$20

Come celebrate the 2020 Carnival season with Cumbe! Representing Trinidad and Tobago, we bring you two Soca powerhouses: Careitha Davis and Candace Thompson-Zachery. In this non-stop fun workshop, these dynamic teaching artists will focus on the movement and energy of West Indian carnival.The class starts with group movement embodying the spirit and history of Soca music. Then it proceeds to dynamic interactive progressions across the floor and ends with a sequence of choreography. This is all done to the latest Soca hits for you to enjoy, dance and sweat. Mixing traditional folklore with popular dance styles, this workshop will bring the Caribbean energy you need for the carnival season. Come to FÊTE, WINE and PERFORM!

Careitha Davis, a Brooklyn native with roots in Trinidad and Tobago, is a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher. From an early age Careitha started training as a dancer with Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn and Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in Modern, Jazz, Ballet and African while traveling as a young performer. Passionate about her Caribbean culture, her desire to focus on and share it began while living in the Caribbean and continued to develop when she joined forces with Trinidad rhythm section BoomBoomRoomTT. She toured Trinidad and New York dancing to the rhythms of drums and Soca. Careitha earned her degree in dance education from New York University where she practiced methods in instructing non-dancers and young learners as a practice for community building and creating art. In 2016, her freelance career took off, performing the works of Dianne McIntyre nationally and in 2017 Careitha began teaching Soca at Cumbe. Her teaching philosophy for Soca is for dancers to reach a level of freedom in their movement, building confidence through the vibration of Caribbean music. Most importantly, Soca brings forth love and a sense of community from the people.

Candace Thompson-Zachery, a Brooklyn resident from Trinidad and Tobago, is a dancer, choreographer, certified fitness professional and cultural producer. She is the beauty and brains behind CanDanceFit. She is also the artistic director of ContempoCaribe, a choreography and performance project that embodies the plurality of experiences within the Caribbean Diaspora. She also is the founding executive director of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE (DCC). Candace had the honor of performing for major cultural icons in Trinidad and Tobago including Patrice Roberts, Machel Montano, Island People Mas, Peter Minshall and Request Band in Brooklyn. She taught Soca dance for several years at Mark Morris Dance Center, inheriting the class from La Shaun Prescott, former dance captain for Machel Montano. She has since brought Soca dance workshops at several institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, Barnard College, Syracuse University, Oberlin College, Ohio State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Her teaching philosophy grounds itself in a localized Trinidad carnival tradition, connecting its deep roots to its contemporary forms.