We recently connected with Djenane Saint Juste and have shared our conversation below.
Djenane, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am the best version of myself as an artist! I am happier, healthier, and more connected to nature and people. My artistry guides me through a journey of spiritual growth and enlightenment. I am more eager to take risks and step out of my comfort zone to explore new territories artistically, mentally, spiritually, and physically. I feel in harmony with the universe because I am a dancer, a choreographer, a storyteller, a writer, and an artist. My sensitivity helps me stay constantly connected to who I am, so to everyone and everything at once. Sometimes when I am facing financial hardship, I wonder what it would be like to just have a regular job, a good paycheck, and the benefits that come with it. I actually had a story like that. A couple of years ago, after I received my master’s degree at St. Thomas University in Minnesota, I got a job as an ELL teacher at a Middle school in Minnesota. In the beginning, everything was going super great. The administration, as well as my colleagues, love my background as a dance instructor and choreographer because I was able to engage with students who like movements. My students were happy that I was able to integrate my passion for dance, music, storytelling, arts, and languages into my lesson plan. Everything seems to be perfect! However, the more I was complying with the standards of this full-time job, the more I was losing myself. They have constant training, testing, data collection, homework, behavior issue, meetings without ends, etc. This job supposedly was Monday through Friday thirty-five to forty hours per week but it end up taking over my mornings, my evenings, my weekends, and my entire life. I became more and more frustrated, sad, stressed, and trapped. By the second year at this job, I was forced to work in two different buildings, with five different classes and subjects per day without the minimum resources. I was overwhelmed by a very toxic environment to the point I felt that I was losing my mind. The best decision I ever taken was to quit working at this school in the middle of the year and go back right away to my dance. Due to this, I had to take a long time to get back to myself, understand my body and realign my artistic self to the core of nature and be able to create art and find joy. In the process, I had to sell my house so I can pay my bills and take the necessary time I need to fully heal from this experience. After all, I don’t regret it, because I discovered how it is important for me to be true to myself and let my artistry have the freedom to shine to the world and inspire others. Now my dance company is expanding, I am collaborating with different artists on different projects, I am finishing writing my second book, and I am happier and healthier than I ever was.
Djenane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a native of Ayiti-Haiti, a Caribbean country full of history, arts, wisdom, and passion. I grew up with my single mother Florencia Pierre “Fofo” who is an extraordinary international multi-disciplinary artist and a very respected Manbo, priestess of the Vodou religion. In addition to being a choreographer, professional dancer, dance instructor, singer, actress, and founder of the famous Haitian dance company JAKA, my mom was also an activist. So, I grew up in this mixture of arts, vodou ceremonies, politics, and secrecy, while my children’s minds tried to understand what was going on, the arts were always my safe place to deal with everything. In the eighties, my mom was facing a lot of stigmas and taboos, and the way she address them paved the path that shape the person and artist I am now. First, as an unmarried woman, a single mother, a dancer, and even worse a Folkloric dancer my mom was considered a lower class citizen in a society where only classical and modern dances were acclaimed. However, not only did my mother research and develop her craft but she also trained many dancers all over the world about the importance of Haitian folkloric dances and culture. Therefore, she inspired many Haitian and non-Haitian dancers all over the world who are continuing to fight for the emancipation of the Haitian folkloric dances. As a result, in 2009 I moved to the United States and I have been continuing the same work teaching the technique of Haitian folkloric dance and culture to dancers at different universities, public and private schools, dance companies, community centers all over the U.S. Secondly, as a vodou priestess and an activist my mother’s life and mine were always in danger. The catholic churches in conspiration with the Haitian government initiated a movement called “Rejete” to denigrate and diabolized the Vodou religion. This movement’s purposes were to invade Vodou temples, and Lakou and then destroy and burn all their artifacts and drums. Lots of “Ougan” Vodou priests, “Manbo” Vodou Priestess, and “Vodouizan” practitioners of the Vodou religion have been mistreated and persecuted at that time because of their faith. On the other hand, the “Tonton Makout” will persecute her and other Artist activists after they have performed a show that denounced the actions of the government of Duvalier. I recall that sometimes I had to miss school for over a week and hide with my mom and other artist and activist at a deserted beach in Jacmel, Haiti to escape possible death. Even though they were scary times but they were also preparing me as an artist because I was able to witness firsthand art in all of its forms and how these artists were able to use their artistry to fight for what they believed. Because of these experiences, I am not only a dance instructor capable to teach beautiful dance moves, but I have also a personal story to tell. I am a more confident choreographer because I know my roots and I honored and value my background. I am a more resilient, flexible, and adaptable artist because I was able to face different challenges from a young age and my art form keep growing and expanding to all dimension. So when people come to the AFOUTAYI Dance Studio, they can expect to have a unique Haitian Cultural experience.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
In my opinion, society should vote laws and create a system to support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem financially. As the world is becoming darker, artists and creatives are the ones who keep humanity in check and aware of nature, life, emotions, feelings, and reel connections. Therefore, an artist shouldn’t have to struggle to pay rent or have health care or suffer from PTSD because of immigration status. An artist and a creative citizen of the world who contributes to humanity is unmeasurable, therefore, they should receive the same prestige for their artistry and have sufficient resources to expand their arts worry-free. Artists should be justly compensated for their work and skills and have the resources to be more connected with their communities to share their ideas and artistry.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Afoutayi Haitian Dance, Music and Arts is a performance company and nonprofit arts organization incorporated in the state of Minnesota and fiscally sponsored by Indigenous Roots in Saint Paul, MN. Our mission is to inspire and educate youth of all ages to celebrate the mosaic of Haitian traditional culture through dance, percussion, song, and storytelling. We envision a world where Haitian cultural heritage is a fundamental part of youth education and success to enrich communities of different backgrounds. In 2009, Djenane Saint Juste arrived from Haiti and founded the company in the Bay Area to address the serious lack of Haitian cultural representation. In its augural year, Afoutayi hosted the first Haitian Dance, Music, and Art Festival at Mission High School in San Francisco on the anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres, honoring the turning point in the Haitian War of Liberation through a traditional opening ceremony, community gathering, workshops, performances, and lectures. During its five-year tenure in the Bay Area, the company performed original works interpreting the Haitian tradition of Vodou at prestigious events and institutions such as the Cuba Caribe Festival, San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, and Stanford University. The company relocated to the Twin Cities in 2014 and continues to grow as Minnesota’s premier Haitian arts and cultural organization. Until 2018, Afoutayi presented its hallmark annual festival and developed it into a hub for Afro-centric movement and music through its collaborations with notable artists from the African and Afro-Caribbean diaspora. Today, Afoutayi hosts residencies, workshops, ceremonies, and lectures in schools and the community to challenge students and attendees to think and move outside of their familiar habits. At Afoutayi we advocate to learn, teach, and preserve the diverse traditions of Haiti through the arts of dance, drum, song, storytelling, cooking, costume making, and more. We provide high-quality arts learning opportunities to K-12 students based on Haitian cultural heritage to spark their imaginations and infuse their lives with creativity. We offer free and reduced-priced Haitian dance, music, and art workshops; weekly classes; community impact projects, and an annual festival that are dynamic, challenging, and inspiring to the Minnesotan communities. We also create opportunities for artists from Haiti and the United States to exchange knowledge on training, collaborating, creating, performing, networking, and making artistic decisions that aim to change peoples’ lives and the world. We promote the study of Haitian Vodou and culture to meet the growing need to reconnect with ancestral knowledge. And we partner with community groups, citizens, and the local Haitian government to increase sustainable access to education, arts, healthy living, and economic development to youth of all ages in Thomassin and Lagonâv, Haiti. Afoutayi is back with regular classes, rehearsals, performances, and more! We welcome you to our new studio at 2525 NEVADA AVE NORTH, SUITE 211, GOLDEN VALLEY, MN 55427 for your regular dose of movement, tradition, sonorous folklore, and Haitian spirit. Our open House will be on Saturday October 8, from 11 am to 9pm. Visit our website for more information: https://www.afoutayidmaco.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.afoutayidmaco.com
- Instagram: afoutayidmaco
- Facebook: afoutayidmaco
- Youtube: Djenane St Juste
- Gofundme fundraiser campaign to support AFOUTAYI DANCE STUDIO: https://gofund.me/3ca5f321
- Other: Djenane Saint Juste
Image Credits
Joua LG, Djenane Saint Juste, Benny Moreno, Tchooko