IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival

Staff/Instructors

Festival Director: Neri Torres

Assistant to the Director:
Claudina Torres

Musicians:
Aruan Torres
Arelan Torres
Ramin Kourasani

Dance Instructors
Yosvani Gonzalez
Neri Torres
Juinier Quintero
Deyanira Formental
Dayron Parra Yins

Yosvani Gonzalez

Yofvani Gonzalez graduated form both Escuela Nacional de Artes and Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana, Cuba in Afro-Cuban Dance and Music. Founder of Oche, the first Afro-Cuban dance Company in Villa Clara, Cuba in 1996, Yofvani was also member of the renowned Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba where he worked for over a year. In addition, he participated in several festivals and dance competitions both national and internationally.

After fulfilling a contract with the University of Monterrey Campus, Guadalajara, he relocated to Miami in 2005, the year he joined IFE-ILE Dance Company.

Neri Torres

Award-winning choreographer Neri Torres is the founder and director of IFE-ILE and the annual Afro-Cuban dance and music festival. Born in Havana, Cuba, Neri defected to the U.S. in 1991 and turned her passion for dance and cultural advocacy into a successful career spanning more than twenty years.

Trained in jazz, ballet, modern, and Afro-Cuban dance, Torres has choreographed, written, directed and performed numerous shows (from musicals, movies, commercials to videos) before thousands of captivated and enthralled audiences.

Neri is a leader in Miami's arts and culture community, whose numerous awards include a Proclamation by the City of Miami and a Fellowship and Certificate of Artistic Merit from the State of Florida. She is also a cultural ambassador, who has performed in nearly every continent in the world and in dozens of countries, where we has choreographed, written and performed in numerous shows.

Trained in jazz, ballet, modern, contemporary and Afro-Cuban dance, Torres is a graduate from University of Colorado at Boulder where she majored in film. She has toured with and been the principal dancer and choreographer for Gloria Estefan.

Juinier Quintero
Graduated in 2009 from the Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana, Cuba in Afro-Cuban Folklore. He danced for the renowned Conjunto Folclorico Nacional de Cuba. In addition he choreographed for several Cuban nightclubs (Havana Riviera Hotel and Capri Hotel in Havana among other). Juinier was also a dance instructor for Baile en Cuba and Varadero Baila. He is latest member of IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company.

Deyanira Formental
Born in Havana, Cuba, Formental graduated from Escuela Vocacional de Artes, Paulita Concepcion and National School of Arts (ENA) where she trained in Modern Dance, Ballet and Afro-Cuban dance. Deyanira danced and toured nationally and internationally with the renowned Cuban Television Ballet - Ballet de la Television Cubana.

Dayron Parra Yins
Parra began his training at Escuela Elemental Alfonso Perez Isaac, "Escuela de Espectaculos Musicales Ruben Martinez Villena", and finally graduated from "Universidad De Las Artes De Cuba" with a major in contemporary dance.  From 2009-2013 he began dancing for "Ballet ICRT Cuban TV" dance company.  In 2014 he danced for Compañia de Espectáculos A Todo Ritmo.  He quickly moved on to dance for "Danza Espiral" and danced for Danza Abierta Dance Company and currently for BanRarra Dance Company.  He has danced in many music videos with various musicians such as Eduardo Sandoval, Raul Paz, and Tony Avila. He continues to grow as a head instructor of the dance academy of the renowned folkloric group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.