Orishas

The Dance

The Orishas dances are a part of the Afro-Cuban Folklore dances. For many Cubans Orishas are much more than just a dance, it’s a religion and a culture. Orishas are the gods of the Yoruba/Santeria Religion (and a few more). Each of these gods looks a certain way, it has a story and a character. Religious ceremonies are a spectacle as the practitioners attempt to portray one of the Orishas through dancing it.

In addition to the story behind each orisha, nine of them have each a unique dance corresponding to unique musical incantations accompanied by special drums beats played on the Batá.

The orishas dance is an interesting one, challenging one’s body to move in non-trivial ways. Once connected to the rhyme one can almost feel the divine connection. It is a dance that will take you one step further in many aspects as a dancer.

In recent years it has become increasingly popular to borrow eye-catching Orishas movements and to fuse them into Salsa. It spices the dance, and it’s often called for, as many songs talk about the Orishas or even take musical patterns from the religious ceremonies.

The Course

The course includes 9 lessons. Each class will focus on a few movements of one Orisha:

1. 31/10 – Eleggua – The childlike god, the messenger, opening the ways.
2. 7/11 – Ogun – The god of war and Iron.
3. 14/11 – Yemaya – The mother, Goddess of the sea.
4. 21/11 – Chango – God of thunder, drums, music, famous for his libido.
5. 28/11 – Oya – Goddess of death and storms.
6. 5/12 – Obatala – The father of the gods, the judge, know to be wise and care for order and cleanliness, purity
7. 8/12 (Saturday) – Babalu Aye – The sick god, god of health, agriculture
8. 12/12 – Ochun – The goddess of love, sensuality, money 
9. 19/12 – Ochosi – The hunter god

Each class will consist of understanding the rhythm, practicing the isolations needed for each movement, and the movement themselves. At the end of each class, we will practice the movements on Salsa music so you could borrow the movements and fuse them into your salsa dance as well.

The Teacher

Your teacher will be Ido Flaishon. He has been fascinated with the Afro-Cuban Culture for years now. He has studied with tops teachers in Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba in Havana, and with many Cuban teachers in different places, and now he brings his gathered knowledge to Berlin. 

More information can be seen here.

The Details

Time: 9 Weekly meetings, Wednesdays 20:00-21:30, starting at the 31.10.18 and finishing at 19.12.18 (One time on Saturday  the 8/12 18:00 instead of Christmas)
Schedule: 9 Weekly meetings, 90 minutes each
Location: First Floor Studio – Prenzlauer Promenade 189, 13189 Berlin
Price:

	Early Bird	Regular Price	Last Minute
	until 16/10	until 25/10
Full Course	120 Euro	130 Euro	140 Euro
5 Classes Package	80 Euro (+16  Euro per extra class)	80 Euro (+17 Euro per extra class)	85 Euro (+17 per extra class)
Drop-in / One Class	18 Euro	18 Euro	18 Euro

Promoter Discount: If you bring 2 new students – 25% off, 3 new student – 50% off, 5 new students – free of charge.

• The number of participants is limited to 20 students, if you want to ensure your place please sign up in advance.
• The course will open with a minimum of eight participants.

Who is it for?

Dancing Orishas require no previous knowledge. The end of the class we will dance it on Salsa music. Having no prior experience in Salsa might make this section of the class difficult to follow.

That said, Orishas movements consist of difficult isolations and complex rhythms. While at any level, the course will take you forward, it takes some previous dancing experience to rip maximum Benefit. The dance is also sportive. An Orishas class often ends with sweat and some sore muscles 🙂

The course is for both men and women. Some Orishas are naturally either more masculine or feminine. Either way, each Orisha will teach you a lot about your body, and most movements are beautiful in any case.

Why is the course so long? / I cannot commit to all period

You don’t have to. Each class is a standalone class. We might repeat the previous class movements as a warm-up, but that’s about it.

Signing up for the entire course will allow you to experience all orishas, and your body will get more and more accustomed to the Afrocuban movement style with time.

Sign up

To sign up or for any question, You can contact me through email or via phone 01763-444-9686