IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance & Music Festival Workshops

Levels: Workshops are offered at either a beginner level or intermediate advanced level. To register for an Intermediate/Advanced class, you must have completed at least two years of Afro-Cuban dance classes. From beginner to advanced, casual social dancer to aspiring performers, all of the instructors are hand chosen to give you the maximum benefit for your time and investment. Be sure to read the workshop schedule and plan your day accordingly.

Schedules/Timing: Be on time for your workshops! We do not have a lot of space for changing into dance clothes, so we recommend you wear your dance clothes (e.g., leggings) underneath your outfit. You will be able to show up as early as 8:45 a.m. to warm up. All workshops last an hour and 15 minutes, giving you 15 minutes between each workshop. After a class is over, you must exit the classroom ASAP.

Videotaping: No videotaping is allowed during the workshops! Instructors may give you opportunity to tape at the end, but they are not required to do so. You are free to record in the halls after the workshops however.

Locations: All dance workshops take place at the Arts & Mind Academy, on the terrace facing the entrance of The Arts & Mind Center. The Arts & Mind Center is located at 3138 Commodore Plaza, Miami, Florida, in the heart of Coconut Grove, and 2 blocks from Coco Walk) (Map & Directions). More details on specific locations will be posted soon.

Dance Attire/Shoes: Comfortable workout clothes -- leotards, tights, jogging suits; come ready to break a sweat. Women should wear wide skirts to wear for most classes, men should bring a hankerchief for rumba. For most classes you should be barefoot or wear dance shoes – no walking shoes are allowed in the dance studio.

Dance Workshop Descriptions:

Also see the instructor bios ...

Afro-Brazilian Orixas
Sacred dances of Candomble, the African-originated Afro-Brazilian religion, practiced chiefly in Brazil.

Afro-Modern
Dance technique combining African and Afro-Cuban dance movements with modern technique, and influenced by Graham, Limon, Humphrey.

Arará
From the Fon people and the Arara kingdom of the Dahomean region, now known as Benin, Arará rhythms, songs and dances were introduced into eastern Cuba through Haiti, where many of those rituals and ceremonies are still practiced.

Capoeira
A blend of martial art, game and dance that originated in Brazil, from the regions known as Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São Paulo.

Congo
Congo or Palo traditions come from the Bantú people of Central Africa (particularly from Congo). The Bantú represent the majority of African slaves coming into Cuba during the 17th and early 18th century; later the Yoruba (from Nigeria) became the primary group brought to Cuba as slaves. Drums and hand rattles are used in this music, which is based upon communication with ancestral spirits, the dead, as opposed to the Orishas. The songs and chants, often in a hybrid combination of Spanish and Bantú words, play a central role in the rituals of Palo. Music of this tradition has had a strong influence on popular music forms like Rumba, Son and Mambo.

Orishas
Sacred African dances -- the root of Cuban popular styles. Dances for Orishas such as Yemaya, Eleggua, Ochun, Oya ...

Rumba
There are various styles of Afro-Cuban rumba music and dance, but all have strong influences from African drumming and dance and Spanish/Gitano poetry, singing and dance. And in all rumba, the clave beat (2-3 or 3-2) plays a very important role. Afro-Cuban rumba is entirely different than ballroom rumba or the African style of pop music called rumba. Rumba developed in rural Cuba, and is still danced in Havana, Mantanzas and other Cuban cities as well as rural areas, although now it is infused with influences from jazz and hip hop.

Rumba Columbia
In this fast and energetic style of rumba, with a 6/8 feel, solo male dancers provoke the drummers to play complex rhythms that they imitate through their creative and sometimes acrobatic movements. Men may also compete with other men to display their agility, strength, confidence and even sense of humor. Columbia incorporates many movements derived from Congo dances as well as Spanish flamenco, and more recently dancers have incorporated breakdancing and hip hop moves. Women are also beginning to dance Columbia, too.
Rumba Guaguanco
Rumba Guaguanco is faster than yambu, with more complex rhythms, and involves flirtatious and sensual movements between a man and a woman. The woman may both entice and "protect herself" from the man, who tries to catch the woman offguard with a vacunao -- tagging her with the flip of a hankerchief or by throwing his arm, leg or pelvis in the direction of the woman, in a symbolic attempt at touching or sexually contacting her. When a man attempts to give a woman a vacunao, she uses her skirt to protect her pelvis and then whip the sexual energy away from her body. Like all forms of folkloric rumba, guaguanco is an excellent foundation for popular dance; it involves a lot of body isolation, postures and movements.
Rumba Yambu
This is the oldest known style of rumba, sometimes called the old people's rumba because of its slower beat. It can be danced alone (especially by women) or by men and women together. Although male dancers may flirt with female dancers during the dance, they do not use the vacunao -- the symbolic, sexual "vaccination" -- used in rumba guaguanco.

Salsa Rueda
Salsa Rueda, more commonly known as Casino de Rueda, is an exhilarating form of Salsa dancing, which some people call Cuban Square Dancing because it involves couples exchanging partners. The term Casino comes from the fact that it started in the 1950s in a Havana social club called El Casino Deportivo, and was brought to Miami by the first wave of Cuban exiles. Over the years, Casino has grown not just in size but also in complexity and style, influenced by disco and later Hip Hop moves. There are dozens of turns, and each has a name and most have hand signals. This form of dancing salsa is popular because of how it connects dancers with each other both physically and mentally.

Samba
The most popular dance of Brazil, this dance was born in Brazil but was influenced by the traditions brought by Yoruba, Congo and other West African peoples brought to Brazil during slavery.

Son (Traditional Cuban “on 2” dance)
Son is derived from Cuba's African and Spanish roots, and is the predecessor of what is now called salsa. Originally rural music that developed as an accompaniment to dancing, it became a popular in Cuba's urban areas in the 20th century. Eventually, it was adapted to modern instrumentation and larger bands. Traditional Son instrumentation could include the tres (a type of guitar with three sets of closely spaced strings), standard guitars and various hand drums and other percussion instruments. Many sons also include parts for trumpets and other brass instruments, due to the influence of American jazz.

Son, the dance, starts with the formal, closed embrace of the man and woman. The couple maintains a very upright frame, with quick flirtatious and sensual side-to-side movements of the shoulders, torso and hips accenting the underlying six count rhythm of the feet. Son is danced off the beat, so the couple moves on the half beat before one.

Music Workshop Descriptions:

Batá Drumming: Master batá drummer Ezequiel Torres will lead a group workshop on batá drumming, assisted by other top Miami batá players. Batá drums are a set of three double-headed religious drums: The Iya, Itotele and Okonkolo. Sacred to Yoruba religion (from the Yoruba people of West Africa, primarily Nigeria and Benin) and Santeria, they have also been used in secular music such as salsa and jazz. Ezequiel is an experienced teacher who will help beginning to advanced students learn or improve body position and posture, hand-to-hand work, correct tone, key rhythms and group work. The workshops will include open discussion about traditions and rhythms. When you register for this class, please let us know if you will be bringing your own batá or will need to use one that is provided. We encourage you to bring a batá if you own or can borrow one.