For her first residency event of the 2017 season, Haitian composer Val Jeanty will explore the correlation of sound, body and spirit in a collaborative sound + dance performance with fire dancer Ra Nubi. Jeanty’s AfroElectronica soundscapes combine the spiritual medium of electronic voudou with a the fire spirit element in order to inspire and engage a wider depth of spirituality.

Haitian electronic music composer Val Jeanty creates esoteric sounds that tantalize the subconscious while creating a healing / cosmic frequency. By synergistically combining acoustics with electronics and the archaic with postmodern, Jeanty incorporates her African Haitian musical traditions into the present and beyond.Her AfroElectronica installations have been showcased in New York City at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, and The Village Vanguard. She is also recognized internationally and has performed at The SaalFelden Musical Festival in Austria, Stanser Musiktage in Switzerland, Jazz à la Villette in France, and the Biennale Di Venezia Museum in Italy.

Ra Nubi is a Washington, DC-based performance artist and creative director. Her work is focused on the use of movement and dance as a channel to connect to the deep seeds of the Spirit and soul memory. Her most recent works were a self-produced interdisciplinary collaborative performance entitled “The Evolution of Blackness” and a featured performance alongside NagChampa at The John F. Kennedy Center. Nubi is currently working on her role as the deity Osun in Shaina Simms “AFROFUTURO” which will be staged in Havana, Cuba in March 2017.

Val Jeanty: AfroElectronica Dancing The Divine is made possible, in part, by the Jerome Foundation.

The Jerome Foundation, a long-time supporter of new works, was a mainstay in Roulette’s early development. Its steadfast support for more than 30 years enables us to continue to present exciting, ambitious compositions by promising emerging artists. Each year, the Jerome Foundation supports five artist residencies and four commissions at Roulette.