AFOUTAYI
Dance, Music & Arts
AFOUTAYI DANCE STUDIO
New Home & Renewed Programming!
Afoutayi is back with regular classes, rehearsals, performances and more! We welcome you to the AFOUTAYI DANCE STUDIO (2525 Nevada Ave North, Suite 211, Golden Valley, MN 55427), our new home for your regular dose of movement, tradition, sonorous folklore, and Haitian, African, and Afro-Caribbean spirit.
**IMPORTANT COVID-19 PROTOCOL: Please help us keep the space and each other safe by following CDC recommendations: wear a mask, bring your own water and hand sanitizer, and stay home if you feel sick.**
AFOUTAYI SUMMER CLASSES AND EVENTS 2023
"WE ARE ALL ONE"
DATES: FROM MONDAY, JUNE 5, THROUGH SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2023.
COST: $15 (teen & adults) and $10 (kids) per class
ADDRESS: 2525 NEVADA AVE N, SUITE 211, GOLDEN VALLEY, MN 55427
CONTACT: AFOUTAYIDMACO@GMAIL.COM / https://www.afoutayidmaco.com
LEVELS: BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
AGE GROUP: KIDS (3-12 years old)/ TEENS (13-19 years old)/ ADULTS (20-64 years old)/ SENIORS (65 and plus)
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Most of our classes are done barefoot inside the studio. However, some dance shoes are allow inside the studio, but we thank you in advance to not bring regular street shoes inside the studio in order to help us keep our dance floor clean and safe for everyone.
2. Bring your own water bottle or you can purchase some at our AFOUTAYI BOUTIK (shop) for $2 (We also offer a variety of snacks for $2 each)
3. Some classes require large skirts, drums, specific shoes, and specific instruments or props, please email afoutayidmaco@gmail.com if you are not sure.
4. Bring a comfortable outfit to move and a small towel to refresh.
5. BRING YOUR POSITIVE VIBE!
NOTE: There will be no classes on 7/1/23, 7/2/23, 7/3/23, and 7/4/23 (4th of july weekend celebration)
Upcoming Classes and Events
With three generations at the helm, Afoutayi stewards cultural traditions and ancestral wisdom, amplifies community connections and collective strength, and embodies art as cultural survival and collaboration across space and time.
Company Founders of Afoutayi
Djenane Djenane Saint Juste
Founder / Artistic Director
A native of Haiti, Djenane Saint Juste is the founder and artistic director of Afoutayi and instigator-in-chief of the Annual Haitian Dance, Music, and Art Festival. She is a professional choreographer, dancer, actress, and vocalist with over 30 years of experience specializing in Haitian traditional dance and folklore and also received extensive training in Ballet, Hip Hop, Modern, Jazz, and Ballroom dance at the Institut de Danse JAKA, Institut de Dance Vivianne Gauthier, and Artcho Dance Company in Haiti. Her work as an artist, educator, and healer is dedicated to the research, development, and promotion of traditional Haitian movement, song, and storytelling.
Djenane holds a BA in Physical Education from Cuba and a MAEd from the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul. She is a former faculty member in the world dance department at the Saint Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts and a teaching artist at the Cowles Center and COMPAS. Djenane's work towards the preservation of Haitian culture has been documented in "Making Caribbean Dance" by Susanna Sloat as well as "Lavil: Life, Love, and Death in Port-au-Prince (Voice of Witness)" by Peter Orner, Evan Lyon, and Edwidge Danticat. In 2018, Djenane received the Award of Excellence from the Haitian Community of Minnesota and the NAACP for her outstanding contributions and commitment to advancing the culture and causes of communities of color in Minnesota. Her latest work is her first children’s book “The Mermaid and the Whale”, published in August 2020.
Florencia "Fofo" Pierre is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, singer, actress, educator, and Mambo (priestess in the Vodou religion). Born in La Gonâve, Haiti, she was raised in Haitian traditional culture by her mother and became a renowned dancer, choreographer, vocalist, actress, traditional healer, and respected elder in the community. She was a principal dancer of the National Dance Theater of Haiti and the Vivianne Gauthier School of Traditional Arts, a faculty member of Nationale des Arts in Haiti, and the founder and director of the esteemed Institute de Danse JAKA in Pétion-Ville, Haiti where she trained dancers and musicians in Haitian traditional dances and theater for 20 years. She was featured in “Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of Survival and Resistance” by Beverly Bell and Edwidge Danticat as well as “Anita” – the first movie produced in Haiti. Fofo has performed throughout the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States and has dedicated her life to teaching the stories, songs, and rhythms that form the foundation of traditional Haitian culture.
Florencia "Fofo" Pierre
Cultural Director / Costume Designer
Hassen Ortega
Youth Ambassador
Hassen Ortega is a native of Haiti with Venezuelan heritage. He started dancing at the age of one when he first performed with Institute de Danse JAKA in Haiti and has since grown into an amazing actor, dancer, and musician. He is the youngest member of Afoutayi and is excited to inspire families and children with Haitian dance and music!