Orisa Pan-African Dance

Pan-African traditional songs and dances from across the Diaspora to celebrate and bring cultural awareness of the Orishas, guardians of the elements of nature and seasonal changes that affect our cycle of life on Earth and their influence on popular Social dances of Brazil, Columbia, Caribbean, Cuba, Latin America and more.

 

2024
The monthly Orisa Pan-African dance course on Thursdays 9.30am - 10.45am 

On Zoom or Live at

Torquay Senior's Hall

16 Price St, Wadawurrung Country, Torquay, Surf Coast, Australia during AEST time zone

#Yemaya - wear 💙🤍💙
Ocean, seas, fishes, whales, dolphins, shells - February

#Mawu - wear ❤️🧡💛🤍🤎🖤
Earth, soil, land, fertility, abundance - March

#Oshun - wear 💛🧡🤍
Rivers, freshwater, beauty, love - April

#Oya - wear crimson or 🌈
Wind, storms, change, transformation - May

#Oshosi - wear 💚💙💛
Forest guardian, hunter - June

#Ogun - wear metallic wear 💚🖤 Guardian of Iron, technology, Warrior, Craftsman, Artist - July

#Shango - wear ❤️ Lightning, thunder, fire, strength, justice - August

#Eshu - wear ❤️🖤🤍❤️
Guardian of the Crossroads, trickster - November

#Olodumare - wear 🤍 🤍 🤍
Guardian Leader of the Orishas - December 

Jacqui Dreessens is an ethnochoreologist - 'the study of humanity through the lense of dance'. In 1997, Jacqui was introduced to Brazilian culture, and the Orixa by Ana Soares from Salvador, Bahia. Together they studied at Fundação Cultural da Bahia, frequented Olodum, Timbalada and Didá Banda Feminina rehearsals and participated in Carnival. This embodied experience manifested in a new dance work 'Dancing the Deities'. Performed at The Stage in Collingwood with African, Australian, Brazilian, Cuban and Dutch dancers and drummers including Mauritian-born Christina Monneron. Jacqui's teaching and choreography also draws upon her formal training in Western Classical ballet and Contemporary dance techniques supported with Tai Chi, Yoga, Feldenkrais, Skinner Release technique and Laban Movement Analysis. Her research interest is in Performance Ritual and how people express their identity and connection to their sense of place through music, dance, storytelling and across the Arts. 

M.Arts [First Class Honours] Ethnochoreology, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland, 2017.

B.Ed. Dance, Drama, Psychology, Rusden, Deakin University, 1985.

Agoro Theatre Company and Asanti  Dance Theatre, Cape Coast, Central Region, Ghana, West Africa, 2001 - 2014.

Lecturer in Dance Education, Deakin University 1989 - 2016.

Jacqueline Esi Twebah Dreessens, Director of Wild Moves International - Wild Moves on the Surf Coast, Dancing with Parkinson's (Sparkies) and DRUMENTIA.

jacqui.dreessens@gmail.com

Mobile: +61488527656