Orisha Basic Informations
As you know, it is very fashionable to use Orisha (some call it Afro-Cuba or Afro) movements in Salsa dances. It turned out that some basic information should be known in order to increase the efficiency of the image in dances. The choreographies of the Orishas are determined according to their character and duties.
A small compilation from the book We Cuba: "The gods best suited to survive under the conditions of slavery were the perfectly sculpted gods of the Yoruba pantheon brought by the Nigerian Argentines (around Togo, Ghana, Benin) to Western Cuba. They were brought here in the same way they were taken to the north east of Brazil. This perfect religious synthesis continued to live in Cuba as well. The rituals, which were initially performed by reflecting the appearance and behavior of the Catholic saints on masks, later turned into a new culture formation and even cultural metamorphosis through fusion. "Yes folks, today this belief is called Lucumi, Santeria Cubana or La Regla de Ocha. His name is Candomble in Brazil, and Shango Baptist in Trinidad. Believers follow different sacred values, which are various forces of nature such as water, fire, earth, wind.
These dances took the stage shortly after the Cuban revolution. Music is made with bata drums. You can see the most popular Orishas and their features below.
Many thanks to Mr. Oğuz Kurtili for valuable information.

Obatala
He is one of the great Orishas. He owns all human minds. It is a symbol of the purity of the world, peace, gray hair, respect, all white and pure things on earth. Its accessories are white ponytails and white doves that bring peace to the earth. He lives in the highest mountains and rules from there fairly. In the Catholic faith, Virgen is also identified with La Merced / Holy Virgin of Mercy.

Babalu Aye
It is a symbol of illness and health. It is a miraculous and humble Orisha. He has leprosy, syphilis and skin diseases due to his irregular life. It protects people from diseases, it is the salvation belief of sick people. Believers make vows for miracles to happen, but if they do not, their anger is great. His accessories are a leaf of coconut palms, a bunch of plants, and he moves forward with them in his dance, cleansing the acne from his skin. A step in his dance (arara) represents the soil, stamina and health. In another step, he removes the approaching birds with his hands and arms to peck his sick skin. Dogs that are the gifts of Oggun accompany him. Her dress is trousers made of burlap fabric with purple ornaments. He is identified with Saint Lazarus in the Catholic faith.
Major dance steps include the Arara variations and Tinyosa.

Chango
He is one of the great Orishas. He is a legendary king in ancient Nigeria (Yoruba Kingdom). Fire, thunder, lightning, war, bata drums are symbols of Orisha dances and entertainments. It is a symbol of masculinity and thinks all women own it. According to Yoruba, he is an excellent fortune teller and his accessories are sword, double-sided ax, castle and bata drums. With his ax in his right hand, he symbolizes war and defense in one of his dance steps. In another step, it takes the lightning from the sky and draws it up to the pelvis and the ground. Its colors are red and white. The maracas are played and summoned. He is identified with Santa Barbara Bendita in Catholic belief.
The main dance steps are Wemilere (guenmi lube omo oyo), La Meta (oba ibo), Wolenche (sometimes Bolenche and Lumbanche), Chachalokuafun.

Oya
The only warrior in the Yoruba pantheon is female. It protects the market places. Although she is a beautiful Orisha, most people fear her because she lives at the cemetery gate. It is a symbol of wind, spark, storm. He owns an army of the dead. It is a strong character and respected. The color is 9 colors that do not contain black, except for the dominance of wine red, and you will see mostly rainbow colors. It uses flamboyant bark, a dark brown ponytail, sometimes rows / scimitars. The horse tail in his right hand represents Oya's dominance against the wind. The use of the skirt represents soft or hard air flow. It is identified with Santa Teresa de Jesus in the Catholic religion.
The main dance steps are Kan Kan, Tui Tui, Chachalokuafun, Lambaosi.

Yemaya
Mother is Orisha. She gave birth and raised all the Orishas in the Yoruba pantheon. He is the owner of the seas, the sea and all the secrets. In his dance, he shows all the forms of the sea, from the calmest to the whirlpool. He owns all the richness and secrets of the sea bottoms. It must be respected very much, if it is disrespected, it will miraculously give great punishment. He does everything properly and with respect. Manages the ports. Responsible for the maritime profession. Its color is blue with white ornaments, just like the waves of the seas hitting rocks. White stripes also symbolize depth levels. In the Catholic religion, Virgen has also been identified with the Regla - Virgin Mary.
Yakota, Omolodde, Chikini, Chachalokuafun can be counted as the main dance steps.

Ochun
He is the owner of love. It is the defender of women and motherhood. It is the owner of fresh waters (rivers) and the gold element. Bee honey, pumpkin, cake and confectionery must be the first to come to mind when talking about Ochun. Her dance is made up of movements that symbolize calmness, delicacy, grace, sexual appeal, pride, adornment of the woman, and the flirting of the woman in the river and in the woman. Its color is golden yellow. They have gold bracelets and small bells. It is identified with the Virgin Mary (Virgen Guadalupe, Virgen de la Macarena) in the Catholic religion. It is believed that Ochun ruled the Cuban island. (Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre).
Rezo, Iddewere, Chachalokuafun, Eni obomo can be counted as the main dance steps.

Oggun
The warrior is Orisha. It is the soul of the earth. It is the symbol of all metals, forge, metalworking art, mountains, forests, brute force, intelligence and workforce. It lives in the most complex and densely wooded places of the forested mountains. It is the protector of those who work with metal and those who work with metal. He was the owner of the dogs and gave some of them to Babalu Aye. Its colors are black and green. There are snail shell jewelry. He carries a large machete called a machete. With this scimitar / row in his right hand, he cuts the bush, trees in the forest and leads the way. In addition, while hunting and guarding, he cleans the things that will obstruct his work with his left hand while making killingly cutting, stabbing, and sticking movements. One of his important cantos (songs) is named Aguanile mai mai. You know this name as the Hector Lavoe song. It is identical to Saint Peter, Saint Pedro or Saint Pablo in Catholic religion.
Among the basic rhythms and songs are Agguere, Ogun de Arere, and Con sulanca ire alla viene Oggun.

Eleggua
The warrior is Orisha. It protects the universe. He is the way from earth to heaven. It is the first and last Orisha in the Pantheon. It is the owner of life and death, truth and lie, symbol of the beginning and end of every business. He owns the key to the door of fortune and opens and closes this door. He owns the roads of destiny. In his right hand, he has a wooden stick called guayaba / garabato, whose tip is a hook that separates the good and the bad. With this wooden hook, he separates the tall bushes while walking through the forest and opens his way. Because he opens and closes the paths of destiny, his arms open and close to symbolize this task in his dance. Its colors are black and red. It is decorated with 21 snail shells symbolizing the roads. It also carries the symbol of a mischievous child. Along with the Catholic religion, it was called the child Jesus - Santo Niño de Atocha.
Major dance steps: Lubanche (Olumbanshe), La Topa, Chachalokuafun, Nyongo.