Orishas are gods of the Yoruba religion practised predominantly in the area known as Yorubaland (parts of Nigeria, Benin and Togo). This religion comprises various traditions and has influenced other religions and traditions such as Santería, Vodoun (Voodoo), Trinidad Orisha, Anago, Oyotunji, Umbanda, Macumba, Winti, Obeah and Candomblé.
The name Orisha is an English spelling of the word “òrìṣà” from the Yoruba language which is also seen as orisa, oricha, orichá or orixá in Latin America. The etymology of the word is supposedly derived from the Yoruba words “orí” meaning “head” and the verb “sà” which means “to choose”. The translation of “head” can be seen figuratively as “mind” or “spirituality” chosen by god which is an almost litteral description of what Orishas personify as will be discussed over the course of this blog series.
Particularly through its influence on Santería, Orishas have had a huge impact on Cuban traditions, cultures, religions and life in general. The reason we will analyse this subject deeply in this blog series in particular is its impact on music and dance which over time has reached modern musical culture by featuring in various Cuban salsa songs not just via the lyrics but also the instrumentation and the form of dance associated with it.
The rise of Cuban salsa into mainstream global culture has seen an increasing amount of “orisha workshops” as people are trying to try out more and more aspects of the dance but there is a danger of this subject being mistreated and marketed like yet another dance fad with little context. However, through its religious background and association, it is important to apply context to this dance and understand where it comes from and what it means, particularly when incorporating it in a dance such as salsa, as it is a hugely controversial subject that can easily offend someone if treated too lightly.
Orishas are a common source of confusion for many dancers when they get to a stage where they are happy to explore workshops outside of their normal dance class as outside of Cuba the context and culture associated with Orishas are usually not obvious to dancers and on the contrary introduces them to an entirely new and alien concept.
In this series I will endeavour to clear up some of the confusions around this subject that dancers face when they come across occasional Orisha movements included in various classes and workshops without the context or significance of these movements being explained.
