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Updated 2/21/2024

Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE)

  • M

    MA

Institution/Business Type: Performing Group

MISSION: Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE) is a contemporary dance company deeply rooted in Haitian-folkloric culture that nurtures a global community through professional performances, educational opportunities, dance training, and the joy of movement for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

VISION: JAE shares the liberating power of Haitian-folkloric dance to cultivate hope and healing towards a more expressive and socially just world.

STATEMENT ON CULTURAL EQUITY

Read JAE’s Statement on Cultural Equity, an integral part of our work as an organization.

The company has performed at major venues and educational institutions in the Boston area, including the Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) and Harvard's Sanders Theater. In 2015 JAE was invited to be one of the pilot dance companies to participate in the BCA’s new Resident Companies Program. The Boston-based company has toured to Washington, DC and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. JAE has been fortunate to share the stage with celebrities such as Danny Glover and Edwidge Danticat, and to collaborate with community partners such as Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) and Central Square Theater. JAE and Jean Appolon can be booked to perform and/or teach at public or private events at a variety of locations including colleges/universities, schools, gala and community events, and festivals. JAE can tailor its programming to accommodate the specific needs of an event or host venue. Jean Appolon can also be commissioned to create choreography to be performed by JAE, and/or by other dance companies or student groups. Since its founding in 2011, JAE has received funding support from The Kellogg Foundation, National Performance Network, FOKAL, the U.S. Embassy of Haiti, Haiti’s Ministry of Culture, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston Cultural Council, Cambridge Arts Council, Somerville Arts Council, The Boston Foundation, Eastern Bank and hundreds of individual donors.

Find Me

Jean Appolon
Job Title: Artistic Director
Phone: 917-346-5564
Address:
33 Hubbard Street Apt. 1
Malden, MA 02148

Social Media:

Additional Content:

  • Traka Documentary

    This short documentary film delves into the making of Traka, Appolon’s most recent production. Traka explores how dance, culture, and community are pathways to healing for trauma survivors.

  • Traka excerpt

    Experience Ginen (Haitian Kreyòl: where we came from, in Vodou), the opening dance piece to the full production of Traka. Ginen introduces audiences to the notion that trauma can physically affect the human body in different ways.

  • Vwayaj Highlights

    Vwayaj (“the travels” in Kreyol) is Jean Appolon’s latest iteration of his dance production, Lakou Ayiti (March 2016 premiere). It is an interdisciplinary staging that meditates on the “lakou” and its loss in the Haitian imagination.

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Nonprofit - Independent

Year Founded:

2011

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Nonprofit - Independent

Year Founded:

2011

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Dance - Folk

Additional Disciplines:

  • Music - Traditional

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Arts for Social Change / Creative Activism
  • Arts Instruction / Lessons
  • Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
  • Curriculum Development
  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Public Art Projects (In Free, Public Spaces)
  • Residency - Community
  • Residency - In School
  • Residency - Other
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
Seasons Active: spring, summer, fall, winter
Events Per Year: 30

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • Businesses
  • Elders
  • Families
  • General Public
  • Immigrant Populations
  • LGBTQ Populations
  • Nonprofits
  • People with Disabilities
  • School Groups
  • Teens
  • Youth-At-Risk

Languages Available:

  • Creole
  • French
  • Spanish

Geographic Reach:

  • Town / City
  • County
  • Multi-County Region
  • State
  • Multi-State Region
  • National
  • International

Accessibility of Services

Accessibility of Services:

  • Access accommodations for people who use a wheelchair and have limited mobility
  • Access accommodations for people who are blind, partially sighted, and have low vision
  • Access accommodations for people who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing

Media Gallery

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Boston Dance Alliance
  • International Association of Blacks in Dance

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Boston Dance Alliance
  • International Association of Blacks in Dance

Awards

Awards:

  • BCA Dance Residency Award, 2014
  • Inducted to The 1084 List by The Haitian Roundtable as a Haitian American Changemaker, 2013
  • Green Street Studios New Works Award, 2013
  • Creative City Grantee/Alum Network
  • Next Steps Grants Award 2017, TBF
  • Brother Thomas Fellowship, 2017
  • Neighborhood Salon Luminary, 2019/20
  • Dancing Lab: BLKmenMOVES Resident Artist 2020/21

Education

Education:

  • BA from joint degree program offered by Joffrey Ballet School and The New School, 1998-2003
  • Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, 1996-1998
  • Harvard and Radcliffe Dance Program, 1995-1996
  • Vivianne Gauthier Dance Company (Haiti)

Special Designations

Special Designations:

  • NEFA Grant Recipient

Artist Info

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Afterschool Program
  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Corporate Business
  • Healthcare Facility
  • Private Studio
  • School / University

Ages Served:

  • Pre-Kindergarten-age
  • Elementary School-age
  • Middle School-age
  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults

Subject Areas:

  • Arts Integration - English Language / Literacy
  • Arts Integration - Health
  • Arts Integration - History and Social Science
  • Arts Integration - Mathematics
  • Arts Integration - Physical Education
  • Arts Integration - Science / Technology / Engineering
  • Dance

Certifications and Training:

  • Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School
  • Joffrey American Ballet School
  • Creative Arts in Early Childhood M.Ed.
  • Yogaworks 200hr
  • MA DOE Professional Teacher License

Fee range:

$1800 - $10,000

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Afterschool Program
  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Corporate Business
  • Healthcare Facility
  • Private Studio
  • School / University

Ages Served:

  • Pre-Kindergarten-age
  • Elementary School-age
  • Middle School-age
  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults

Subject Areas:

  • Arts Integration - English Language / Literacy
  • Arts Integration - Health
  • Arts Integration - History and Social Science
  • Arts Integration - Mathematics
  • Arts Integration - Physical Education
  • Arts Integration - Science / Technology / Engineering
  • Dance

Certifications and Training:

  • Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School
  • Joffrey American Ballet School
  • Creative Arts in Early Childhood M.Ed.
  • Yogaworks 200hr
  • MA DOE Professional Teacher License

Fee range:

$1800 - $10,000

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • -Performances by JAE require a wooden floor with a minimum area of 20 ft. by 20 ft. Marley-covered dance floor is preferred.
  • -Classes require a large, open space. Dance studio preferred, if available.
  • -Basic lighting (when possible)

Fee Range:

$4000 - $75,000

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

3

Maximum Number of Performers:

10