Afro Cubano in Basel

What do we work on?

Our Afro-Cuban classes at Golem Academy take place every Thursday at 6:30 PM in Basel. We work with Cuban folklore and Yoruba dances dedicated to the Orishas.

No previous experience or partner is required. This is a solo dance style.

What will you learn?

The programme is organised into four areas that are present at every level. What changes between groups is the depth, not the content.

Rhythms and how to respond to them

Each Orisha has its own Batá drum rhythm. You will learn to recognise it by ear and respond through the corresponding dance. This turns the dancer's movement into a conversation with the percussion rather than simply performing choreography over it.

The Orisha repertoire

Each Orisha demands something different from the body — and that is where the work lies. Every movement expresses the character and story of that Orisha.

Coordination and body dissociation

This is the technical foundation that supports everything else, and one of the skills that transfers most directly to other dance styles.

You will work on moving your shoulders, torso, and hips independently, maintaining one pattern with your feet while your arms perform another, all without unnecessary tension.

The context

We don't teach isolated choreographies. Every dance comes from somewhere, has a purpose, and is performed for a specific reason.

What will you take away from the classes?

You will dance Cuban rhythms better.

The coordination and body dissociation developed here can be clearly felt in Cuban Salsa.

You will understand where the movements you dance come from.

After spending time with us, Cuban music stops sounding like one single block, and you begin to distinguish what lies beneath it.

A different kind of physical training.

Afro-Cuban dance challenges the body in a different way: more grounded movement, greater endurance, and more control.

You will discover...

What level can I start from?

From zero.

You don't need to have danced before or have any background in Salsa or any other dance style.

Do I need to come with a partner?

No. And even less so than for any other class.

Afro-Cuban dance is a solo dance style.