Community Corner
Connect with Nature Through Afro-Caribbean Dance at Raices
Dance classes are held on Tuesdays for adults and children.
Beautiful women danced to the sounds of congas and Spanish vocals reminiscent of a weekend at a packed, downtown nightclub. The musicians interacted and connected with the dancers with something more than cohesive beats and lyrics. This is a typical Tuesday evening for Francisco G. Gomez and Nicole Wines, founders of the Raices Cultural Center in Highland Park.
Every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Wines teaches an Afro-Caribbean dance class in the basement, or “Cave”, as Wines affectionately calls it, of the First Reformed Church in Highland Park, located at 19-21 South 2nd Ave.
Gomez and other musicians provide live music, consisting of Spanish and African vocals, congas, cowbells, and maracas, for these classes.
Wines and Gomez began the class with aggressive choreography and quick beats to accompany the dancing. Shortly after, Gomez slowed his drumming and Wines’ movements followed. The movements, music, lyrics, and facial expressions adjusted accordingly in perfect tandem.
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Wines draws her inspiration for choreography from nature. In Afro-Carribbean culture, these elements of nature, such as the ocean, the wind, and the earth, are called “oríchas."
“The oríchas are expressed in the form of avatars. For example, the orícha ‘yemaya’ is embodied as the ocean,” said Gomez. “If you’re dancing [as the] ‘yemayá’, you would see that movement: the flow of the ocean waves, the movement of the body, the dress and headgear worn, the hand movements, the facial expressions. These are all expressive of the avatar.”
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Along with the ‘yemayá’, the other core elements are as follows:
Changó – thunder/lightning
Eleguá– trickster, keeper of the crossroads
Ochún – freshwaters, sweet waters
Oyá – whirlwinds, upheaval, change
Obatalá – the head orícha.
Now in its third year, the Afro-Caribbean dance class was created as a fun, educational outlet.
“I’ve always had this idea of being able to start a cultural center where I could teach Afro-Caribbean culture: [through] storytelling, music, dance, everything,” said Gomez.
Partnering up with his good friend and former student, Gomez was able to make that idea a reality.
“Nicole was teaching in an after-school program and she asked me to volunteer to teach the kids the [Afro-Caribbean] culture. Her program went under because of funding I said to her, ‘Let’s start the Raices Cultural Center’ and she was all for it,” said Gomez.
Gomez and Wines teach the dance class for recreation, but encourage people to join the ensemble and perform on stage at the end of the year.
For more information about Raices Cultural Center and its dance classes, visit raicesculturalcenter.org.
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