Rara Tou Limen continues to uplift a country whose culture has increasingly sustained the Bay Area's artistic community and beyond.
In celebration of Rara Tou Limen’s 10th Anniversary, the dance & music ensemble traveled to Haiti (August 2014) for a two week adventure! Company members participated in folkloric dance workshops at Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS) with celebrated instructors, and visited natural and historical landmarks to investigate and research Haitian cultural traditions. In addition, RTL presented their full-length artistic offering, Limyè pou Ayiti... Lavi Kontinyè! In 2016, the company traveled to Montreal, Canada to perform in TWA, an artistic collaboration with celebrated Haitian dance companies, Mapou Ginen and Sole Danse Traditionnelle Moderne, celebrating the 225th anniversary of Bwa Kayiman. in 2017, Rara Tou Limen embarked on a cultural exchange to Havana, Cuba to participate in a dance intensive program that focused on technical training in Afro Cuban dance styles, Yoruba/Lucumí traditions and Cuban-Haitian traditions. In 2018, company participants traveled to New Orleans to research Street Festivals and Performance, and the cross-cultural influences of Second Lines in NOLA and Rara Bands in Haiti. Vodou Voyages to Benin West Africa (2019, 2023) provided the company access to train, research, and study Beninese sacred dances & musical traditions to deepen knowledge and understanding of Vodoun traditions, as they relate to Haitian Vodou.
Dr. Gina Athena Ulysse
Cultural Anthropologist | Spoken Word
The impulse to create began with surrender to sound. I wanted to be a singer at a very young age in Haiti. Migration spun the quest for song into rock star dreams, poetry, and a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology. Today, as an artist and educator (who has been teaching in universities for over 21 years), the work I do is a direct response to the calls I receive, that is, whenever they make themselves known. Using a multitude of forms, I explore the borders and spaces between ethnography and performance, physical and textual materials, seen and unseen forces, unmasking our fierce urgency to identify, name, and reckon with the power and vulnerabilities lodged in unprocessed horrors of colonialism and empire.
I came to both my performance and visual art practice as a Black feminist ethnographer who pushes the boundaries and challenges the tension between humanities and social science that undergirds anthropology’s schizophrenic standing as a discipline because no subject lives life along disciplinary lines. Still-point. Rooted in the foundation of my being, I seek beauty and grace with humility, however haunting or ephemeral to confront the visceral too often absent in structural analyses. In response to the muses, I play with “recycled ethnographic collectibles,” my projects mix the tangible with the intangible. I commune with the dead and the living adapt at remixing natural and sacred objects, archived and contemporary histories, narratives and theories often with popular songs, laced with Vodou chants. My fondness for numbers and statistics remains grounded in Marassa logic 1+1=3. The aesthetics in my feminist praxis stem from an organic approach to rasanblaj (a gathering of ideas, things, people, spirits) that is fueled by ancestral, liberation, and love imperatives. My aim is to access/face our collective dehumanization… engage with the present… to recreate a fully integrated being without leaving the body behind. I am still an inspired dreamer who wishes to make some contribution to a more just world.
Gina Athena Ulysse is based in Santa Cruz, California where she is professor of Feminist Studies at UCSC. A photographer, poet, chanteuse, and a cultural anthropologist who is always writing something, she has presented her works in numerous colleges, and universities nationally and internationally. She has also performed in artistic venues including: The Bowery, Brecht Forum, The British Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Court Theatre, Gorki Theatre, House of World Cultures in Berlin, LaMaMa, Lyric Stage Theatre, Marcus Garvey Liberty Hall, MoMA Salon, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia among others. In 2020, she was invited to the Biennale of Sydney.
In these times, she’s engaged in a RedwoodsRasanblaj.
