The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago will explore the ways Africanist and Latin@ aesthetics influence each other in its 2014 Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive 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 are taught by Dance Center faculty and other special guest artists. Contra-Tiempo Artistic Director Ana Maria Alvarez teaches classes and conducts a workshop in Urban-Latin@ Dance Styles. Other instructors include Victor Alexander, Tosha Alston, Blanca Aviles, Dill Costa and Joshua Grainger. Classes are open to students for college credit and to the general community as well.  

A symposium, “Roots and Routes: Afro-Latinidad in Motion,” takes place Monday, July 14, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Columbia College Chicago School of Media Arts. Guest artists and scholars will explore dance and music in the Afro-Latin@ Diaspora. The symposium is free and open to the public.   The Intensive concludes with a series of performances, $15 each for the general public:


  • AfriCaribe Performance Group: Tuesday, July 15, 8 p.m., AfriCaribe Cultural Center, 2547 W. Division St., Chicago
  • Postmodern Afro-Latinidad: Wednesday and Thursday, July 16 and 17, 8 p.m., The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
  • Latin Rhythms in Performance with Intensive Participants and Guests: Friday, July 18, 8 p.m., Latin Rhythms, 210 N. Racine, Chicago


For a detailed schedule of classes, pricing for classes and workshops for The Dance Center’s 2014 Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive or for tickets to the public performances, call 312-369-8330, email danceinfo@colum.edu or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.           

Contra-Tiempo Artistic Director Ana Maria Alvarez teaches classes and conducts a workshop in Urban-Latin@ Dance Styles at the upcoming Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive July 7-18, at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (photo courtesy of Ana Maria Alvarez). 

Dance Center to Present Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive

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