Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Intensive in Chicago

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago explores the ways Africanist and Latin@ aesthetics influence each other in its 2014 Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive on July 7–18. 

“The term ‘Afro-Latin@’ refers to ‘Latina/o,’” explained Assistant Professor of Dance Raquel Monroe, Ph.D. “The ‘@’gives the reader/speaker the option to use the masculine or feminine pronunciation.”

Classes in Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, capoeira (Brazilian), Bomba y Plena (Puerto Rican), salsa (Cuban) and samba (Brazilian) dance styles will be taught by Dance Center faculty and other special guest artists. Contra-Tiempo Artistic Director Ana Maria Alvarez will teach classes and conduct a workshop in Urban-Latin@ dance styles. Other instructors will include Victor Alexander, Tosha Alston, Blanca Aviles, Dill Costa and Joshua Grainger. Classes will be open to students for college credit and to the general community. 

A symposium, “Roots and Routes: Afro-Latinidad in Motion,” will take place on Monday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Columbia College Chicago School of Media Arts, located at 1600 S. State St. in Chicago. Guest artists and scholars will explore dance and music in the Afro-Latin@ Diaspora. The symposium is free and open to the public.

The summer dance intensive concludes with a series of performances, including: AfriCaribe Performance Group on Tuesday, July 15 at 8 p.m. at the AfriCaribe Cultural Center; Postmodern Afro-Latinidad on Wednesday and Thursday, July 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago; and Latin Rhythms in Performance with Intensive Participants and Guests on Friday, July 18 at 8 p.m. at Latin Rhythms in Chicago. Each performance is $15 for the general public.

For a detailed schedule of classes, pricing for classes and workshops or tickets to the public performances, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.

Photo courtesy of the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.