I came to both my performance and visual art practice as a Black feminist ethnographer who pushes the boundaries and challenges the tension between humanities and social science that undergirds anthropology’s schizophrenic standing as a discipline because no subject lives life along disciplinary lines. Still-point. Rooted in the foundation of my being, I seek beauty and grace with humility, however haunting or ephemeral to confront the visceral too often absent in structural analyses. In response to the muses, I play with “recycled ethnographic collectibles,” my projects mix the tangible with the intangible. I commune with the dead and the living adapt at remixing natural and sacred objects, archived and contemporary histories, narratives and theories often with popular songs, laced with Vodou chants. My fondness for numbers and statistics remains grounded in Marassa logic 1+1=3. The aesthetics in my feminist praxis stem from an organic approach to rasanblaj (a gathering of ideas, things, people, spirits) that is fueled by ancestral, liberation, and love imperatives. My aim is to access/face our collective dehumanization… engage with the present… to recreate a fully integrated being without leaving the body behind. I am still an inspired dreamer who wishes to make some contribution to a more just world.
Gina Athena Ulysse is based in Santa Cruz, California where she is professor of Feminist Studies at UCSC. A photographer, poet, chanteuse, and a cultural anthropologist who is always writing something, she has presented her works in numerous colleges, and universities nationally and internationally. She has also performed in artistic venues including: The Bowery, Brecht Forum, The British Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Court Theatre, Gorki Theatre, House of World Cultures in Berlin, LaMaMa, Lyric Stage Theatre, Marcus Garvey Liberty Hall, MoMA Salon, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia among others. In 2020, she was invited to the Biennale of Sydney.
In these times, she’s engaged in a RedwoodsRasanblaj.
Portsha T. Jefferson
(Zetwal Ashade Bon Manbo)
Producer, RASANBLE! Haitian Arts & Culture Festival
Portsha Terae Jefferson has a 25 year history of performance, choreography, research & travel passionately rooted in African/Caribbean dance, drumming and spiritual traditions. Hailing from a blazed Dance trek, her Dancestory is truly emblazoned by that of Ancestral commission. She began her formal training at the age of six at the Marsha Woody Dance Academy in Beaumont, Texas. Often nurtured by Bay Area Dance luminaries Lynn Coles and Blanche Brown to name a few, to Haitian Dance Masters such as Pioneer Vivianne Gauthier, Cadet Jean Evens, Metayer Frantz, Ramses Pierre, and Emmanuel Louis, with consistent training at Ecole Nationale de Artes [ENARTS], transcended through the establishment of Rara Tou Limen Haitian Performing Company in 2004, Oakland, California.
As a cultural practitioner and visionary, Ms. Jefferson's dedication and exploration of Haitian culture have brought her to Haiti, where she has traveled throughout the country to research regional dance, rhythms and musical traditions since 2003. Specific interest and concentration of study took place in Gonaives at Lakou Badjo, where Nago (Yoruba) traditions are preserved, and at Tanp Souvenance Mistik, a Vodou community that celebrates it's Rada (ancient kingdom of Dahomey) heritage. Ms.Jefferson's visionary Artistic leadership and RTL Company's unforgettable presentations, classes, workshops, festivals and retreats, have garnered her the attention as respected colleague and established cultural gatekeeper, forging new trailways through ancient traditions -- staying true to the sojourn carving pathways for many to flourish crossing boundaries and dimensions in the Dance.
A passionate believer in education and youth development, she has worked for several youth organizations including
The Young Performers Theater, The San Francisco Arts Education Project, Westlake School of the Arts, Opera
Picolla, DanceVersity, Swivel Arts, and Music In Schools Today (MUST). Ms. Jefferson has taught creative movement and Haitian Folkloric dance in schools, universities, community centers and dance studios for over twenty years.
Ms. Jefferson was a principle dancer and vocalist with Group Petit La Croix (1996-2003) under the leadership of veteran dancer and educator Blanche Brown. She has been fortunate and blessed to grace the stage with Reconnect, Ase Dance Theater Collective, Feet of Rhythm and El Wah Movement. In Haiti, she has had the privilege to perform with Compagnie Culturelle Des Arts and Ayiti Dans Ansanm (ADA). Guest performances with Afro-Cuban companies include: EMESE: Messengers of the African Diaspora, along with Jose Francisco Barroso & Obakoso.
