Interview with Louinès Louinis

              Haitian Diaspora Oral History Collection
Interview with Louinès Louinis
Pembroke Pines, FL, August 5, 2013
Interview ASM0085000036
Interviewed by Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis
Recorded by Javier Carrion
Outline by Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis and Ben Morris
Length: 00:30:43 minutes
Interview with Louinès Louinis, a choreographer, dancer, musician, folklorist who is the founder and artistic director of the Louinès Louinis Haitian Dance Theater. Louinis studied dance and theater with the Erzulie Dantor Troupe, Théâtre de Verdure Massillon Coicou, and the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He achieved national distinction as the principal dancer and choreographer of Troupe Folklorique National (Haiti’s national theater) and Troupe Bacoulou. He toured widely throughout the Americas with both companies, sharing the stage with Sonora Matancera and a young Celia Cruz, among others, before leaving for New York City in 1964. There, he studied flute at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and ballet, jazz, and modern dance with the New Dance Group in Manhattan.
Louinis is an accomplished educator, with many years of experience teaching Haitian folklore and dance to students of all ages. He was an Associate Professor at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, teaching Afro-Haitian dance, jazz, and modern dance for 25 years. From 1989 to 2000, he was a Master Instructor of Haitian dance techniques at the Katherine Dunham Technique Seminar in St. Louis, Missouri and at the Marygrove College Dance Program in Detroit, Michigan. More recently, he has taught Caribbean dance technique and culture at Florida International University as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Dance.
This interview forms part of the Haitian Diaspora Oral History Collection of the University of Miami Libraries Special Collections.
This oral history expresses the views, memories and opinions of the interviewee. It does not represent the viewpoints of the University of Miami, its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The University of Miami makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interview and expressly disclaims any liability therefor.
Louinès Louinis 2
August 5, 2013
Copyright to this interview lies with the University of Miami. It may not be reproduced, retransmitted, published, distributed, or broadcast without the permission of the University of Miami Libraries Special Collections. For information about obtaining copies or to request permission to publish any part of this interview, please contact Special Collections at asc@miami.edu.
INTERVIEW OUTLINE
− 00:00:13: Introduction.
− 00:00:28: Please tell us about your childhood: birthplace, schooling, and family environment.
− 00:03:03: You have been teaching, choreographing and performing Haitian Folkloric traditions for over 60 years. When, where, and from who did you learn the tradition? Tell us about these experiences.
− 00:05:35: In addition to learning the dances, you also had to learn the drum rhythms that accompany each dance. Whom did you learn from and where?
− 00:06:37: Why was it important for you to know the drum rhythms as well as the different dances?
− 00:07:18: How many dances, if you can guess, do we have in Haitian folklore?
− 00:07:41: In 1949, Jean-Léon Destiné was invited to Haiti to form the first Troupe Folklorique Nationale. You were one of the selected dancers for the first professional dance company of Haiti. Please describe how these events took place and the historical importance of this National Dance Troupe?
− 00:10:53: What other role did you play in the Troupe Folklorique Nationale?
− 00:11:32: And you also became the choreographer for the Troupe Nationale?
− 00:12:16: Tell us about Théâtre de Verdure. What was the significance of this theater in the cultural history of Haiti?
− 00:13:36: In 1965, you received a scholarship to travel to New York City to study dance at New Dance Group Studio. How did it come about? How did it impact your professional career in the USA?
− 00:15:04: You began teaching Afro-Haitian dance, jazz and modern dance at the College of Staten Island, CUNY in 1971. Since then you have successfully taught countless of students from all ethnic backgrounds. What is your secret in getting students with sometimes no dance background to learn and perform at least the basic dance steps?
Louinès Louinis 3
August 5, 2013
− 00:17:10: In addition to teaching at the College, you were also a star dancer and choreographer with different dance companies in New York. Which companies did you dance with and how did you contribute to their success?
− 00:18:23: You are one of the most successful Haitian dancers and choreographers of your generation in the USA, how did you achieve this extraordinary distinction?
− 00:19:26: Tell us about your own dance company, The Louinès Louinis Haitian Dance Theater. When did you create this group, and how it has evolved over the years?
− 00:21:19: Over the years, you have choreographed many dance pieces, what are some of your favorite choreographies?
− 00:23:00: What are the other rhythms in that dance?
− 00:23:47: From 1989 to 2000, you were a Master Instructor of Haitian rhythm techniques at the Katherine Dunham Technique Seminar in St. Louis, Missouri. Describe what it was like to work with such a great lady as Katherine Dunham.
− 00:27:03: Since moving to South Florida, you have taught Haitian dance and rhythms at Florida International University (FIU) and at other community events. Tell us about that experience. How do you like living and teaching in Florida compared to New York?
− 00:30:43: END OF INTERVIEW