Rafael Ferrer
RAFAEL from CUBAN FUSION is a Salsa Tumbao favorite. His friendly nature and crazy percussion skills keep us dancing, and yes, he is back in 2025! He will be kicking off Tumbao 2025 with the Afro-Cuban Elegua workshop on Saturday morning, and bringing us an Afro-Cuban Salsa Fusion workshop on Sunday. As well as playing with Ke Lo Ke at the Saturday night party.
In Action
Professional Biography
RAFAEL from CUBAN FUSION is a Salsa Tumbao favorite. His friendly nature and crazy percussion skills keep us dancing, and yes, he is back in 2025! He will be kicking off Tumbao 2025 with the Afro-Cuban Elegua workshop on Saturday morning, and bringing us an Afro-Cuban Salsa Fusion workshop on Sunday. As well as playing with Ke Lo Ke at the Saturday night party.
Rafael Ferrer Noel was born in Cuba on the eve of Carnival, which means he has dancing and percussion in his soul.
What drives you to dance?
"I actually was being lined up for a career as a baseball player or wrestler, but I fell out of a tree and spent a year with my leg in a cast. My sister asked me to join her dance group and, as they say, the rest is history."
Specialising in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Haitian dance, Rafael worked as a professional dancer and choreographer in Havana before emigrating to New Zealand in 2005 where he founded CUBAN FUSION, New Zealand's leading Cuban dance and music company. A regular at congresses and festivals in New Zealand and Australia, Rafael is famous for his high-energy, fun teaching style, dynamic performances and signature big smile. It's not uncommon to find him teaching workshops during the day, performing in the shows at night and playing in the bands afterwards.