Peniel Guerrier
Photo Courtesy of Peniel Guerrier
Bio
Peniel Guerrier has dedicated his life to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of Haiti through dance and drumming. Guerrier's passion for understanding dances of affranchise, and rabordaoyi, social dance forms that show European influences in Haitian history, and Vodou ceremonies and traditional practices led him to become a renowned dancer and teacher, recognized internationally for his contributions to the arts.
Guerrier was born in 1971 in the small town of St. Marc, Haiti. Though his parents were strictly Protestant, Vodou dancing, drumming, and songs were everywhere in his neighborhood. Vodou is a faith tradition that mixes Roman Catholicism with spiritual practices brought to the island by African peoples who were enslaved. Even as a child, Guerrier was interested in learning the deeper meanings of Vodou ceremonies and symbolism.
Guerrier's high school teacher introduced him to teaching artists at Haiti’s National Theater, and soon he met Odette Weiner, founder of Ballet Bacoulou. Weiner and others were very impressed by Guerrier’s interpretations of the folkloric and ceremonial dance rituals and by 16, he was dancing professionally in Professor Herve Maxi's dance company, Tamboula d'Haiti. He studied with Maxi at the National School of Arts at Haiti State University before auditioning as a professional artist for the National Theater and dancing with them nationally and internationally for eight years. When Guerrier was on tour with Ballet Bacoulou in the late 1990s, he was noticed by New York-based Haitian dancers Nadia Dieudonne and Joey Nelson who invited him to teach in New York City at Peridance/Djoniba studio. Dance scholars and fellow dancers took note of Guerrier' gift for teaching and created opportunities for him in K-12 and university settings. Sometimes he would teach as many as 400 students per day.
Now a U.S. citizen, Guerrier currently directs two of his own companies, Tamboula d’Hairy and Kriye Bode, which is a community-based dance and drumming colloquium that involves a large-scale thematic performance often on Haitian historical themes. In addition to maintaining his early performance and teaching partnerships with organizations such as Peridance/Djoniba, KONGO Haitian Roots Music, and the “Five Sister” schools in Western Massachusetts, he has traveled to teach and perform throughout the U.S., Haiti, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, and Suriname. The range of organizations he has worked with also include the Mark Morris Dance Company and Domestic Workers United.
Since 2013, Guerrier has been recognized a record five times as a Master Artist in Haitian Dance/Drumming by the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship program. Through this award program, he has provided year-long intensive apprenticeship trainings for dedicated, emerging traditional artists.