Ibo

Makandal presented this choreographed dance at Miller Theater at Columbia University on February 14, 1992. Because it was Valentine's Day, the Troupe featured the Vodou spirit Èzili Freda Dawome (representing sweet love) as the program's theme.

The dance ibo stood outside the theme. Haitians remember the Ibo ancestors (the Igbo of eastern Nigeria) as a proud people who resisted slavery by taking their own lives. The Ibo believed that the soul, freed from its body, would transmigrate back to the homeland. In some parts of Haiti, Vodou devotees call on the Ibo spirits during funeral rites. On stage, the dance represents resistance.

Musicians: Standing from left, Manbo Lucienne (special guest, vocals), Tom Mitchell (sax), Paul Newman (bell), Avin Valdemar (trumpet), Alberto Plummer (trumpet), Tim Newman (trombone); seated at drums from left, Jean Alphonse (third drum), Steve Deats (second drum), Frisner Augustin (lead drum).

Dancers: Smith Destin, Nicole Attaway, Sandy St. Cyr, Rose Deats, Mari Da Silva, Annette Johnson