An AMAZING opportunity to SEE & EXPERIENCE a culture that's RICH in SPIRIT!
Cultural Exchange Trip - 2016
Our Bay Area Community raised funds to present ENARTS with a generator!
Haiti + Brazil UNITE!
featuring
TANIA SANTIAGO
Celebrated Brazilian Dancer, Singer, Choreographer & Artistic Director,
AGUAS DA BAHIA DANCE COMPANY
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Tania Santiago (Brazil) & Daniel Brevil (Haiti)
Cultural Exchange 2016 Participants
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Testimonial
The Haiti Cultural Exchange trip was truly an experience of a lifetime. In such a short amount of time, I have so many beautiful memories, formed new friendships, and learned so much by being immersed in Haitian history and culture. Books and media can only give you so much, there is nothing like traveling and experiencing history and culture firsthand. I enjoy the hands-on approach to learning. I never imagined that upon my first visit that I would have the opportunity to see so much of the country. Mountains upon mountains. Lush landscapes. Healing waters. Sounds. People. Some of the most memorable experiences, outside of the dance, drum and Haitian Creole classes, included visiting the National Museum of Haiti, the Citadelle, Saut D’eau (Sodo), and Lakou Souvenance.
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The Mapou Tree Ceremony in Souvenance especially resonated with me seeing everyone in white, singing, moving, and honoring the ancestors’ journey to Haiti from Dahomey. There was also the community feast day, being able to serve meals and distribute clothing and knowing that in some way we were able to give back and see it go into the hands of the people. The dance classes were out of this world! The drummers, along with other musicians and singers … it just took the energy of the classes to another dimension. It was more than dance. I enjoyed watching everyone move beyond cultural and language barriers and unify through rhythm and movement.
My interest in Haiti was informed by the lives and work of anthropologists Zora Neale Hurston and Katherine Dunham (Hurston’s Tell My Horse and Dunham’s Dances of Haiti and Island Possessed respectively). More notably, my interest in Haiti was an extension of master’s thesis research on the intellectual and spiritual life of anthropologist, dancer, and Mambo Katherine Dunham. So much of her life work and activism was connected to the people and culture of Haiti, and Vodou. I am grateful that during my visit I was able to witness some of these things with my own eyes. I am also thankful that I was able to visit Dunham’s former Haiti residence, Habitation Leclerc, which has been transformed into a library and botanical medicinal herb garden in the Martissant Park District.
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I am happy that I was able to see the collective efforts among Haitian people to rebuild their lives and community after the 2010 Earthquake. Many thanks to Daniel and his family and friends who made our trip amazing-- those who prepared our meals daily; and those who made sure we arrived to our various destinations safely...winding and bumpy roads and all! I’ll stop here because I can go on and on about this trip, but I’m looking forward to the next one!
Danielle H.
Cultural Exchange Trip - 2014
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Testimonial
At the sacred waterfall, Sau D'eau we climbed and bathed in the healing waters, experienced beautiful paintings, discovered that I shared a striking resemblance to a famous African reggae singer, and sang "Redemption Song" in chorus with the local people. Much learning, many challenging emotions, beauty all around.
REFLECTION: One year ago I was in Haiti and it changed my life and opened my heart in a way I could not have imagined. It initiated a series of openings, unravelings and adventures that have brought me to this very moment. Today I get to share this one year anniversary with my dance teacher, Portsha Jefferson, who helped me to fall in love with this land, it's people, its artistic and cultural traditions, it's history and most importantly myself. Thank you Daniel Brevil for making last years trip possible, sharing your heart and your home, and embodying love and dedication to your work. - Elizabeth |
Testimonial
See the testimony of 2014's Cultural Exchange at student Christine Joy Ferrer's Blog, as she shares her experience called
"HAITI ON MY MIND, PART 1" see at link below: http://eyesopenedblog.com/2014/04/28/haiti-on-my-mind-part-1/ 
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Lakou Souvenance Ceremony
April 2014
[Gonaives, Haiti]
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Cultural Exchange Trip - 2013
2013 Participants - Left to Right: Yolande Sterling, Merrill Garbus, Daniel Brevil [Host], Viva Dunwoody, Maria Rivera, Portsha Jefferson, Yuri Kasinsky, Ania Tugwell, Corrine Inabinet at Lakou Souvenance
From the Bay to Haiti...in MOTION!
