By Laura Quinlan, Rhythm Foundation

After three years producing the monthly Big Night in Little Haiti, Rhythm Foundation director Laura Quinlan jumped at the chance to visit the source. Getting to know Little Haiti means falling in love with Haitian culture, and Laura was honored to join a National Performance Network cultural tour in Port-au-Prince earlier this month, with an amazing schedule set up by Régine Roumain from Haiti Cultural Exchange. Other Miami-based presenters on the tour were Miami Light Project’s Beth Boone and FundArte’s Ever Chavez – all on our first visit to Haiti.

Passengers arriving to the Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport are greeted by a charming twoubadou band, setting us up for an immersion into a country where music and art are everywhere. Among the highlights of the five-day trip:

La Nouvelle Scene is arising in Haiti, and singer BelO is leading the way. The young artist anchors a group of performers who find inspiration in Haitian roots as well as sophisticated jazz and world rhythms. Already tapped into a global network, BelO generously shared his limelight with his talented colleagues by putting together a private showcase – four hours of exquisite music by eight artists on a hilltop terrace in the upscale Peguy-ville neighborhood. As much as we appreciated the music and the vibe, we were struck by BelO’s curation of the evening. He becomes an even stronger artist by developing the entire scene he inhabits, and opening it up to the world. We will long remember BelO and his lovely wife dancing on the terrace to the bands he shared with a group of international presenters.

BelO with Manze from Boukman Eksperyans

The showcases included BelO kicking off the night after an introduction by Johnbern Thomas jazz group; young singer Rutshelle Guillaume, who left us all speechless; Singer Darlene Desca, bringing a dose of rara to her beautiful voice ; Haitian reggae stars Rebel Layonn; 4 Harmony who start as a boy-band and quickly move into something heavy; solo singer Mandela; and the musical project Lakou Mizik. Akin to a Haitian Buena Vista Social Club, Lakou Mizik features old-school legends like roots icon Sanba Zao alongside young acolytes. Here is a taste of Rutschelle and Lakou Mizik from the evening showcases:

Jean-René Delsoin Dance Company, based in Petion-ville, welcomed us to an afternoon rehearsal before a big show. Jean-René returned to Haiti after dancing with NYC’s Alvin Ailey Company, and has been mixing traditional Haitian and contemporary dance in a beautiful way. The company visited South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center last year. We also enjoyed an afternoon at the legendary Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince with Boston-based Haitian dancer Jean Appolon in the middle of his annual summer dance institute. Our lunch on the Oloffson veranda was amazing, and we had a chance to greet proprietor (and leader of voudou-rock band RAM) Richard Morse. Alas, RAM cancelled their weekly concert, in respect for the period of mourning for just-deceased former president and scholar Leslie Manigat. #nexttime

Here is Jean-René leading the rehearsal in his studio:

FOKAL (Foundation for Knowledge and Liberty), operates a cultural center, library, venue and cafe in the heart of Port-au-Prince, as part of their larger mission in Haiti. We saw the final rehearsal of a fantastic theater company, Collectif Hors-Jeu, preparing their Symphonie Urbaine – six young men mixing spoken word, slam poetry, cabaret-music and dance into a powerful but beautiful performance piece. After the rehearsal we toured the bustling library and facility before visiting Martissant Parc, also managed by FOKAL.

Martissant Parc is a giant (42-square-acres!) green gem in the heart of Port-au-Prince’s chaotic shantytown. Formed from four estates including the home of famed dancer and cultural anthropologist Katherine Dunham, this unparalleled tropical paradise was on the verge of being lost. A 2010 earthquake strolling memorial garden is now open to the public, and the rest of the park will soon follow – medicinal gardens, botanical gardens, recreational spaces, a Katherine Dunham library and more. Through FOKAL, we were honored to get a peek into this beautiful work in progress.

A peek at the botanical gardens of Martissant Parc

This trip to Haiti was our first, and certainly not our last. We woke each morning to perhaps the world’s most delicious coffee, ate wonderful Haitian meals doused in spicy pikliz, visited artisans, danced with Follow Jah Rara, relaxed at the posh Oasis Hotel, even visited the mountains. A great way to help Haiti rebuild is to enjoy Haiti. We did!