Mauritian‑born and culturally woven through Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, Christina’s journey into Afro‑Cuban dance began in 1996 when she studied with a principal artist from the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba in Sweden. The apprenticeship that followed immersed her in both folkloric and popular Cuban dance traditions across Scandinavia, where she performed salsa, cha‑cha‑chá, mambo and traditional rhythms in Denmark and throughout Europe.
In 1998, she travelled to Havana on a cultural‑exchange programme, deepening her studies in Afro‑Cuban dance, Yoruba cosmology and the spiritual traditions of Cuba. This path led to her initiation as a priestess within the Lucumí (Santería) tradition, grounding her artistic practice in lineage, ritual and embodied spirituality.
Returning to Australia in 1999, Christina introduced Afro‑Cuban dance under the banner of Cuban Dance Academy in Melbourne, pioneering structured Cuban‑dance education nationwide. Highlights of this period include:
- Cubamemucho (2009) – Australia’s first International Cuban Dance Congress, which she produced.
- Annual cultural‑immersion tours to Cuba, creating authentic pathways for exchange.
Her work soon expanded beyond performance into community leadership. After relocating to regional New South Wales, she was honoured as Coffs Harbour’s inaugural International Woman of the Year (2015) for empowering women and young people through dance and cultural connection. In 2012, she co‑founded Afrekete with Cuban maestros Adrian Medina and Israel Ortiz, establishing one of Australia’s longest‑running Afro‑Cuban dance and music gatherings.
Now based on Magnetic Island (Yunbenun) in North Queensland, Christina continues to direct Afrekete while growing her holistic platform, Clear Water Wellness. The initiative integrates:
- Orisha‑inspired movement therapy
- Embodied mindset coaching
- Afro‑Cuban dance training and retreats
- Vocal expression workshops
- Whole‑food‑based nutrition education
With over 25 years of teaching experience, Christina bridges ancestral rhythms with contemporary well-being science. Through festivals, retreats, mentorship programmes and cultural intensives across Australia and internationally, she remains devoted to a single guiding mission:
“To reconnect people to their essence through movement, culture, community and conscious nourishment.”