Testimonial
The Haiti trip with Daniel was worth many times what I paid for it. It was a life-changing experience. I felt that we were taken to the very center of Haitian culture, and that this was something that someone outside of Haiti rarely sees. I always felt incredibly safe, cared for, and protected by Daniel, and it was his family and friends who he chose to look after us, cook for us, and take us where we needed to go. Our class instructors were clearly the cream of the crop of the Haitian folkloric dance and music community. I've recommended this trip to everyone I know who's interested in Haiti, and I'll keep doing so. – Merrill
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Testimonial
What a rich experience! My trip to Haiti was amazing. From the home cooked, delicious food prepared and delivered with love, to being able to dance side by side with Haitian students at ENARTS, and to relax at the beach... Traveling with Daniel I got to see and be a part of things I wouldn’t have been able to do alone. I felt safe and well taken care of - what an accommodating host! It was an unforgettable journey; I'm ready to go again! – Ania
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Testimonial
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This 2-week, all-inclusive trip is definitely the way to experience all that Haiti has to offer!
Daniel and Portsha were the perfect hosts, ensuring a safe, exciting trip with delicious home cooked food, excursions to hidden gems and sacred ceremonies throughout the country as well as amazingly energetic dance, song and drum classes taught by Master artists. You will not come away from this trip without feeling emotionally connected to the culture and cherishing this experience! -Yolande |
Haiti Reflections - Yuri Kasinsky
I spent the best 2 weeks of my life on the 2013 Cultural Exchange Trip to Haiti. I had been there 13 years before, before the earthquake and before my life had gotten so busy, but nothing prepared me for the amount of joy I would experience on this trip.
We danced until we couldn’t stand up, we toured the countryside in various vans and tap-taps, driving through terrain that would make any island envious, we bathed in pristine turquoise waterfalls and we ate until our sides burst with what one could call food of the gods. Actually it was the nourishing and healthy meals served to us daily, throughout all parts of the country by the family of Daniel Brevil.
We traveled as a family, ate as a family, cared for each other like family in accommodations ranging from elite French colonial style hotels to huts with dirt floors and nat to sleep on. Nat are thick reed mats, that are unbelievable comfortable after a 6 hour drive through the heat of the day.
From Vodou ceremonies to the National School of the arts we were welcomed in places we had not even dreamed of. It was the fighting spirit of the Haitians we met that gave us inspiration. Despite the devastation they had experienced they were determined for us to see the real Haiti beneath the obstacles and rebuilding. People pulled out all stops to provide local cuisine, folkloric music, never ending kreyol lessons, song lessons, dance lessons. There was always time for a good joke and the really good ones went on for days and were repeated so many times you almost felt as if you could speak Kreyol.
In addition to a fabulous urban, country and beach vacation we spent 20% of our time distributing supplies to communities in need. We gave out thousands of dollars of Prescription and Over the Counter medications, Hundreds of pieces of clothing all from donations given to us by people in the Bay Area. On the last day in Kafoufey, Port-au-Prince we helped feed 300 families, with small children and pregnant Moms in the front of the line. Some of us even helped prepare the food, for a cooking lesson that money couldn’t buy.
The trip was amazing. Daniel Brevil and his family were tireless to accommodate all of our needs, safety and thirst for adventures. All I can say is that the hardest part of the trip was leaving to return home with my pockets stuffed with Haitian coffee, peanut butter, musical recordings and anything else I could find that would remind me of this magical country that defied the rules of suffering to reveal how people live with dignity and pleasure for weeks with what we spend on a single cup of coffee here in the U.S.
The trip was perfect beyond my wildest dreams. The only thing that would've made it better is if I had done a better job convincing my wife and life partner/adventurer to join the trip. She had remembered years ago the very challenging trip we had taken, the suffering we had seen and long recovery time despite how well we had been taken care of by all sorts of invisible hands. Had she or anybody gotten a birds eye view of this trip or a taste of the Brevil family cooking like elaborate Ragou over Diri ak Pwa (Meat Ragout over Rice and Beans) it would be hard to resist going anywhere else. - Yuri
We danced until we couldn’t stand up, we toured the countryside in various vans and tap-taps, driving through terrain that would make any island envious, we bathed in pristine turquoise waterfalls and we ate until our sides burst with what one could call food of the gods. Actually it was the nourishing and healthy meals served to us daily, throughout all parts of the country by the family of Daniel Brevil.
We traveled as a family, ate as a family, cared for each other like family in accommodations ranging from elite French colonial style hotels to huts with dirt floors and nat to sleep on. Nat are thick reed mats, that are unbelievable comfortable after a 6 hour drive through the heat of the day.
