This African dance workshop presents traditional African rhythms originating from Guinea and the west coast countries of Africa. Open to all levels and ages, the class begins with a physical warm up to live percussion, then the learning of dance sequences and culminates in a final dance piece, followed by an improvisation dance circle for those who want to celebrate and express what they’ve learned with freedom and the encouragement of the other dancers! These dance sequences are ancient movements that connect to different festivities back in their countries of origin, but the main objective for this workshop is to connect the body with the percussive beats and have fun in the festival atmosphere. In the weeks after the festival there will be a continuation of percussion workshops happening locally. Raquel Robles Alarcón has over ten years of experience – starting her African dance journey in Senegal and then in Mexico. She has danced and studied with the likes of Kadhin Thioune, Irma Álvarez, Karina Gutiérrez, Sofía Vázquez, Bouba Diakite, y Ahmed Lamine in countries all over the world. Pablo Coatlicue and Benito Pazos are part of a continually growing community of Mexican drummers within the huge African culture movement which exists today in Mexico. For more than two decades they have studied, taught and performed throughout Mexico and Europe.