Salsa dance class that Miguel Periche and Emily Peck were teaching at the East Street Studios in Hadley, MA. Their class was unique to this area in that they taught authentic, folkloric rumba as the foundation of modern Cuban Salsa.

Percussionist Richard Adams showed up at the Cuban Salsa class with the intention of refining his dance steps. But after discovering that so much of the class was rooted in rumba, he offered to provide live rhythmic accompaniment for the rumba. Soon, Richard’s congas had replaced the boom box in the class. To take things to the next level, Richard invited percussionist Brandon Marger to join him as an accompanist.

Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo is a group of dancers and musicians in and around the Pioneer Valley region of Western Massachusetts that is dedicated to the study, performance and teaching of Afro-Cuban folkloric dance and music.

The formation of Palo Santo began in 2006 in the Cuban

Richard and Brandon had previously played together in a variety of groups at various times over a period of about 15 years. With the depth and breadth of knowledge of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and culture that Brandon brought into the Salsa class, it wasn’t long before both the dancers and the drummers began dreaming about expanding the limited scope of the Salsa class to include the much richer subject of Afro-Cuban folkloric dance.

The group terminated the Cuban Salsa class in Hadley at the end of the Spring of 2006. During that summer Miguel, Brandon and Richard began developing a curriculum and repertoire for an Afro-Cuban folkloric dance class. Later that summer they invited Hannia González to join them. Hannia had played in several groups with Brandon and Richard over the period of about 10 years.

By the time the new Afro-Cuban Folkloric Dance Class was inaugurated at the Northeast American School Of Dance in Northampton in September 2006 the burgeoning group had been augmented by Christine Buchholz, who had previously performed with Miguel. The Afro-Cuban folkloric dance class has been meeting weekly in the NEA studio ever since; and has earned a reputation as one of the hottest dance classes in Western Massachusetts.

In the years since its formation some of the early members of the group have crossed  roads that have led them away from Grupo Palo Santo. This evolution is both n

Dancers

Miguel Periche                                 

Miguel Periche is from Holguín, Cuba, where he grew up immersed in Afro-Cuban culture and dance; and performed with the Conjunto Folklórico Okú. Since arriving in the US in 2001 Miguel has performed with the SonRisa ensemble in New York; and has taught Latin Dance in the Smith College Dance Department and at the East Street Studios in Hadley. Miguel is Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo’s principal dancer and choreographer; and the teacher of the Afro-Cuban folkloric dance class.

Elizabeth Fernandez-O’Brien                                 

Elizabeth Fernandez-O’Brien is a veteran of the dance scene in the Pioneer Valley who  has incorporated a variety of traditions from West Africa, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil and Trinidad into her own personal style. Elizabeth has danced as a soloist for eminent choreographers Marlena da Silva and Dr. Pearl Primus, and has received awards for dance, videography and multicultural education. Elizabeth is also a talented costumer who is responsible for much of the beautiful wardrobe which dresses up Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo’s performances.

Musicians

Brandon Marger                                

Brandon Marger is the director of Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo. Brandon is the group’s chief administrator; and has charted the overall artistic direction and development of the group since its conception. Brandon also acts as the group’s musical director. Occasionally he even gets to touch a drum. During his twenty year musical career Brandon has gigged with dozens of New England region bands; and was the director of Grupo Sofrito and the Academia de Samba Quilombo. Brandon also currently directs Los Callejeros, a group which performs Puerto Rican Plena and Bomba. Brandon has studied at the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba in La Habana and the Balé Folclórico da Bahia in Salvador, Brazil.

Hannia González                                 

Hannia Gonzalez passed her early years surrounded by the sounds of Afro-Cuban music that filled her neighborhood in Miami, Florida. As an adult Hannia has continued her love affair with Afro-Latin music, playing both Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian percussion. Long before joining Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo, Hannia performed with Sofrito Folklórico and Samba do Sol.

Christine Buchholz                          

Christine Buchholz has feasted on a variety of Afro-Latin music over the past decade. In Cuba she studied with percussionists from Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Cubanismo and Ballet Folklórico Cutumba. Closer to home, Christine performed Afro-Caribbean music with Roots, Rhythm and Rapture; and also performed Afro-Brazilian music with Augusto Soledade’s Brazz Dance Theater. These days, Christine can frequently be found sitting in with her husband’s Haitian bands.

Julian Gerstin                          

Julian Gerstin is equally talented as both a percussionist and a scholar. As Grupo Palo Santo’s lead drummer Julian can most frequently be found marking the caja or tearing it up on the quinto. Julian began studying percussion with Milford Graves in the early 1970’s; and went on to study with an enviable succession of teachers that included Lorenzo Peñavel, Michael Spiro, John Santos and Sandy Perez. Julian has deep experience playing a variety of diverse musics, including folkloric musics from Cuba, Martinique and Ghana as well as Brazilian samba, afrobeat and experimental Jazz. Julian is an accomplished educator who currently teaches World Music and Rhythm Studies at Keene State College; and who co-directs the the Vermont Jazz Center’s Latin Jazz Ensemble. Julian also directs his own group Zabap.

Alumni

    Emily Peck              Richard Adams         Maxine Sinnott        Jeff Hinrichs

natural and inevitable. Even though some of its members have moved on, Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo continues to attract talented artists who share a love of Afro-Cuban dance, music and culture.

Some of the people who make things happen for Grupo Folklórico Palo Santo: