Nel Almario teaches Afro dance at the Torre Andrade
From the land known as coffee, performing artist Nel Almario ventured to León to teach his workshop "Afro-rooted dance for our body territory" at the Torre Andrade, which is based on Afro-Colombian folklore and personal healing.
The Colombian artist taught dance and Afro-cultural arts classes as part of the activities organized for the "Cartographies of the Unconscious" exhibition.
The artist said he had the opportunity to share his knowledge of Afro-rooted dance, Afro-poetry, rituals, ancestry, bodily exploration, perception, and expression through drawings.
He also pointed out that physical bodies, as the first habitable and transited territory, are affected and blocked, permeated and dominated by the effect of the Eurocentric imposition of race.
There's always a physical or psychic part that doesn't let us be, because whiteness, as a dominant thought structure, always tells us and dictates how we should behave," she explained.
The instructor explained that the participants taught him that collaborative work isn't easy, but when it happens, it's a powerful moment that grants dignity.
"It reminds me that I have to continue sharing, speaking, dancing, acting, thinking, writing, and, above all, transmitting Afro-diasporic and Afro-indigenous thought," he said.
The workshop led participants to connect with their ancestors through the Afro-Colombian dance and song of bullerengue.
Learn more about the performing artist on Instagram: @alegredanza
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