About the Project

Shango’s Dance (1995–2005) was an international collective fusing Afro-Cuban Santería music with the Lotz of Music quintet, led by flutist Mark Alban Lotz. It was an artistic cross-over of Afro-Cuban chants and percussion with contemporary jazz and improvisation, performed by some of the finest vocalists and instrumentalists from Cuba.

The name Shango’s Dance is inspired by Shango/Changó, the powerful African god of Batá drums, dance, thunder—and, notably, a legendary womanizer. The group’s name reflects the many guises of this deity.

Musical Vision

This project transformed the sacred music of Santería & Yoruba traditions, reinterpreting the ancient songs, rhythms, and dances used by Cubans to honor their West African ancestors and gods. The performances combined: Powerful rhythms and chants, Jazz improvisation, Grooves, harmonies, and melodic movement, Dancing and trance-like states.

By blending these elements, Shango’s Dance created an empowering and immersive musical experience, evoking images of African rituals while capturing the intensity of urban life.

Historical Context: The Yoruba Love Affair

The roots of Shango’s Dance trace back to an unforgettable encounter between Mark Lotz and master drummer Javier Campos Martinez in 1996. Their musical exchange sparked a creative journey, culminating in the Cuban Roots Project and a series of recordings at ICAIC studios in Havana, featuring some of Cuba’s most revered Orisha musicians.

Recognizing its artistic and cultural value, the project gained invitations to prestigious festivals, marking the evolution from the ‘Lotz Of Music – Cuban Roots Project’ into ‘Shango’s Dance’.

On the art of improvised music

Following on from the improvisations made by Afro Americans in New Orleans at the beginning of the last century, many musical forms have now taken up the art of improvisation. Realising the freedom it gives to explore new boundaries of sound, rhythm, and harmony it has enabled musicians to advance their art at an ever increasing pace. Here we have a good example of the fruits of this quest.

On the performers

The line up included singers & dancers, percussion, flutes, tenor sax/clarinets, piano, tuba/bass and drums. ‘Shango’s Dance’ featured seven up to thirteen musicians and dancers.

International artists associated with ‘Shango’s Dance’ (aka Lotz Of Music) were a.o.