Many Orisha dances such as Yewa, Oba, Erinle and Osanyin are still predominantly used in their non-secular form today. However, often their specific dance steps to honour them have been lost or changed over time and generic steps are used in ritual dancing. By contrast the Orishas that have become a secular dance are predominantly marked by their incorporation into the syllabus of the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba. Specifically the following Orisha fall into this category: Obatala, Babalu, Aye Ogun, Oshun, Aganju Shola, Oshosi, Elegba, Yemaya, Oya and Shango.
While Orishas in their spiritual form are often accepted to be deities, in reality they are a more complex anthropomorphic entity connected to objects and power whose definition defies many scholars. Orishas in its religious context can be classified as “ara orun” which are primordial and therefore predate the creation of earth and mankind and “irunmole” which came after the creation of earth. Ara orun reside in heaven whereas irunmole are on and in the earth and were the first earth beings created. Orishas can also be deified ancestors who had such an impact that their descendants continue to uphold their memory. These ancestors become orishas via a metamorphosis such as petrification or ascension which is not seen as their death but rather as a transition into a higher being. Finally, orishas can be the most powerful spirits dwelling in natural forces and phenomena according to the Yoruba belief. These type of orishas mediate between humans and the controllable part of nature.
