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Rolando Lopez Dirube was a Cuban artist who lived in Puerto Rico for most of his life, from 1960 to his death in 1997. Apart from painting, he carved sculptures in wood, small and affectionate, and stone. His graphic work includes excellent wood engravings in wood, lithographs, silkscreens, etchings, and drawings in several techniques.

Fernando López Fernández was a Cuban doctor and political activist who led protests against the regime of Gerardo Machado. Born in Santa Clara in 1907, he began studying medicine at the University of Havana in 1924. He was an associate professor at the University of Havana, Cuban delegate to the World Health Organization and a member of various medical associations in Cuba until 1959.

Later, Fernández was exiled from Cuba and relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he became director of Martha Washington Hospital. He died in that city in 1975.

Tomás Luis López-Gottardi, architect and educator, leads his own architecture firm in Coral Gables and has designed buildings and complexes such as the Venetian Harbor Condominiums in Miami and the Moscow River Center in Russia, as well as several residences in Miami-Dade County. He has directed several design competitions and is active in design research related to the South Florida community. López-Gottardi was a professor emeritus at the University of Miami, where he directed the undergraduate architecture program. He received his architecture degree from the University of Havana and has a Master’s degree in architecture from Harvard University and a second one in urban design and city planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

"Mr. Louinis is the founder and artistic director of the well-known Louinès Louinis Haitian Dance Theater, Inc. He has been teaching and choreographing Haitian dance for over fifty years. He was the principal dancer and choreographer of The National Folkloric Troupe of Haiti. As the lead dancer and choreographer of Troupe Bacoulou of Mrs. Odette Wiener, Haiti, he toured Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Croix, Washington DC and Canada.

In the USA, he started his dance career as an Associate Professor at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, NY teaching Afro-Haitian dance, Jazz, Modern Dance. He was a member of the Jean-Leon Destine Dance Foundation, Ltd, NY, special grant programs for schools and community organizations and a member of All Nations Dance Company, NY. Mr. Louinis has traveled widely, teaching Haitian and Katherine Dunham Technique. He has performed at numerous dance, music, and cultural festivals throughout the U.S.A., as well as in Cuba, Martinique and other countries. More recently, he has taught Caribbean dance technique & culture at Florida International University as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Dance." –Louinès Louinis Haitian Dance Theater website

Louinès Louinis Haitian Dance Theater's performances often featured the following dances:

-Kongo Dance: The Kongo dance expresses the character of the ethnic group after which it was named, the Congos of Africa. This dance is symbolic of beauty and love. It is celebrated in honor of Erzulie Freda. It is considered one of the most beautiful dances in all the Haitian folklore. This dance belongs to the Congo dance family which includes Kongo Payèt or Siye, Kongo Fran.

-Market Dance: In the Caribbean market, people walk many miles to the nearest marketplace to exchange goods and services. It is also a meeting place where young men go to flirt with the girls.

-Dance pinyik: This is the most common of the “Banbòch,” the pure pleasure dances.

-Dance Juba or Martinique: This is a dance in honor of Zaka, the peasant spirit. The elegance of the peasant man and the flirtation of the peasant woman characterize it.

-Bal Champèt: In the countryside, under the thatched roofs, to the sounds of the flutes and the drums, the peasants still dance the contra-dance.

-Dance Zaka: This dance could also be called “dance of agriculture” because it is executed in honor of Zaka, the peasant spirit. The warmth and the simplicity that emanates from the dancers make this dance fascinating.

-Nago Dance: This dance derives its name from the Nagos. It is a war dance in honor of “Ogun”. This is a war dance in honor of “Ogun,” war spirits. In executing this dance, it seems that the dancer is trying to tear the body apart, throw it into space, in search of a mystic or magic force.

-Plantation Dance: In the island of Haiti, plantation time is one of the most important tasks in the farmer’s life. First, he has to prepare his field, then plant the seeds and finally, after a long wait, he has to organize the harvest or “Kombit”. In this scene, while the men are working, the women prepare food and coffee to bring to the field. They also bring more seeds for the farmers.

-Flag Dance: This original choreography commemorates the creation of the Haitian flag on May 18th, 1803 in the city of Arcahaie. The music, entitled Fierté Haiti, is well known to Haitian since it has always been sung by students throughout the country during Flag Day festivities. Music: Tardieu | Words: Desec Batisse

-1804: Military march written for the independence of Haiti in 1804 by Oxide Jeanty. This choreography was created by Louinès Louinis to immortalize the strength and the pride of our ancestors.

-Dahomen Zèpòl: This is a mixture of the dances Vaudou and Yanvalou. It is executed in honor of all the divinities “Rada”. The dancers present a fast and harmonious movement of the shoulders.

–Dance descriptions by Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis