Bomba

Bomba is the most ancient Puerto Rican music genre, descending directly from our West African ancestors in interaction with indigenous and European influences. It originated more than 400 years ago during the Spanish colonial period. Bomba is deeply emotional, as it represents the lament of sugar plantation slaves, who would congregate together and utilize bomba as a way to unveil their souls and create a space of communion and support between each other in light of the suffering they were forced to endure. Today, Bomba continues to serve as a way to express the collective experiences, hardships, and dreams of all Puerto Ricans who live with the harmful consequences of colonialism and imperialism. There are various performers in Bomba, namely, the dancers and musicians, which include the buleador, the seguidor (or primo), the maraca, and the cuá. One must imagine bomba as a dialogue or conversation between the dancer and the subidor, as they respond to the dancer’s improvised piquetes, which are sharp and elegant movements of their skirt and body. There are multiple Bomba rhythms, but for this performance, we will play Sicá, which originated in Santurce, Puerto Rico.

Choreographers

Hugo Cordova

Natalia Leon-Diaz

Dancers

Bryanna Mendez

Hieran Andeberhn

Joharis Figueroa

Jorie Fleming

Marcelle Santana Rovira

Maya Torres Colom

Natalia Leon-Diaz

Victoria Briggiler

Percussionists

Aadit Ramesh

Aldo Estrada

Hugo Cordova

Leandro De Armas

Pedro Morales