“They came to her shaded porch, not to learn pliés or pirouettes, but to stomp and sway in the rhythm of the loa spirits. Knees low, arms wide, they bounced and flicked their limbs, their footfalls echoing centuries of Haitian ancestors.”

This in-depth feature shows a side of Haiti rarely seen in media, focusing on the country’s cultural wealth rather than its economic poverty.

Meet the 97-year-old whose dedication to Haitian folklore dance inspired generations of Haitians to take pride in their culture. Without her, some of her students say the dance would effectively be dead.

This article was originally featured in the July edition of Al Jazeera Magazine. It can be found online here, on the Al Jazeera English website.

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