Rafael Palacios

Rafael Palacios is a Colombian choreographer and dancer dedicated to the exploration of Afro-traditional, contemporary, and urban dance languages. His experience as a dancer in Africa and Europe inspired him to create the Sankofa Company, with which he has created a wide repertoire of works that have been presented in countries around the world such as Colombia, Jamaica, France, Spain, Canada, Brazil, and Burkina Faso. Throughout his career, he has strived to develop training processes designed for teachers and dancers of all levels, as well as children.

He was named Columbia’s National Councilor of Dance and Counselor of Black Communities from 2009 to 2011, and oversaw the instruction of all Ministry of Culture dance trainers from 2007 to 2013. He received the National Dance Award from the Ministry of Culture in 2008 for his work San Pacho … Blessed! and, as director of the Steps in the Earth project, he received in 2010 the UN’s recognition for his contribution to Afrodescendent Social Inclusion in Latin America. He was invited in 2012 to be the artistic director for the dance shows held in honour of the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena and was also the choreographer for the opening ceremony of the 2013 Cali World Games.