Chief Joseph Chatoyer Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of New York
- 13 years ago
The Chief Joseph Chatoyer Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of NY performed and marched in the 27th annual Mother Day Parade in the village of Harlem in NYC.
Chief Joseph Chatoyer Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of New York was founded to nurture and promote the Garifuna culture and identity in New York City by Félix Gamboa a former member of the Wanichigu Dance Company, the most prominent Garifuna dance company in New York during the 1990s and Yeny Estrada (Budari) former member of the world renowned Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of Honduras. Under the leadership of its artistic director Gehovany Alvarez, The Company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed ambassadors of Garifuna culture, promoting the uniqueness of the Garifuna-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.
The company is named in honor of the Paramount Black Carib (Garifuna) Chief, Joseph Chatoyer in St. Vincent and the Grenadines “Yurumein” the ancestral homeland of the Garifuna people. Chatoyer was killed in battle against the British on March 14th, 1795. The Black Caribs’ defense of the Island of Saint Vincent, against colonization by the British became the subject of William Henry Brown’s play “The Drama of King Shotoway,” which he produced in 1823 and is recognized as the first black drama of the American Theatre and Mr. Brown as the first American Playwright of African Descent.
Chief Joseph Chatoyer Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of New York was founded to nurture and promote the Garifuna culture and identity in New York City by Félix Gamboa a former member of the Wanichigu Dance Company, the most prominent Garifuna dance company in New York during the 1990s and Yeny Estrada (Budari) former member of the world renowned Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of Honduras. Under the leadership of its artistic director Gehovany Alvarez, The Company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed ambassadors of Garifuna culture, promoting the uniqueness of the Garifuna-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.
The company is named in honor of the Paramount Black Carib (Garifuna) Chief, Joseph Chatoyer in St. Vincent and the Grenadines “Yurumein” the ancestral homeland of the Garifuna people. Chatoyer was killed in battle against the British on March 14th, 1795. The Black Caribs’ defense of the Island of Saint Vincent, against colonization by the British became the subject of William Henry Brown’s play “The Drama of King Shotoway,” which he produced in 1823 and is recognized as the first black drama of the American Theatre and Mr. Brown as the first American Playwright of African Descent.