The Elements: Fire

Heritage Award winning Afro-Cuban dancer the Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center.

Neri Torres was born in Havana, Cuba to a very musical family. Neri and her brother Ezequiel both became passionate about music and dance from a young age. They were particularly influenced by Orisha music and dances of the Santería religion. In 1991, Neri arrived in the United States to establish a career in dance. She founded IFÉ ILÉ in 1996, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion and cultivation of Afro-Cuban culture and folklore. Neri has also served as the principal dancer and choreographer for Gloria Estefan. At the Folklife Stage, she will be performing an Orisha dance related to fire, along with providing commentary on the art form on display.

2023 Folk Heritage Award winner Concepción

Poou Coy Tharin is a master weaver in the traditional indigenous Guatemalan style known as pikb’l. Ms. Tharin grew up in a village in the Alta Verapaz region in the central highlands of Guatemala, speaking only the indigenous Q’eqchi’ language. Now living in Tarpon Springs, Florida, she demonstrates and teaches classes in this traditional Mayan technique. She has demonstrated, lectured, exhibited, or had residencies at numerous institutions across Florida and the United States, including the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, New College of Florida, Polk State College, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, the James Museum in St. Petersburg, the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida, and

Folklife Apprenticeship Program

The Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program supports the preservation of folklife and traditional arts through one-on-one apprenticeships. These awards fund three-, six, or eight-month periods of study between a master artist and apprentice, recognizing the value of folklife and traditional arts in Florida while enabling participants to work together to maintain and share traditional knowledge, skills, and techniques. At the end of the apprenticeship term, the master artists and apprenticeships take to the folklife stage to demonstrate the finished product from their months of classes. This year, the folklife stage is proud to present three apprenticeship teams.

Florida Folk Heritage Award recipient and Haitian cultural advocate Liliane Louis and apprentices Marie Romaine Desir and Marie Moncy have explored the intersection of Haitian food and folk narratives over their Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Here, they showcase the product of their apprenticeship, including a live cooking demo of traditional Haitian foods. “Food is so much apart of our culture and our history.” Says Liliane. I’m always happy cooking, especially when I have someone to share it with.”