189 Haitian Ritualistic Dance Forms

Wednesday, April 24, 2013: 10:30 AM-11:45 AM
Convention Center: Ballroom CD
Presider: Glendola Yhema Mills-Parker, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
Speaker: Mary Ann Laverty, Woodside High School, Newport News, VA
In the pantheon of Haitian deities brought from Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade, each deity has a distinct personality. Each deity is associated with a specific rhythm and dance that is used to entice the deity into this physical world from the spiritual world. The spirit is manifested by taking over the body of a devotee or “mounting the horse.” This session will present the ritualistic dance forms as associated with each deity.