Jean Menesky Magloire

The Continuum: Drum, Song and the Dancing Body

Abstract

In collaboration, Mojuba! Dance Collective (Cleveland, OH), an African Contemporary dance company dedicated to sharing the stories, culture, and embodied knowing of the African Diaspora to cultivate rich and transformative community experiences and Imamou Lele (New York, New York), an ensemble of dancers, percussionists, and vocalists sewn together in the spirit of Haiti to uplift, preserve, and promote the traditional works of the island will present traditional drum rhythms played by master musicians along with ritual dances and invocation.

We are interested in actively engaging through an embodied ritual experience which connects altar building, song, and dance in a tapestry of spiritual collaborative encounter. We plan to share a performance piece which would incorporate spiritual elements such as traditional Vodou songs of invocation, drum patterns, ritual dance, and colors that the audience would first experience collectively through lecture demonstration. This effort to tell the stories of people of the African Diaspora strategically employs spirituality in a digestible way which will be translated through performance in its actual ritual form. In combining altar set up, libation, and brief lecture, the audience will be taken through a hands-on ritual experience which will then be carried out throughout the performance. There is potential for transcendence and spiritual connection, and certainly greater understanding and community activation through this transformative experience.

Bio

Jean Menesky Magloire is a New York based educator, percussionist, spoken word poet, community activist, and podcaster. A graduate of Brooklyn College, he currently works as a public school teacher. Originally from Haiti, he  grew up listening to the polyrhythmic sounds of the tanbou, the Haitian drum. He has studied traditional Haitian drumming and has trained to play Haitian ceremonial drum rhythms. As a musician and performing artist, he uses these rhythms along with traditional songs to educate, activate, and hold space for community. As a cultural activist, he uses the drum as a tool for social change and equity. He regularly offers drum classes, workshops, and actively supports local Haitian organizations with community programming. In 2018, Magloire co-found Imamou Lele, an ensemble of dance artists, musicians, and vocalists who present and preserve Haiti’s folkloric works. He currently serves as the Musical Director of the group. Magloire also hosts and produces The Sky Menesky Podcast, a radio style program that highlights artists, educators, activists, and community leaders in Brooklyn and abroad who are dedicated to promoting the culture of Haiti and the African diaspora.