DATE: Wednesday July 15, 2026
TIME: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
LOCATION: Minogitoon Workspace, Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. E, Toronto ON
COST: $30.00 CAD
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
This unique workshop offers participants the opportunity to engage with the history, cultural significance, and movement vocabulary of The Sailor Dance and the Orisha dances of Ogun and Shango.
The workshop examines how dance serves as a living archive of cultural memory, resilience, and identity. Participants will explore the evolution of the Sailor Dance, a distinctive Trinidad Carnival tradition that emerged during the Second World War, when the presence of American naval personnel inspired Afro-Trinidadian communities to reinterpret naval culture through masquerade, movement, and satire; transforming lived observation into one of Carnival's most recognizable dance traditions.
The Sailor Dance: During World War II, Trinidad was home to several American naval bases, making American sailors a common presence throughout the island. The post-emancipation African population adapted the sailors' uniforms, mannerisms, and free-spirited behaviour—often influenced by local rum culture—into a unique Carnival character and dance tradition.
Over time, performers developed various sailor identities representing the hierarchy aboard a naval ship, including Petty Officers, Officers, and Fireman Sailors, each with distinctive movements, costumes, and performance styles.
Orisha Deities- Ogun & Shango Dances: During the 18th and 19th centuries the Orisha dances were brought to Trinidad and Tobago across the middle passage by enslaved Yoruba bodies. These dances originated from the cultural and religious traditions of the Yoruba- speaking peoples of West Africa, mainly Nigeria and Benin. These dances serve as vital ritual tools for worship, spiritual possession, and historical preservation.
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