Kriyol Dance Collective

We are deeply sustained by our connection to Haiti’s drum traditions and the musicians that support it at home and across the diaspora. Together, Kriyol Collective and Rasin Okan are working to elevate the unique, creative, and artistic bridge between Haitian traditional rhythms and contemporary roots sound. Along the way, we’re emphasizing the importance of immigrant stories, the impact of community networks, and the value of cultural programming. Thank you KOSANBA () for accepting our proposal to present on your work through an immersive performance experience.

Photos are courtesy of Kriyol Collective member and long time collaborator NOIREDELATOUR ().

POUVWA!! What a special moment to bring embodied conversations of power and heritage to the fore. Thank JAE for coming to Brooklyn, NY to share your movement and teachings with us .

This is the third workshop Kriyol Dance! hosted for and it was meant to support creative efforts related to JAE’s newest work Pouvwa.

Pouvwa (Power), utilizes Haitian-folkloric dance, Afro-electronica, live drumming, visual installations, and workshops, to invite us all to galvanize our power to create a new world. Pouvwa invites us all to identify ways in which we can utilize our personal power to create a new world while also naming the realities of structural, political, and cultural misuse of power across the globe. JAE hopes Pouvwa fosters interconnectedness and illuminates shared connections of oppression and liberation around the globe. Through Haitian-folkloric choreography and free community workshops, Pouvwa engages a wide-ranging audience to share definitions of power, reflect on how colonialism has systematically disenfranchised shared culture, and identify action steps towards creating a world that is beneficial to all.

Thank you to everyone who made an effort to show up ready to move and ready to share!

Tag yourself if you spot you moving! 🥹♥️♥️

Kriyol Collective is yet again collaborating with Boston-based dance company, Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE), to host an educational dance workshop on Thursday, August 14th from 4:30-7pm at Mark Morris Dance Center.

This workshop is meant to support creative efforts related to JAE’s newest work Pouvwa.

Pouvwa (Power), utilizes Haitian-folkloric dance, Afro-electronica, live drumming, visual installations, and workshops, to invite us all to galvanize our power to create a new world. Pouvwa invites us all to identify ways in which we can utilize our personal power to create a new world while also naming the realities of structural, political, and cultural misuse of power across the globe. JAE hopes Pouvwa fosters interconnectedness and illuminates shared connections of oppression and liberation around the globe. Through Haitian-folkloric choreography and free community workshops, Pouvwa engages a wide-ranging audience to share definitions of power, reflect on how colonialism has systematically disenfranchised shared culture, and identify action steps towards creating a world that is beneficial to all.

We really hope that you take on this opportunity to dance with and learn from an exceptional teacher and arts advocate, Jean Appolon.

Registration link: https://jeanappolonexpressions.org/jae-workshops

✨IMPORTANT UPDATE✨WE WANT TO THANK Makini Sacred Arts FOR ENCOURAGING US TO CREATE A SPACE TO COLLECT DONATIONS FOR THE WORK KRIYOL COLLECTIVE X RASIN OKAN ARE DOING TOGETHER. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR TAKING A LOOK AND CONSIDERING THIS ASK!

We are Rasin Okan, a Brooklyn-based Haitian roots band carrying the flame of Haiti’s mizik rasin po sèch movement. Founded in 1999, by musicians displaced in New York and led by Jean E. Montina (Sanba Mayombe), our group honors the spiritual and revolutionary traditions of Haitian Vodou ceremonial music—performed with minimal electric accompaniment.

We’re raising $10,000 to support creative effort related to our new album, Jou Ma Lonje, a powerful musical reflection on Haiti’s recent history and a tribute to ancestral memory, not just resilience. With your help, we will bring this album to life and host two immersive release events that celebrate Haiti’s cultural legacy. Your support ensures this vital music and message reaches the hearts of our community and beyond.

Making Music, Keeping Tradition: Rasin Okan in BK Support new creative projects from Rasin Okan, honoring their 27 year legacy in Brooklyn, NY. | Check out 'Making Music, Keeping Tradition: Rasin Okan in BK' on Indiegogo.

Thank you for celebrating Rasin Okan’s album release this last weekend. Next up: Rasin Okan will be taking over Brooklyn Museum’s August edition of First Saturdays.

Saturday, Aug 2 | 5-7pm | Free Registration

First Saturday: En Fuego Ignite your night with music, film, poetry, and comedy by brilliant artists from the Caribbean diaspora.