Popouri

Founder and Artistic Director: Jean Appolon

Dancers: IJ Chan, Velouse Joseph, Meg McGrath, Lonnie Stanton, Mcebisi Xotyeni

Musicians: Val Jeanty, Arnaud Lauture, Josil Rebert

Research Assistance from the Armenian Heritage Park Foundation

Jean Appolon truly sees the similarities between the immigrant trauma experiences by both Haitians and Armenians, especially here at this site, Armenian Heritage Park. Trauma is very universal, as well as how we can collectively heal. Often, countries have some kind of traditional, folkloric dance and practice and often these dances are ignored. This work, Popouri, is helping to bring light to this type of folkloric tradition and identity, while uplifting how it can support the healing process. JAE’s movement style is grounded in accessibility and aims to inspire audiences to move and breathe together.

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. JAE shares the liberating power of Haitian-folkloric dance to cultivate hope and healing toward a more expressive and socially just world. Based in Boston and directed by Jean Appolon, JAE’s professional company conducts performances, community classes, and educational workshops, with the goal of using dance and dialogue to promote healthy communities and speak to topics of social justice. The Haitian contemporary dance company combines Modern technique and Haitian folkloric dance, bringing a new artistic vernacular to its audiences. With its dynamic repertoire, JAE educates audiences about Haitian culture, traditions, history, and current issues. 

The company has performed both at major venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, Boston’s Paramount Center, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the ICA, The Silver Spring Civic Building, and in city parks and community spaces in free performances accessible to the public. JAE has also performed at many schools and colleges, including American University, Harvard University, Lesley University, Salem State, Bridgewater State, and Wheaton College. The company has been fortunate to share the stage with celebrities such as Danny Glover, Henry Louis Gates, and Edwidge Danticat, and to collaborate with community partners around the greater Boston area.

O; lives and works in New York) grew up in major urban centers in the United States, Germany, Korea, and the U.K. A mid-career multidisciplinary artist, he is a citizen of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and half Cherokee, whose practice includes sculpture, painting, printmaking, video, and performance. Gibson earned his Master of Arts in painting at the Royal College of Art, London, in 1998 and his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1995. His work is in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian; National Gallery of Canada; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; the Museum of Modern Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Gibson is a past TED Foundation Fellow and a Joan Mitchell Grant recipient. He is a recipient of the 2019 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. He is currently an artist-in-residence at Bard College and lives and works near Hudson, New York. In 2024, Gibson represented the United States at the 60th edition of La Biennale di Venezia. He is the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo presentation in the national pavilion.