Afro-Cuban Folkloric
Teaching Artists: Juan Garcia and Isabel Estrada Jamison
Suggested donation: $5 at the door
Afro-Cuban Dance can be described as the plethora of dances that stem from the product of the transformation on Cuban soil of the dances of various African ethnic groups that arrived in Cuba through the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade. The dances can be religious or secular but are always inextricably linked to music and song and are characterized by a deep connection to the ancestors. We will begin by warming up the body in preparation for an intense class. Then we will move across the floor building up movement phrases based on some of the many traditional Afro-Cuban Dance styles.
Juan Garcia studied ethnology & folklore at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore, Cuban Academy of Sciences He has worked as: Soloist, Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba, where he entered in 1966 Professor of Folklore, Professor of Fokloric Dance, Escuela Media Superior. Asesor de Folklore in the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba, Conjunto Folklorico de la Universidad de la Havana, Conjunto Foklorico de Oriente (Santiago de Cuba, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Afro-Cuba de Matanzas
The Asesor de Foklore advises on what is authentic in folklore. Choreographer and Artistic Director of Afro-Cuba de Matanzas and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas Conferences given:Poland, England, Perú, Guyana, Havana (University of Havana), and the Dominican Republic (University of Santo Domingo) Juan Garcia has traversed the different artistic levels as dancer, singer, and actor, accumulating the experience needed to interpret the various roles in the major classical works and in the repertory of the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional.
Isabel Estrada Jamison. Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Isabel began her journey with Afro-Cuban dance at age 11 when she witnessed a performance by Conjunto Folclórico Raíces Profundas while traveling with her mother in La Habana, Cuba. She would soon begin taking classes with Raíces Profundas whenever she and her mother would return to La Habana. Back in San Francisco she began to study consistently with master teacher Susana Arenas Pedroso and began performing with Arenas Dance Company in 2000. When she moved to New York she began studying with master teacher Danys “La Mora” Pérez and soon joined her company, Oyu Oro Experimental Dance Ensemble. Isabel also had the honor of spending two years performing with Raíces Profundas in La Habana under the direction of Ildolidia Ramos. She has performed throughout the United States and Cuba.
Choreo-CoLab is taking place as part of Fall 2023 OPEN HOUSE. Kicking off in September 2023, OPEN HOUSE will begin with a Block Party featuring a Live Acoustic Electric DJ set by CRITICAL BREAKS Alum Zane Rodulfo, followed by a Work in Process of BRICKS by Charlene Jean, OPEN HOUSE will feature local vendors and artists and serve as a community gathering and celebration. In the weeks that follow, we will engage our community with dance, music, and much more! All of this will take place from our home at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 in East Harlem!