Ifé-Ilé
West
The Afro-Cuban Dance & Music Festival
Boulder, Colorado - August 31 - September 2, 2007
By:
The
Festival.
The festival featured 18 workshops in two tracks, a performance showcase
on opening night and a rumba jam closing party. The workshops were
scheduled for 90 minutes with a most necessary 30 minute "energy
recovery" break between classes. The Orisha,
Rumba and Congo dance workshops
were led by one of the Ifé-Ilé dance company instructors
and accompanied by the ensemble's percussionists. Only the Popular
(Son, Mambo) workshops were danced to recorded Cuban music of the
30's and 40's such as those of Ignacio Piniero's Septeto Nacional.
In the Batá drumming and Shékere workshops we got an
introductory flavor of how to perform rhythms on a batá (a
two-headed African drum) and a shékere (a beaded gourd), respectively.
The Ensemble.
All of the ensemble members are originally from Cuba and reside in
Miami.
Neri Torres (Founder and Director Ifé-Ilé)
choreographer, performer and dance instructor is the inspiration behind
presenting Afro-Cuban culture through music performances, festivals
and other presentations. She taught Orisha, Rumba and Popular classes.
Yanitzia Mizrahi (Dancer) teaches Salsa and Afro-Cuban
Dance in Italy. She taught Congo, Orisha and Popular classes.
Yosvany González (Dancer) moved to Miami and
joined Ifé-Ilé in 2005. He taught Orisha, Rumba and
Congo classes.
Yanier
Trigoura (Dancer - above) recently joined Ifé-Ilé.
He taught Orisha and Rumba classes.
Ezekiel Torres (Percussionist) is a well known batá
drummer and drum maker. He taught the Batá drumming workshop
and played the iyá (the largest, the "mother" drum)
in class.
Aruan Torres (Percussionist) was the lead singer
in the performance showcase and taught one of the Shékere classes.
Arelan Torres (Percussionist) has been with Ifé-Ilé
since 2000 and taught one of the Shékere classes.
Ramin Khourassani (Percussionist) assisted in the
Batá drumming workshop by playing the itótele (the medium,
the "response" drum) in class.
The Classes.
Orishas: Eleggua/Oggun/Obbatalá and Yemaya/Oya/Ochún.
These dances have specific rhythms and choreographies associated with
the Orisha characters and their symbolic meaning. The main percussion
is on batá drums.
Rumba: Yambú/Guaguancó and Columbia.
These dances evolved in 19th Century Afro-Cuban communities, the rhythms
and singing styles are the foundation of modern Cuban music forms.
Congo: Yuka and Palo/Makuta.
The very high energy traditional dances and music of the "Congos"
of Afro-Cuba.
Popular: The only couples dance class featuring Son
and Mambo danced contratiempo.
Batá Drumming: We (the students) played the
small drum, the okónkolo which keeps the time.
Shékere: We played the three most common shékere
rhythms which are conveniently called No. 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
The
Opening Night Performance.
The first half was a dance presentation of the Orishas Eleggua, Oggún,
Ochún and Yemayá in traditional costume with the percussionists/singers
providing the specific rhythm and verse of the respective Orisha.
After a short break and costume change the second half of the show
featured the Rumbas Yambú, Guaguancó and a Columbia.
The Rumba Jam Closing Party.
The rumba jam opened with the traditional Eleggua, then the party
got started with a yambú, an extended guaguancó and
a conga. I have never heard one played live before, so this was a
real treat and got everyone at the party involved as congas always
do.
Impressions.
So, that is the description of the festival, but what did it feel
like? I have always wondered if deeply rooted cultural expressions
can "travel" and reach new regions and people that do not
share the history and experience. The answer is YES! ...and this festival
is proof. The critical contributions were the venue, an institution
focused on advanced education; the ensemble, a group of people who
present authentic cultural expression at the highest level of excellence,
and many of the participants, particularily the Boulder area percussionists
who jumped at the chance to play along to form a 10-12 piece percussion
ensemble that accompanied the Rumba Columbia workshops and helped
keep time in the Batá drumming and Shékere workshops.
Whats
Next?
I can't wait for the next Ifé-Ilé Afro-Cuban
Dance and Music Festival wherever it may be, and I'll be
checking www.ife-ile.org
for updates.