Ms. Jefferson’s artistic and educational work has been supported by grants and awards including: Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA), AKONADI Foundation, American Folklore Society, FOKAL - Fondasyon Konesans Ak Libète, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Theatre Bay Area - CA$H Grant, and The Eastbay Community Foundation.
Ms. Jefferson has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Conservatory for Contemporary Dance Arts (CCD) and is an artist in residence for Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and SF Unified School District. In addition, she is an instructor at Dance Mission Theater and the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. She also serves as a Cultural Arts Specialist with Oakland Parks and Recreation where she continues to share her love of dance with Oakland youth.
As a cultural practitioner and visionary, Ms. Jefferson's dedication and exploration of Haitian culture have brought her to Haiti, where she has traveled throughout the country to research regional dance, rhythms and musical traditions since 2003. Specific interest and concentration of study took place in Gonaives at Lakou Badjo, where Nago (Yoruba) traditions are preserved, and at Tanp Souvenance Mistik, a Vodou community that celebrates it's Rada (ancient kingdom of Dahomey) heritage. Ms.Jefferson's visionary Artistic leadership and RTL Company's unforgettable presentations, classes, workshops, festivals and retreats, have garnered her the attention as respected colleague and established cultural gatekeeper, forging new trailways through ancient traditions -- staying true to the sojourn carving pathways for many to flourish crossing boundaries and dimensions in the Dance.
A passionate believer in education and youth development, she has worked for several youth organizations including
The Young Performers Theater, The San Francisco Arts Education Project, Westlake School of the Arts, Opera
Picolla, DanceVersity, Swivel Arts, and Music In Schools Today (MUST). Ms. Jefferson has taught creative movement and Haitian Folkloric dance in schools, universities, community centers and dance studios for over twenty years.
Ms. Jefferson was a principle dancer and vocalist with Group Petit La Croix (1996-2003) under the leadership of veteran dancer and educator Blanche Brown. She has been fortunate and blessed to grace the stage with Reconnect, Ase Dance Theater Collective, Feet of Rhythm and El Wah Movement. In Haiti, she has had the privilege to perform with Compagnie Culturelle Des Arts and Ayiti Dans Ansanm (ADA). Guest performances with Afro-Cuban companies include: EMESE: Messengers of the African Diaspora, along with Jose Francisco Barroso & Obakoso.
Ms. Jefferson’s artistic and educational work has been supported by grants and awards including: Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA), AKONADI Foundation, American Folklore Society, FOKAL - Fondasyon Konesans Ak Libète, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Theatre Bay Area - CA$H Grant, and The Eastbay Community Foundation.
Ms. Jefferson has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Conservatory for Contemporary Dance Arts (CCD) and is an artist in residence for Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and SF Unified School District. In addition, she is an instructor at Dance Mission Theater and the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. She also serves as a Cultural Arts Specialist with Oakland Parks and Recreation where she continues to share her love of dance with Oakland youth.
Marketplace
Sat/Sun
R Michele Folklore Skirts (Sat & Sun)
Funky Finery (Sat & Sun)
Osiris Crystals (Sat & Sun)
Art Matènwa / Atis Fanm Matènwa (Sat & Sun)
Bel Kay Botanica & Spiritual Supply (Sat & Sun)
j.ella Essentials (Sat & Sun)
DuafeDesigns (Sat & Sun)
Waist Beads by Ayodele
Luna Nueva Wellness Collective (Sat & Sun)
Kongo Boutique by Muisi-kongo Malonga (Sat & Sun)
Garden In a Jar (Sat & Sun)
Incense Gurl (Sunday)
Drum Workshop 2015
Folkloric Dance Workshop 2015
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Folkloric Dance Workshop 2015
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Rasanble Community 2015
RASANBLE IN MOTION!
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