AfroCuban

 Afro Cuban 

In the video ¡Baila! Exploring Afro-Cuban culture through dance in LA, it talked about the little visibility Afro-Latinos have in the media. The dance arose from the colonization of Latin America and the slave trade from Africa. Dance became a form of resistance to their restricted freedom. The instructor Kathy Hernandez expressed that Afro-Cuban dance was a way to connect with her roots and honor her ancestors. She concentrates on Orisha therapy fused with Afro-Cuban techniques with healing modalities. The dance focuses on feeling and understanding those emotions. The dances inspire and empower people. 

Workshop

Then on Friday, February 23 at around 6:00 pm I had some free time after class to take the class. I was excited because I never experienced Afro-Cuban dance. Before starting the class, I moved the furniture in the living room and set up the TV. It was a routine by now. The class started right away. The music was played with drums, but they were not visible on camera. The instructor Ivan Valdespino told us that the dance was a way to open and close the spirit world. The movements were made with a lower posture and used the shoulders a lot too. There was a lot of repetition with every other pair's movement being the initial step. The dance also included steps where we would take turns, showing curerliner techniques. There were polychromatic techniques while the hands swayed back and forth as you moved forward. He said that by doing that movement you were opening the passageway. The pauses before the moves showed caution as to who was calling. Thus, presenting holistic, dimensionality, and epic memory within the choreography. Overall, I had a great time. It was hard to keep up with the rhythms when the pace changed but fun.