Today we’d like to introduce you to Sony Laventure.
Hi Sony, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a business entrepreneur with a passion for dance. As a Konpa Dance Activist, I aim to bring light to Haiti’s culture through dance.
My story began at the University of Florida where I was very active as a dancer. While my degree was in Digital Arts and Sciences, I decided to get a minor in dance to better my understanding of the dance world in its entirety.
I was the Konpa dance director of my student organization called Club Creole. At a point, I was tasked by the student president to showcase Haiti’s social dance at a multi-cultural showcase event.
I remember searching the internet for a better representation of our pop-cultural dance for inspiration but could not find any. It was then that I started my journey of uncovering and publicizing the dance art that represents Haiti’s 70plus-year-old music genre.
Since there was almost no representation of Haiti’s pop-cultural dance on the internet, in 2009 I started KOTR (Konpa on the Rise). It was a dance movement focused around popularizing Konpa dance within the Haitian community and to neighboring couple-style dance communities like Kizomba, Salsa, and Bachata/Merenge.
After investing a lot of time in traveling to learn the dance and music art from professional dancers and musicians in Germany, Paris, Montreal, New York, Boston, and Haiti, I decided to build a dance company area the idea of solving one major program in the Haitian Music Industry. I wanted to give an authentic face to the dance style and make it a valuable asset for celebrity musicians who had access to all Konpa fanatics globally.
Our movement didn’t become popular and recognized until 2017. It was at this time I started teaching Konpa dance throughout the US and overseas, I built a dance team/performers, I was head konpa dance choreographer of the Haitian music awards, and I brought Konpa Dancing to the biggest crowd in the Haitian cultural which was Compas Fest in Bayfront park Miami.
KOTR gave the average konpa fanatic the confidence to make dance videos and post on social media, it allowed non-Haitians the ability to really enjoy Haitian music, it opened the door for economic growth, and I’ve used it as a youth development tool in schools.
The conversation of Konpa dancing was becoming a topic. This lead to 2019 where I opened a headquarters location in Little Haiti Miami called Konpa Dance Studio. A studio dedicated to teaching Konpa to children, adults, and youth. A place for tourists and locals looking to learn about the art style. It was also a hub for supplying dance professionals to perform in Music videos, weddings or private ceremonies, and community events.
As of today, KOTR has been successful in provoking proactive dancing in the nightlife. While clubs are wonderful outlets for socializing, not many people are okay with standing in long lines for hours and being in a crowded environment with lots of smoking and drinking. Connecting with local restaurants and minibars has allowed us to create a culture to open floor proactive dancing. One can choose a night out to dance, dine, and drink in a safe and fun environment. This in turn has created the demand for more lessons.
This leads us to wonder cities like Orlando where we can continue the culture, the movement. I partner with nearby influencers among local business chambers, dance studios, universities/schools, and restaurants to encourage opportunities.
Through this all, I get to see the dance culture of my country get proper representation. Haiti has been undergoing a lot of turmoil and destruction but outlets like these will continue to showcase the beauty of Haiti.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not a smooth road. Konpa is a genre with a dance style that is very misunderstood and misrepresented, even within the Haitian culture. During the political Duvalier era in Haiti, the dictatorship had placed solid restrictions on Haitian music, dancing, and nightlife. With musicians fleeing the country to find a better life in other counties, those left behind didn’t have outlets to keep the dance art alive. So generations after generation would only see a simplistic or sexual form of the dance.
So when I would create authentic or creative konpa dance videos and post them, I would get verbally attacked, ridiculed, and even threatened because they felt I was dialoguing the style. Many felt Konpa should be kept in the privacy of home, special Haitian events, or Haitian clubbing. So imagine the threats I get when I dance with people who don’t look Haitian.
Some claimed the dance wasn’t sexual enough. The issue came from the fact that most people only knew what they saw their parents doing growing up. Mind you, most parents never got to see Konpa dance being performed at a wedding, on television, or at a proactive dancing social event. It was either you saw the G-Rate version from your parents or friends or you learned it while watching it in clubs.
But the attacks were enough to almost make me quit at times because I wasn’t getting paid to do this. It was only supposed to be a hobby. Although I did my background in learning the actual craft, many konpa fans were still upset and always found something to complain about.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
1. I am a dance performer and instructor.
2. I have a special focus on Haitian Konpa dancing
3. I am proud that I got to influence and inspire the new culture of Konpa through dance
4. What sets me apart from others is the fact that my vision is bigger than me as an individual.
So the dance company is not focused on me but around the idea of creating a positive light on Haiti’s social culture.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is watching my parents dance together. My dad was a workaholic but there would be times when he’s not so busy and he would pull out classical Haitian music and he pulls my mom from whatever she was doing and into the middle of the living room of our home. He would call all my siblings to watch as he and my mom danced in joy. Love those memories.
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