Dancers value their teachers and the knowledge that has been passed down to them. I want to take a moment to thank my teachers. I began studying Afro-Caribbean dance with a student group known as Dance Black at Duke University. I trained in African dance in Durham, NC with Chuck Davis. I then studied with Cutumba Ballet Folklorico in Santiago de Cuba in the early 1990’s. I returned to Los Angeles, CA to dance professionally with Juan Calvo Flores at Unity Stage of the Arts. Over the next 15 years I have been lucky to study with Afro Cuban dance and song masters including Francisco Aguabella, Lazarro Galaraga, Susana Arenas Pedroso, Teresita and Sandy Perez, Reynaldo Gonzalez Fernandez, Pedro “Muneco” Aguilar, and Danys “La Mora” Perez.
My long career in dance has also included training with several dance companies including Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispanico, Lizt Alfonso’s Dance Cuba, Dance Theater of Harlem, Ronald K. Brown Evidence, Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago, and Grupo Corpo of Brazil. My work in Spain, Puerto Rico, and a return to Cuba has inspired me to continue to create choreography that celebrates rich folkloric roots and modern creativity. I am so pleased to have an opportunity to work with dancers in Oklahoma and continue to pass down knowledge and appreciation of Cuban music and dance.
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