Teresita Domé Pérez
Afro-Cuban dance
The sacred ceremonial dances to honor the orishas, or deities, of Afro-Cuban Santería are known only to those initiated in the religion. Teresita Domé Pérez, who was raised in Cuba in a family of respected guardians of Afro-Cuban culture and religion, has performed and taught with the group Afro-Cuba de Matanzas since the early 1980s. Today she is a dancer and teacher of Afro-Cuban ritual and secular dance in Southern California. Both her dance skills and knowledge as a priestess will enable her to impart the deeper, spiritual aspects of Afro-Cuban dance to her apprentice.
In 2003, Teresita was a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program with apprentice Beatriz Godinez-Muñiz, who is also an experienced dancer and practitioner of the religion. The apprenticeship will focus on expanding Beatriz’s own dance repertoire while striving for greater understanding of the spiritual foundations of the dance and music.