Yesenia Fernandez Selier
Yesenia Fernandez Selier is a teacher, dancer and scholar of Afro-Cuban culture, and has been researching, training and performing for the past 18 years. She hails from Havana, Cuba, where she is a member of Ifa Iran Lowo Temple. As an instructor, she has worked with a wide range of dancers—from complete beginners to some of the top performers in the Salsa and Latin industries. She is known for her passionate interpretations of traditional dances, and for helping individuals improve their natural body movement and their understanding of musicality and timing. She teaches the secrets to capturing that elusive “Cuban ability” to FEEL the music...and then share that incredible energy with a partner.
Yesenia is also a sought-after lecturer on the history of music, dance and culture of the African Diaspora--from the original roots to today's salsa, hip-hop and world music sounds. She has been awarded fellowships from CLACSO and Hunter College and has presented at multiple universities, including Lehigh & George Washington. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, magazines and symposiums, in Cuba, the US, and beyond.
For the past two and half years, Yesenia has been collaborating with Anara Frank & MetaMovements, developing an extensive training curriculum for salsa dancers and instructors, and researching how the detailed rhythms, movements, patterns and "storielines" evolved from African Dances (Yoruba, Congo, Arara & Abakua) into Rumba & Son, and from there on to Mambo, Cha Cha Cha and today's Salsa.