Afro-Haitian Dance
prayer of the body

The snake dance Yanvalou is 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 focusing on the breastbone, arms, navel and spine. Due to its powerful, dynamic movements without ever losing the contact with the floor, the participants get their whole bodies to swing.

The Haitian Karine LaBel emphasises on the warm-up of shoulders, spine and back. The participants are accompanied by live music and introduced to 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 or a god and is a magical metaphor for the invisible world.
The participants get the chance to dvelve into those dances that Maya Deren described as the "prayer of the body".


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 and lives nowadays. The young charismatic artist is pedagogically well experienced and got wellknown as she appeared in numerous performances in France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.