Dance Troup of Haitian Orphans will be In Orlando March 27 & 28 to Raise Money For Their School

From the March 24 Orlando Sentinel:

Haitian orphans help rebuild schools through dance


by Victor Manuel Ramos, Orlando Sentinel


Eleven Haitian boys, ages 10 to 17, will perform this weekend at two Orlando-area churches, hoping to raise awareness about their country's needs and collect funds for their schools in Haiti.

Most of these boys and teens used to roam the streets of Haiti's impoverished cities, shining shoes, begging or looking for the next place to sleep, event organizers said.

But organizers created a refuge for street children through seven schools funded through the U.S.-based Haitian Timoun Foundation. They formed The Resurrection Dance Theater of Haiti, a dance troupe.

Like much of the country's infrastructure, their schools were damaged in the January earthquake, so they have been touring churches in Arizona, Nebraska, California and now Florida to seek support. Orlando is their last stop before returning to Haiti.
Their performance is a combination of drum music, dancing and acting. Admission is free. The churches will collect donations, and the troupe will sell artwork.

"A lot of it is them telling the stories of their lives, how they have been abandoned by parents and how they struggle to survive every day," said Gail Seeram, an immigration attorney organizing two area presentations.

The troupe will perform at
7 p.m. Saturday at First Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando, 4701 Lenox Blvd.;
and at 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 2140 W. S.R. 434, Longwood.

orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/os-haiti-relief-street-children-20100323,0,7269913.story