Afro-Haitian Dance
prayer of the body

The snake dance Yanvalou ist something very special in the African and Afro-Haitian dance culture. Yanvalou represents the wavelike movements of the big snake, symbol for vitality, fertility and sexuality. Karine LaBel further developed that dance concentrating on the breastbone, arms, navel and spine. It gets the whole body swinging through its powerful, dynamic movements without that the dancers loose the contact with the floor.
The Haitian Karine LaBel gives special attention to the warm-up of the shoulders, spine and back. The participants are accompanied by live music and introduced into the rhythm of the snake dance step by step. Karine LaBel explains the ritual background and the philosophy of some Haitian dances such as the spider dance, the water dance, and the dance for Ogun. In Haiti each dance is related to an element, a spirit, a god and is a magical metaphor for the invisible world.
The participants get the chance to go deep into those dances that Maya Deren described as the „prayer of the body“.

For your information: The workshop in the Intensive2 has been belated changed from Intermediate to Open Level!


Karine LaBel
Karine LaBel grew up in Haiti, where she got influenced by the culture of Vodou, the „danced religion“ in her country. Her educational experiences lead her from Haiti over Paris to Vienna, where she settled down six years ago. The young charismatic artist is pedaogically well experienced and got quite wellknown as she appeared in numerous performances in France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.