Djenane Saint Juste

Djenane Saint Juste, a native of Haiti, is the Artistic Director
of Afoutayi Haitian Dance, Music and Arts Company. She is a
professional choreographer, dancer, actress and vocalist
specializing in Haitian traditional dance and folklore. Djenane
has also been trained in Ballet, Hip Hop, Modern, Jazz and
Ballroom at the Institut de Danse JAKA, Institut de Dance
Vivianne Gauthier, and Artcho Dance Company in Haiti. She is
the creator and instigator of the Annual Haitian Cultural
Festival, and has brought exciting new themes and activities to
engage participants in Haitian culture since the first Haitian
Festival in 2009. Djenane has dedicated herself to the
research, development and promotion of traditional Haitian
dance, song and storytelling. She is a former faculty member in
the world dance department at the Saint Paul Conservatory for
the Performing Arts, and an artist in residence at Hamline
University, Coppin University and St. Olaf University. Djenane’s
work towards the preservation of Haitian culture has been
documented in works such as “Making Caribbean Dance” by
Susanna Sloat, as well as “Lavil: Life, Love, and Death in Portau-
Prince (Voice of Witness)” by Peter Orner, Evan Lyon, and
Edwidge Danticat. She published her first children book “The
Mermaid and The Whale” in Fall 2020.
www.afoutayidmaco.com