Dancing the Stories of the Orishas by Nancy Rosenbaum, producer
In Cuban Santeria (also known as La Regla Ocha and La Regla
Lucumi), orishas are revered deities who rule over different
earthly elements. They are called through dance and drum rituals
to interact with humans. Oshun, for example, is an orisha
associated with fresh water. She represents female sensuality
and beauty. Oshun’s movement is fluid and coquettish, which is
what you’d expect from a goddess of beauty. Her signature color
is yellow and she typically carries a fan with her, which she
sometimes wields as a weapon. When Oshun laughs, she’s preparing
to punish someone. It’s only when she cries that she’s truly
happy. This summer, I realized a decades-old dream of traveling
to Cuba to study Afro-Cuban folkloric dance, specifically the
dances of the orishas. Before the trip, I understood the dances
as reflections of the orisha’s personality. But Alfredo O’Farril
Pacheco (pictured below, in red shirt), a master dance
instructor based in Havana, s