Jeanguy Saintus is a Haitian choreographer, dancer and dancing educator.
Saintus was born in 1964 in Port-au-Prince. He studied
anthropology, sociology and languages, Haitian traditional dance, and Classical dance modern and contemporary technique.
He is one of the founders of the dance company Ayikodans, which in twenty years time grew to be a professional group of dancers with an own center and training program. With his own Afro-contemporary techniques he has had an important part in the development of Caribbean dance. Next to his performances, he is dancing teacher in Jamaica and other countries.
Next to have studied dance, Saintus is a very much self-taught dancer as well. Each year he researches and composes new choreographies, in which he explores new limits. In his choreographies one can notice a melting-pot of Caribbean culture and the daily life of Haiti. Furthermore his work shows elements from the folklore and religious Haitian Vodou culture, as well as diverse African, Amerindian and French influences.
Jeanguy Saintus
Dance is a way of life for Jeanguy SAINTUS. As the founder of Ayikodans,he has continuously pushed the limits of modern dance over the past decades. In 25 years of passionate research he has mastered a cross cultural body language that speaks with the power of remote times and places.
To expand the local pool for dance, Saintus founded Artcho Danse a dance center and training program for children and adults in Port-au-Prince. He also provides a scholarship program called Dansepyenu (Dance Barefoot) for talented young dancers unable to afford tuition.Saintus organizes cultural exchanges by inviting guest artists from around the world to teach at Artcho Danse, and takes his unique technique globally by teaching master classes.
In 2008, Saintus was a recipient of the prestigious Prince Klaus Award in The Netherlands for expanding the possibilities of the dance medium, fostering young talent,
