Chi~Caribena really isn't a who, but a what. It's the brain child of Diane Berrios Buckner. It started
out as a costume design business for masquerade dancers, then a dance troupe, then a dance
education outlet, and now a fitness outlet. So what is Chi~Caribena again? It's all thing Caribbean in
Chicago! The Chi is for Chicago and Caribena, well that's for the Caribbean. As a dancer, Diane felt that Chicago needed more representation of the Caribbean, so this became her form of pride for her Caribbean culture.
She has made an impact in the city with her performances and design and dance workshops. Here are some
of her contributions in overall dance in the starting with Brazilian dancer and conversion to Caribbean dance:
She has even managed to become the new Caribbean Dance teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Diane's belief in cultural education of the Caribbean is vital to erase the stereotype and help people understand how rich and unique each island is. Now, Diane hopes to continue the tradition and pass it to younger generations.
