Travels in the 2nd half

When you think of Puerto Rican music, what images do you see? Tito Puente playing timbales? Rita Moreno in West Side Story? JLo dancing on the block? What do you hear? Salsa? Merengue? Reggaeton? All would be good answers. But there is one form of music and dance that is native to Puerto Rico and that reflects the island’s cultural roots among the enslaved Africans brought there – Bomba! Getting ready for dance On a recent trip to Puerto Rico, the Amazing Ms. D and I had the opportunity to attend a Bombazo , a community celebration of music and dance. C.O.P.I. , a cultural institution in Piñones, runs Bomba drumming and dancing classes on the weekend. They also sponsor a dance troop, La Majesta Negra, which performs Bomba around the island and on the mainland. We heard that they would be holding a celebration of International Women’s Day, and we put it in out calanders in pen. Honoring a History of Bomba Bomba is a call and response dance form, but not i...

C.O.P.I. Last week I wrote about Piñones and Loíza as places to visit for sun, sand and great food. However, these towns are also home to artisans and artists carrying on many Afro-Puertorican traditions. They are wonderful places to explore this aspect of the artistic history of the island. C.O.P.I. – The Corporacíon Piñones se Integra (C.O.P.I.) serves many roles in Piñones. Its headquarters, on Calle Arturo Schomburg, just east of bridge from Isla Verde, is a place where visitors can rent bicycles and kayaks to explore the beaches and mangrove forest of the area. After hurricanes Irma and Maria, C.O.P.I. was a base for the distribution of food and needed materials in the area, and as an advocate for the residents of the community.   Bomba class It is also home to Majestad Negra, a folkloric dance company that specializes in bomba , a traditional Afro-Puertorican dance style. The music for bomba is provided by a group of drummers playing barriles, drums ma...