Founder, Artistic Director
Danie Etienne is a Haitian-American storyteller, movement author, and filmmaker hailing from Fort Myers, Florida. Growing up, Danie’s family frequented many Haitian parties sometimes in celebration of special events and other times to simply enjoy the company of others. Usually, these parties were big events filled with lots of food, joy, music, and dance. These celebrations shaped her as an artist and is one of the biggest reasons she began to pursue a career in dance. Danie’s earliest and fondest memories of dance feature her as a young child being carried away by the jazz-based rhythms of Kompa music, a popular form of Haitian music, that began in Haiti in the 1950s. Kompa music can be described as a fusion of Latin merengue, Caribbean, and jazz influences and is often accompanied by Kompa dance, which highlights figure-eight movements of the hips. Empowered by the celebratory social gatherings that shaped her childhood, she often includes moments of jubilation in her choreography to excite energy in the space, motivating and giving praise to everyone in the room.
Danie’s academic dance training began at the University of Florida as an undergraduate where she recognized her interests in dance-film & choreography explored within the context of Black femininity. Continued technical training and choreographic experimentation proved useful in refining her artistic voice; leading her to utilize dance as a tool to inform, liberate, uplift and most importantly provide healing to the Black community, both locally and globally. Danie’s movement style fuses contemporary, and hip-hop dance forms to construct abstract narratives and familiar characters that reflect the stories of the Black community. As a Black woman devoted to breaking the pressures of body image and “acceptable” shapes in dance, Danie choreographs without a mirror to focus on intention rather than aesthetic.
Danie has had the great opportunity of studying improvisational, composition and contemporary techniques with award-winning dance artists Stephanie Batten Bland, Juel D. Lane, Jawole Zollar, Ron K. Brown and Davalois Fearon. She has also danced in the official dance company at the University of Florida, MOD (Modern Original Dance) under the direction of noted choreographer Trent D. Williams Jr. where she also worked with Dante Puleio who restaged Jose Limon’s historically all-male piece “Traitor” with a mixed gendered cast. In the summer of 2019, Danie worked alongside Miami-based artist-scholar A'Keitha Carey as her rehearsal director. A’Keitha Carey is known for her development of fusion dance technique, CaribFunk. Danie holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Choreography & Performance from Florida State University.
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Artist Statement
As an art maker, film creator and movement author I think about my purpose and my impact on advancing society. It is my duty to assist in the regression of harmful societal ideas. Through dance I have found a way to construct abstract narratives to create familiar characters. Dance has the power to inform, liberate and most importantly heal. Throughout my journey as a dancer, I have fought and will continue to fight in the spaces that I am challenged to navigate through. Because of this fight, I have found healing through the body with movement. Through this healing I am able to speak on issues that I have experienced as a black woman. I am able to dispel pernicious stereotypes by exaggerating them to showcase how absurd they are. I am unapologetic in voice the frustrations many black people have of systemic inequality. I use my artistic voice to speak for the black people who cannot authentically be themselves because society says they can’t. I speak for the black people who have to change their vernacular to assimilate to white culture. I speak for the angry black people who have every right to be angry but can’t because they don’t want to be seen as aggressive. I also speak for the black people who aren’t seen as black enough. Using black dance aesthetic, I incorporate African and Caribbean dance styles to promote exposure to the diversity of black culture. My goal is to continue fighting for representation and to build community with those who are unable to fight.
Most of my choreography is inspired by contemporary and hip-hop elements. This fusion portrays a dynamic relationship between grandiose movements and smaller syncopated steps. My work is influenced by brawny improvisational work that stems from the dance training I have received throughout my life. Most of my training is self-taught which has allowed me to play with different ways of moving. Because of the many years I spent improvising in my room, I prefer to stay away from mirrors during my process to tap into unconventional ways of moving. This allows me to showcase intentional and authentic movement to add to the stories I conceive. My unique skill of syncopating my own cadence, helps me to develop these characters further. I am also driven by the different perspectives film brings. This helps me think about how I use space and the ways that I can manipulate what people see.