From Vodou ceremonies to the National School of the arts we were welcomed in places we had not even dreamed of. It was the fighting spirit of the Haitians we met that gave us inspiration. Despite the devastation they had experienced they were determined for us to see the real Haiti beneath the obstacles and rebuilding. People pulled out all stops to provide local cuisine, folkloric music, never ending kreyol lessons, song lessons, dance lessons. There was always time for a good joke and the really good ones went on for days and were repeated so many times you almost felt as if you could speak Kreyol.
In addition to a fabulous urban, country and beach vacation we spent 20% of our time distributing supplies to communities in need. We gave out thousands of dollars of Prescription and Over the Counter medications, Hundreds of pieces of clothing all from donations given to us by people in the Bay Area. On the last day in Kafoufey, Port-au-Prince we helped feed 300 families, with small children and pregnant Moms in the front of the line. Some of us even helped prepare the food, for a cooking lesson that money couldn’t buy.
The trip was amazing. Daniel Brevil and his family were tireless to accommodate all of our needs, safety and thirst for adventures. All I can say is that the hardest part of the trip was leaving to return home with my pockets stuffed with Haitian coffee, peanut butter, musical recordings and anything else I could find that would remind me of this magical country that defied the rules of suffering to reveal how people live with dignity and pleasure for weeks with what we spend on a single cup of coffee here in the U.S.
The trip was perfect beyond my wildest dreams. The only thing that would've made it better is if I had done a better job convincing my wife and life partner/adventurer to join the trip. She had remembered years ago the very challenging trip we had taken, the suffering we had seen and long recovery time despite how well we had been taken care of by all sorts of invisible hands. Had she or anybody gotten a birds eye view of this trip or a taste of the Brevil family cooking like elaborate Ragou over Diri ak Pwa (Meat Ragout over Rice and Beans) it would be hard to resist going anywhere else. - Yuri
Song Workshop with Sanba Zao at ENARTS
2013 Haitian Cultural Exchange Group - Daniel's student/recording Artist Merrill Garbus [4th from the left] the creative force behind the tune-yards wrote a song about her experience in Haiti. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/1sc0wqg
Daniel salutes Ayizan (Kanzo Ceremony)
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Lakou Souvenance Ceremony
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Cultural Exchange Trip - 2009
Where it all began... the first trip!
Folkloric dance class at ENARTS
RASANBLE nan Ayiti!
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How was the trip? Here's what they said:"The April 2009 trip to Haiti was the year's highlight for me--something I will always treasure. I was both overwhelmed and inspired by the fire and will of the people in Haiti. Through this dance and cultural program, we were immersed in the rich, artistic spirit and heritage of this country. The high-energy and exuberant dancing, singing, and drumming classes allowed us to interact with many amazing Haitian dancers and musicians. We also had many wonderful excursions to places outside of Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Jacmel, Petionville--showing us the diverse geography and communities of Haiti. And through it all Daniel and Portsha took great care of our group, and ensured we were well provided."- Sarah
“You must experience Haiti! The classes are challenging and enjoyable, the food is great and prepared with love. Daniel is the best provider and tour guide. Hotel accommodations, ambiance and spirit is "right on.” All you have to do is go. Everything is provided for you.” -Lynn
“From dance classes, to day trips outside the capital, we saw parts of Haiti that I don’t think we would have accessed so easily alone. The countryside is stunning and the people make you feel like a friend that’s returned home. I can’t wait for our next trip!” - S.M.R
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Lakou Souvenance |
Gonaives, Haiti
2009 in Motion!
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Haitian Cultural Exchange
Hosted by Daniel BRAV Brevil
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Serving as Tour Leader/Advisor/Cultural Arts Ambassador, while raising awareness about his country, he carries out donor and relief missions of impact directly affecting his communities in Carrefour Feuilles area. The initiative also subsidize Instructor fees and provide lunch assistance for Haitian students at prominent School of the Arts at Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS), where tour participants learn Haitian Dance and Drum Culture. Mr. Brevil initiative's has partnered successfully with leading Haitian Performing Company Rara Tou Limen, founded by Ms. Portsha Jefferson along with its loyal community constituents in a shared mission to uplift Haiti, with the 1st tour in 2009 and 5 subsequently after the Earthquake in Haiti. A Historic Anniversary Celebration/Concert Performance was his latest milestone envisioned in partnership with Artistic Director, Portsha Jefferson, accompanying Rara Tou Limen to Haiti as its Musical Director in celebration of their 10th Anniversary. Aug./ Sept. 2014.
Mr. Brevil's bio and musical works can be seen here: Next Exchange scheduled for APRIL 2020 more info: Contact Daniel at [email protected] |
