Also Eleguá · Èṣù-Ẹlẹ́gbára
¡Laroyé!
He is the old child of the Regla de Ocha: mischievous, a joker and playful, and at the same time the oldest, the one who guards every door. He likes toys, sweets, gossip and conversation. He is the messenger: no offering reaches the other orishas unless he first receives his share and gives permission. That is why he is also the owner of destiny: he opens and closes the paths and joins opposites.
In the dance: You see it in the unpredictable: jumps, contortions, a child's faces, jokes, vanishing and reappearing, quick spins on one foot. Graciela Chao describes him as “explosive”, with jumps and somersaults.
You see it in the unpredictable: jumps, contortions, a child's faces, jokes, vanishing and reappearing, quick spins on one foot. Graciela Chao describes him as “explosive”, with jumps and somersaults.
Each tool has its own lesson: what it is, how it is held and how it is danced with.
Not depicted: consecrated or altar objects, or ones pending review.
Light, fast and broken: sudden changes of direction, jumps, dead stops and spins. The base shared by every orisha: knees bent, weight low, torso tipped slightly forward. With Lalubanché, the movement turns pendular and more fluid.
Base: knees bent, weight low and torso forward.
At the toque, the other dancers imitate his movements, moving counterclockwise.To be verified
Yvonne Daniel associates Elegba with the feet as a part of the body.To be verified
The tempo is set by Latopa and Lalubanché, livelier with Ñongo and Chachalokafún, over the 6/8 clave.
With Lalubanché, arms and torso swing forward and back.To be verified
Clown and acrobat: high leaps, contortions and jokes (Ortiz); his dance is clowning (Murphy). Hagedorn speaks of his “crooked step”.
✓LalubanchéAccording to Avante, it is the rhythm only Elegguá dances. García treats it as Elegguá's rezo (prayer), his first toque.Pro
✓Clearing the path with the garabatoMime of clearing a path through the undergrowth: he is the owner of the paths. Ortiz: he moves it from side to side like someone pushing back the brush or opening a trail in the jungle.Pro
✓Spin on one footThe messenger's speed and unpredictability. Ortiz gives it as a frequent step, hopping on one foot and spinning. According to Villamil (Matanzas), he only goes onto one foot when the chant tells him to.Pro
✓Leaps and facesChildhood and play: jumps, contortions, faces and jokes.Pro
✓Hide and reappearHe vanishes and suddenly reappears. EcuRed describes it in possession (“he will run and get behind the door”). On stage it is done as a game of hide-and-seek; it is not taught as an imitation of possession.Pro
✓Agongo AgéA shared step: Elegguá, Ochosi and Oggún dance it in very similar ways; García also sees it in Ochún (Ofeicó erima) and Obatalá (Eleri efa). For Elegguá it is one of the three Latopa calls the dancer answers. It starts on 4, when the chorus sings “agó”.Pro
✓La Topa, Ñongo and Chachalokafún stepsTeaching sequence: Intro, Lubanché, La Topa, Chachalokafún (Ñongo according to Avante). In Latopa the iyá plays six calls; the dancer answers three: Agongo agó, Ago Elegguá bukenke and Abukenke. The akpwón switches from one to another whenever he wants. The idea of a hand gesture specific to “La Topa” does not appear in García (fists in front).Pro
✓Side step with a sweepA bridge to salsa. Weak source (a salsa blog).Pro
✓Ago Elegguá bukenkeIt answers one of the Latopa calls. Doing just the Latopa step is fine too.Pro
✓AbukenkeA Latopa call. The same clave play comes back in Ochún (Ochakiniwa), Yemayá (Chikini) and Changó (Wolenche).Pro
✓Tere mina tereThe warriors' toque (Ode, Ajagun).Pro
✓Barasuayo por debajoGarcía also sees this toque in Ochún (Abebe Ochún), Ochosi (Morokoro) and Obatalá (Iyá lawa).Pro
✓Kinima eyoGarcía also sees this toque in Oggún and Babalú Ayé. The garabato gesture looks like no. 2, “Clearing the path”: check whether it is the same.The first lesson is free: “1. Lalubanché”. With Oru Pro, every step-by-step lesson, the stage version, common mistakes and the videos.
Each toque with what is sung over it and what is danced: the call, the answer and the step, together.
Elegguá’s history and patakíes, each with its teaching and its versions.
Other names: Okada, Sokere, Odara, Elegbara, Agogo, Alaketu, Aselu, Kaminalowá, Igide, Dare, Afrodi, Abanunkue, Abalonke, Aberu
When sources don't agree, we show each version with its source. None is presented as the only correct one.
27 questions with spaced repetition: what you miss comes back sooner.
In the break, let go of your partner and mark a change of direction with a quick spin on one foot. Back to casino on the chorus.
T1 14T2 10T3 17
