Korzo X Latin Soul Dance

Curated:	Latin Soul Dance – Angela Alfaro
Duration	270 min
Part of	Korzo x

Korzo X

Twice a year, Korzo X hands the mic to a new voice. A guest curator takes the lead, bringing their own world, their own questions, their own rhythm to our theater. Each curator transforms the stage with their unique blend of expertise, background, and creative vision.

This edition of Korzo X is more than just a night at the theater. It’s a celebration. A remembering. A homecoming.

Roots of Rhythm

A night celebrating Afro-Latin culture in Cuba & Colombia

Latin America is a mosaic of cultures, shaped by the powerful meeting of Indigenous roots, African heritage, and colonial history. Too often, that richness is simplified, flattened into stereotypes, or reduced to surface-level color.

With Roots of Rhythm, we dive deeper.

This evening shines a spotlight on the Afro influence in Cuba and Colombia, carried through music, dance, and stories of resilience. From the powerful movements of Pedro Ricardo Henry, rooted in Afro-Cuban traditions and the legacy of the cimarrones, to the joyful rhythms of Colombian dancer and choreographer Naty Meléndez, who brings cumbia to life as a celebration of resistance and identity. And to close the night, Venezuelan maestro Gerardo Rosales and his quintet invite everyone onto the dance floor with a party full of Cuban and Colombian classics—from mambo to guaguancó.

You'll experience:

Workshops where everyone—no matter your background or level—is invited to feel, move, and learn
Performances that connect tradition with contemporary expression
A party where live music and dance merge into collective celebration
A culinary experience to savor the flavors rooted in this history

Every element of this night invites you not just to watch, but to join—through rhythm, memory, and movement.

Scroll down to learn more about the incredible artists shaping this night.

Pedro Ricardo Henry is a Cuban dancer, choreographer, and teacher with Nigerian roots. Trained at the National School of Art in Havana, he went on to perform with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba and the Ballet de la Televisión Cubana before continuing his career in Europe. Since moving to the Netherlands, he has worked with leading companies such as Conny Janssen Danst, Via Berlin, and Sally Dance Company, while also developing his own project Cuba Meets the Netherlands. Deeply connected to his Afro-Cuban and Caribbean heritage, Pedro’s work is guided by the history, spirituality, and resilience of the African diaspora.

Workshop – Yemayá
Dedicated to Yemayá, the Orisha of the sea and one of the most sacred figures in Afro-Cuban tradition. Through flowing, wave-like movements, participants are invited to embody her energy and explore dance as legacy, healing, and connection. No experience is required—just openness and curiosity. Pedro’s energy transforms the room, offering a collective journey into rhythm, ancestry, and the living force of Afro-Cuban culture.

Performance – Cimarrón
Who were the cimarrones? They were enslaved Africans who escaped plantations in the Americas and the Caribbean—including Cuba—in search of freedom. In self-governing communities, they kept their traditions alive and became symbols of resistance and resilience.

Pedro’s choreography Cimarrón is a tribute to their courage and legacy. Inspired by Orisha Ogun, the warrior and protector of strength and labor, the piece channels themes of survival, freedom, and dignity. With powerful movement, Pedro celebrates the endurance of Afro-Cuban culture and its lasting influence, while also honoring the universal fight for human rights.

Naty Meléndez is a dancer, choreographer, and cultural manager from Barranquilla, Colombia. With over 30 years of experience, she has taught in schools and led her company Corporación Artística Identidad—winner of 26 Congos de Oro at the UNESCO-recognized Carnival of Barranquilla.

Her work blends tradition and innovation, from the award-winning Danzas de las Garzas Blancas with its environmental message, to Rumbaterapia, her own mix of dance and fitness. Naty has represented Colombia worldwide, sharing the vibrancy and depth of Afro-Colombian culture.

Workshop – África Vive en la Cumbia
In her workshop, Naty will take you into the roots of cumbia, tracing its African origins and its transformation into Colombia’s most representative dance. Through rhythm, drumming, and movement, participants will feel the connection between past and present. This workshop is open to everyone—no experience needed—inviting you to share in the legacy of Afro-Colombian culture through dance, music, and joy.

Performance – África Vive en la Cumbia
Cumbia is Colombia’s most iconic Afro-Colombian dance and musical form—a living legacy of resistance, celebration, and cultural expression. Its joy, rhythms, and drums come from Africa; its melodies and flutes from Indigenous traditions. Together, they created an art form that still pulses with life today.

In África Vive en la Cumbia, Naty celebrates this heritage through a performance full of rhythm, movement, and storytelling. It’s more than a dance—it’s a reminder of how music and culture preserved identity, community, and joy in the face of adversity.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Gerardo Rosales discovered his passion for percussion at a young age, mastering congas, bongó, and timbales. Since moving to the Netherlands in the early ’90s, he has toured the world and recorded over 20 albums, collaborating with legends like Bebo Valdés, Oscar D’León, Paquito D’Rivera, and the Metropole Orchestra.

Known for his explosive energy and deep knowledge of Latin jazz, salsa, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Gerardo brings people together on the dance floor.

Party time!
For Roots of Rhythm, Gerardo Rosales Quintet brings a repertoire dedicated to Colombia and Cuba — a vibrant journey through iconic songs and infectious rhythms including cumbia, mambo, cha-cha-chá, guajira, and guaguancó. With the powerful vocals of Cuban singer Coco Alfonso.

Gerardo’s section of the night is the heartbeat of the celebration: a space of rhythm, joy, and connection where the audience is no longer just listening — but moving, dancing, and celebrating together.

At Korzo, we believe the body tells stories that words cannot. In a world where people seem to get more stuck in their own bubble, we fight for movement. We stand up for connection. We choose the kind of art that brings people together, across cultures, across generations, across differences.

That’s why we’ve invited Angela Alfaro, founder of Latin Soul Dance in The Hague, to curate a night that honors the deep roots and living rhythms of Afro-Latin culture. Through dance, music, storytelling, and food, we invite you to step into a shared space of celebration, memory, and movement.