Afro and folklore: Approach trance or tradition by dancing ...
It would be best for you to forget straight away all the ideas you might have about Afro-Cuban or traditional Cuban dances! The offers described here only want to make you engage yourself with the energy, which is the basis for the quality of movement by Cuban male and female dancers. You will workout hard during these classes and you will feel a whole person, when - step by step - you will succeed in stopping to think and create a real unity with your body.
This programme is, like the movimiento classes as well, an ideal addition and a qualification for dancing salsa vividly. The expansions of salsa will become more and more obvious to you, when you don't only follow steps, but when you start to trust your body and dance as a complete human being.
The course programme for Afro-Cuban dances deals with the musical roots of the music and the dance. Afro-Cuban dances have a strong connection to the gods of Santeria. The movements correspond to the characteristics of the individual god and they have a mystical origin. We recommend the module Santeria as a complement to the dance classes.
If you want to put the emphasis on folklore you are concentrating more on the tradition of the Afro-Cuban and Franco-Haitian heritage. Many popular Cuban dances developed from. Amongst them are contradanza, danzón, son, mambo, cha cha cha, casino, congas y comparsas as well as the rural dances (bailes campesinos). The exercise programme includes elements from all these dances. The more elements you know, the easier it dancing will be for you. Of course, you can also put the focus on one special dance during folklore classes.
The maestra for these classes in Havana is a Cuban who has worked all over the world as a dancer, choreographer an teacher. She demands a lot during class and activates her pupils' power reserves. At the same time, it's lots of fun taking classes with her. If you should travel at a period when the maestra is not in Havana, or if you would like to get to know the programme in Santiago - there are always other qualified teachers, who ensure a professional course at any time of the year.