IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company and HistoryMiami Museum present: “Following the Steps of the Orishas: Afro-Cuban Spirituality in Urban Spaces,” an academic conference in conjunction with the IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival.
FREE and open to the public. RSVP here.
Conference Schedule
1:00PM – 1:30PM Keynote Speaker: Dr. Keshia Abraham, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Chair of the Humanities Department, Director of International Education, Associate Professor of English, Florida Memorial University.
1:30PM – 2:45PM Panel Discussion: Transformations and Challenges in Religious Practice
- Time Capsules of African Identity by Yesenia Fernandez Selier
- Ifa and Santeria: Myth, Change, and Reality by Victor Betancourt
- The Gorilla in the Room: Race, Syncretism, and the Future of Animal Sacrifice by Dr. Danielle N. Boaz
- Ocha en la Función Reflexiva de la Cultura Occidental by Ignacio T. Granados Herrera
- Irin Ajo ( The Sacred Journey) by Prince Emmanuel Abiodun Aderele
3:00PM – 3:45PM Panel Discussion: Empowerment through Embodiment of the Goddess
- Warrior Girls: Oya as a Source of Values for Young Women Surviving Trauma by Dr. Celeste Landeros
- Oshun: A Cross Cultural Experience in the Classroom by A’Keitha Carey
- Olujimi: Manifestation of the Female Energies by Michelle Grant-Murray
4:00PM – 4:45PM Panel Discussion: Exploring Socio-Cultural Contexts of Choreography
- Deconstruyendo Aarquetipos: Memoria, Espiritualidad y Manipulacion Creativa by Neri Torres
- Santeria: Influencias Socio-Culturales by Juinier Quintero
- Affects of Space: Site-Specificity and Narrative in Contemporary Choreography by Niurca Marquez
5:00PM – 5:45PM Panel Discussion: Regla de Ocha and Multidisciplinary Approaches
- The Shine in the Eyes of the Naked by Adrian Castro
- Color in Cuban Santeria: Artist’s Talk by Leandro Soto
- Representation of the Orisha in Visual Art by Dr. Grisel Pujala
6:00PM – 6:30PM Closing Session: Dr. Mercedes Cros Sandoval, professor emeritus in the Department of Social Sciences at Miami Dade College, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami
7:00PM – 7:30PM Performance: IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company
