dvd description
video type: instructional & demonstration
dance level: beginning to advanced
time: 112 minutes
language: English explanations
filmed in California, USA

Learn African Cuban folkloric dance from master teacher Jose Francisco Barroso as he guides students in the dances of the Orishas (Yoruba deities) from beginner basics to the more advanced movements and characterizations demonstrated by his explosive soloing.

All instruction is accompanied by a live group of musicians singing Orisha songs and performing on Batá drums. Detailed instruction and demonstration of the three types of rumba is also included.

To help ground students in the rhythm each dance section begins with counting and stepping in time with the clave (the 5 note pattern & rhythmic foundation of Afro-Cuban music).

Orisha & rumba dance instruction on the DVD
1) Elegba - opener of doors, trickster, guardian of the crossroads
2) Ogun - represents work and all human effort - he is a symbol for violence, brute force, of raw energy.
3) Oshun - the deity of river waters and the embodiment of love, sensuality, and fertility
4) Yemaya - the deity of ocean waters and the mother of the entire world
5) Shango - the Orisha of fire, thunder, lightening, and the owner of the sacred batõ.
6) Oya - the Orisha identified with the wind, thunderbolt, and fire.
7) Rumba Yambu - slower dance for couples
8) Rumba Guaguanco - couples dance
9) Rumba Columbia - men's dance 

Jose Francisco Barroso (Ifa Jokoo) is a native of Havana, Cuba. Barroso began his study of Afro-Cuban folkloric dance under the direction of Juan de Dios Ramos while dancing in Cuba's renowned folkloric company Raices Profundas. Living in the U.S. for the last decade, Barroso is regarded as among the foremost specialists of African Cuban dance, music, and cultural tradition; teaching and lecturing at numerous universities and cultural centers throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Barroso has collaborated with countless legendary artists such as his godfather - Pancho Quinto, Regino Jimenez, Lazaro Galaraga, Francisco Aguabella, Jesus and Ana Perez from Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, and many others.

As a practitioner within the spiritual tradition of the Yoruba people, Barroso was first initiated as an Omo Elegbara and then as an Ifa priest. Through his constant research and dedication to authenticity, Barroso is committed to studying, maintaining, and sharing the profound knowledge of African Cuban culture. In 1996 Jose Francisco Barroso founded Obakoso Drum & Dance Ensemble, a group devoted to preserving the profound knowledge living within traditional African Cuban folkloric music and dance.

featured artists
Ramon Sandy Perez
former percussionist of Afro-Cuba de Matanzas
Ysidro Valor Perez
Clave y Guaguanco
Yismari Ramos
former dancer with Ballet de La Televicion Cubana
Jose Luis Gomez
singer with Fito Reinoso y Su Armonia