I have been traveling to Cuba since 2006 primarily to study Afro-Cuban folkloric dance, including songs and rhythms, and to experience the sacred and everyday culture at large. In my three trips traveling under a general license as an educator and artist working within Afro-Cuban folkloric dance traditions, I've had the opportunity to work with some of the most celebrated artists in Cuba today -- the artistic directors, founders, and principal dancers who make up the rich offerings of folkloric technique and performance across the country. On my first trip I studied in Havana with members of Yoruba Andabo, Jennyselt Galata and Ranses Charon Hechavarria, as well as Raices Profundas director and founder, Juan de Dios. In 2011 I traveled with Danis "La Mora" Perez to Havana and Matanzas to study Afro-Cuban folkloric dance, songs, and rhythms primarily in Yoruba, Arará, and Congo traditions with artists and professors in both locations including Antonio Figueroa and Menini of Afro-Cuba de Matanzas, Alfredo Yohani Ofarril and Natividad Shivas de la Cruz in Havana. In 2013 I again had the opportunity to study in Havana and Matanzas while also traveling to Santiago de Cuba for the first time to study with Ballet Folklorico de Oriente, Danza del Caribe, and Cutumba companies.