Yisrael in St. John, USVI
About
Yisrael Allan Petersen is a self-taught legendary MokoJumbie stilt dancer. He skillfully performs on 13’ to 15’ high stilts. He was born and raised in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He was recruited at a young age of nine to be part of the first MokoJumbie Troupe in the early 70’s by Alvin Ali Paul. Through his passion and talent for stilt dancing, he has successfully showcased the Virgin Island’s culture across the United States and the Caribbean Islands. He has performed for the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism at Crown Bay where he welcomes tourists coming on/off the cruise ships. He has also performed for various hotels, T.V. shows, United States Congress, and others listed below.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
In 1979, he performed with Alvin Alli Paul and others at the half-time show for the Superbowl XIII Football game in Miami, FL with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburg Steelers.
In 2010, he joined the Department of Tourism, welcoming guests at Crown Bay and WICO docks
In 2015, he performed at the Country Music Awards in Nashville Tennessee, on stage with “Little Big Town” country band to the song called “PainKiller”. This was the first-time-ever for a MokoJumbie to appear at the Country Music Awards.
June 4, 2019, he Performed as the first MokoJumbie in U.S. Congress For Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY), honoring Caribbean Heritage Month.
1980’s, 90’s and 2009, he Worked at Iggies Beach Bar and Grille, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Sugar Bay Hotel, Caneel Bay St. John Hotel, Westin St. John Hotel, and many more in Puerto Rico including Dorado Hyatt, Condado Plaza Hotel, Sands Hotel, Conquestador Hotel in Farjado P.R., Caribe Hotel and more.
In 1992, he performed in the movie called “Weekend At Bernie’s II” part of the movie was filmed in the Virgin Islands.
April 2017, he performed on a T.V. Show filmed in St. Thomas which shows on the Carnival Cruise lines that showcase St. Thomas Virgin Islands called “Vacation Creations” with hosts Tommy Davidson and Andrea Feczko, Season 1, Episode 21 “Happily Ever After” aired on April 22, 2017,
In 2015, he performed on a T.V. Show filmed in St. Thomas called “The Voyager” with Josh Garcia, showed on NBC.com Season 1, Episode 4 aired on October 29, 2015 (Fun Guy). All these shows are shown on the Carnival Cruise lines.
In 2017, after hurricane Irma and Maria destroyed St. Thomas, he took a flight with his stilts alone to Puerto Rico, then to Texas, and Oklahoma thereafter, where he obtained a street license to perform as a Mokojumbie. He performed in Houston, Texas at the Interactive college of Technology and for the basketball team Thunder at their stadium in Oklahoma where he raised money and clothing, generators, flashlights, food items and more, which was later shipped to St. Thomas that was distributed to the elderly homes, with assistance from Senator Payne, Teacher Mrs. Moolenar, and many more people.
In 2019, he performed in Las Vegas for the Ritz Carlton and also performed on the Strips representing the Virgin Islands with the V.I. Flag.
In November of 2017 to 2020, when the Depart of Tourism reopened, he began to work as a Mokojumbie dancer, welcoming guests at Crown Bay and WICO docks after the devastation of 2 hurricanes to help bring back tourism to St. Thomas.
In 2021 to present, he decided to share his talents to the next generation by offering weekly classes to children ages 4 and up. His classes are held at the National Park in St. John every Thursday from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Classes in St. Thomas are on Sundays at Lockhart Elementary School from 11am to 2pm.
In 2024, Yisrael was invited to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands by performing in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention from August 19th-22nd. He performed at the Opening Galla and at the Black Caucus event. There he shared the Caribbean Culture of MokoJumbies.
Presently, he is President/Chair of the Yisrael’s New Generation Moko Jumbies non-profit and also performs daily at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas, USVI.
