Los Orishas (Afro Cuban Dance)

 

Afro Cuban Dance tells the stories of the Saints, or Los Orishas - Eleggua, Oggun, Oshun, Chango, Yemaya, Arara, Obatala, and many more. When the slaves were brought to Cuba from Africa, they brought the Yoruba religion with them, but were discouraged from practicing it by their white owners.

 

The slaves circumvented this by identifying each Yoruban Orisha with a Catholic saint, so that e.g. Chango is also the Catholic Santa Barbara. The merged religion is called Santeria, which is still widely practiced alongside Catholicism in Cuba today.

 

The dances of Los Orishas are very much a part of modern day Cuban culture and as such are of interest as much for the understanding of the history of Cuba as for the vibrancy, energy and pure spectacle of the dance.

Homero performs with Asenen Rodriguez

in the Teatro America Cuba