Miami, July 31, 2018 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Koubek Center will host the 20th anniversary IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival, Aug. 16 – 18, presented by IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company, Miami’s only nonprofit dedicated to the preservation, promotion and advancement of Afro-Cuban culture through dance.
Dance workshops will take place at MDC’s Koubek Center on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17 – 18, including son, salsa, rueda, rumba (guaguanco, columbia & yambu), palo, yuka, and makuta, orishas, reggaeton, Afro-Modern, among other dance styles. Single day workshops are $20 and full day passes start at a discount rate of $100.
The gala performance, “Habana Mix,” featuring some of the most relevant pieces of the festival’s history, will take place at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18, at the MDC’s Koubek Center, followed by a closing night party. Tickets are $20 per person.
The festival will also present an academic panel titled “Dancing Cubanness: Past, Present and Future on Thursday, Aug. 16, at the Main Library, 101 W. Flagler Street in downtown Miami. The panel, chaired by IFE-ILE Founder Neri Torres from the University of the West Indies, will also feature Dr. Mercedes Cross Sandoval from MDC, Dr. Eva Silot Bravo from the University of Miami, Dr. Celeste Landeros, Barry University and Niurca Marquez from the FIU Honors College.
In addition, the popular B.A.I.L.A. Children’s Camp (for ages 7 – 15) will take place Aug. 6 – 10, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., at the Main Library. Sessions will cover conga, cubaton and salsa casino, and more! Percussion workshops will teach kids to play tumbadoras (congas), claves, guiros (shekeres), and bells. The camp will culminate with a performance. Admission is free. Donations accepted.
About IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company
IFE-ILE is a two-time Knight Arts Challenge grant winner, awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Established in 1996, IFE-ILE presents Miami’s only annual Afro-Cuban dance festival. As a non-profit organization, it is dedicated to the preservation, promotion and cultivation of Afro-Cuban culture and folklore through the performing arts.
IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor, and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners. Festival sponsors include Best Western Premier Miami International Airport Hotel and Suites, and WDNA 88.9 radio.
MDC’s Koubek Center is located at 2705 S.W. Third St. For more information, visit www.koubekcenter.org.
To register, purchase tickets or for more information about the Festival, please call Neri Torres at 786-704-8609, or visit www.ife-ile.org. Follow at www.facebook.com/ifeiledance | Twitter @IFEILE | Instagram @ifeiledance.