How to dance bomba y plena
Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena: Shared Traditions — Distinct Rhythms
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Shared Traditions — Distinct Rhythms
Bomba and plena are percussion-driven musical traditions from Puerto Rico that move people to dance. Often mentioned together as though they were a single musical style, both reflect the African heritage of Puerto Rico, but there are basic distinctions between them in rhythm, instrumentation, and lyrics. You can hear the difference in these songs. In "Baila, Julia Loíza" the drums or barriles are lower pitched and form a different rhythmic accompaniment than the pandereta drums in the plena example, "Báilala hasta las dos."
Bomba dates back to the early European colonial period in Puerto Rico. It comes out of the musical traditions brought by enslaved Africans in the 17th century. To them, bomba music was a source of political and spiritual expression. The lyrics conveyed a sense of anger and sadness about their condition, and songs served as a catalyst for rebellions and uprisings. But bomba also moved them to dance and celebrate, helping them create community and identity. The music evolved through contact between slave populations from different Caribbean colonies and regions, including the Dutch colonies, Cuba, Santo Domingo, and Haití. As a result, bomba now has sixteen different rhythms. The rhythms mark the pace of the singing and dance. Bomba instruments include the subidor or primo (bomba barrel or drum), maracas, and the cuá or fuá, two sticks played against the wood of the barrels or another piece of wood. Viento de Agua exemplifies gracimá and hoyoemula rhythms in "Mayela" and "Siré-Siré," and Raul and Freddy Ayala perform the yubá or "Juba" rhythm.
Plena developed from bomba music around the beginning of the 20th century in southern Puerto Rico. Plena lyrics are narrative. They convey a story about events, address topical themes, often comment on political protest movements, and offer satirical commentaries. Tito Matos, leader of the Puerto Rican group Viento de Agua, describes plena as "the newspaper of the people." Plena has only one basic rhythm, in contrast to bomba´s sixteen rhythms. Plena instrumentation has changed greatly over the years, but the one indispensable and defining element is the pandereta, a round hand drum that comes in different sizes. The smallest of them is the requinto, which improvises over the rhythm of the other drums. The tracks below are classic examples of plena, and for more information on the drums used in plena click on the video demonstration on the right.
Bomba and plena are defining musical sounds of the Afro-Puerto Rican population.
Matos says, "In Puerto Rico you go to Black and humble communities and you´re going to find bomba and plena without a doubt." These Afro-Puerto Rican musical traditions have also enjoyed an active life in New York City and other communities in which Puerto Ricans have settled. Pioneer performers such as Los Pleneros de la 21 and Marcial Reyes have succeeded in keeping the styles alive through performing groups and participating in community events. They embrace modern sounds, yet adhere to traditional styles that maintain a sense of pride in their cultural heritage.
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15 Practiced by both black and mulattoes in the coastal towns in southern and southeastern Puerto Rico, la Plena, like La Bomba, was born on the sugar plantations in the early 1920’s. It, too, had a call and response form. But unlike Bomba, Plena expressed the struggle of the working class and documented everyday experiences and happenings of the town, like a musical newspaper.16 The instruments involved in Plena are: a panderetas, guitar, cuarto, guiro, maracas, bongos, and congos.17Latin dance part 12 (Puerto Rican bombshell)
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| Folk dances
Dances of the peoples of the world
Puerto Rican dance bomba
The various rhythms and lyrics of Puerto Rico's most popular dance, the bomba, have led to the emergence of movements such as yuba, sika and holandes.
Each rhythm requires a different dance behavior: majestic, playful, aggressive, respectful, and so on. To summarize, distinctive bomb styles were developed in various parts of the island: Ponce to the south, Mayaguez to the west, Loisa to the north, and Santurce between Loisa and San Juan. nine0004
Puerto Rican dance bomba
Ponce style combines Spanish and African elements. The dancer wears a long ruffled skirt and high heels, reminiscent of European outfits, but her head is wrapped in a scarf and she also uses African jewelry. The dancer is dressed in trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. During the dance, both performers stick out their chests, and the man dances primly, as if imitating a Spanish officer or someone from the Spanish or Creole society of the upper class. Santerce's style is similar to Ponce's. The man keeps his posture, and also almost does not move his arms. At the same time, he dances with sharp weight transfers from one leg to another. Women wear a headscarf and a wide, ruffled skirt over a starched white skirt to dance.
During the dance, they hold the hem of their skirts, and also snap their fingers. nine0004
Puerto Rican dance bomba
Bomb style Lois has more African moves; the dancers use hip and shoulder movements, and the style is typically characterized by extensive use of impromptu steps and body shifts. Bomb dancing is the main attraction of the Santiago Loiza festival in mid-July. Entire processions of dancers with images of the saint go through the streets, and they are accompanied by open trucks with orchestras playing waltzes and dances. As the procession moves through the streets, anyone can stop and dance with the drummers. nine0004
Puerto Rican dance bomb
The Puerto Rican musical genre Plena is often used during dances, but its main feature is the lyrics that describe contemporary events from the end of the 19th century. The basic step is a side-to-side movement with a slight turn of the shoulders. Panderos (tambourines), drums, guiiros (scrapers), guitars (especially the type of guitar known as cuatro) and accordions give the music its characteristic sound and buoyancy.
At the beginning of the 21st century, it became mainly a pair dance. nine0004
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.. What is salsa and what is it eaten with? Confessions of a salsoman | Physical culture and sports
Yes, exactly dance ! We, women, beautiful, passionate and romantic, dance seems to be something very dear and close, we quickly grasp its rhythm and let the dance reveal our deep essence. In dance we live, rejoice, communicate, we love, flirt and, of course, win, allowing men to silently or loudly admire our grace and perfection. nine0004
That is why I address this article, first of all, to you, dear men! Why you? Because you - our heroes - wonderful, smart, strong and capable, completely neglect such a talent as the ability to dance, thinking that wearing an Armani shirt is okay, and dancing is the lot of sentimental and foreign.
What a pity that being so deeply deluded, you can't even imagine what a magical effect a dancing man has on a lady! For a woman, he is not just exotic (such men become exotic in view of their meager number).
He is a strategic goal for her! nine0004
Now multiply the lack of supply by a very strong unsatisfied demand, and you get the effect that You could have produced by your mere presence on the dance floor!
Although, however, if you are not at all interested in:
1) becoming more relaxed, learning to move beautifully and smoothly
2) being at the peak of fashion and popularity among the weaker half of humanity
3) to understand how great it is to be the leader (and in the dance a man leads his lady)
4) and also to dramatically increase the number of fans,
then this article is not for you.
While you decide whether to read on, I will talk about the burning and temperamental salsa.
No, not about the sauce. About a dance called "salsa"! nine0004
Let's start with a little history of .
Salsa is a Latin American dance that originates on the island of fun and eternal happiness - Cuba. Hot and passionate, today this dance can no longer be called a phenomenon of only Latin American culture, since a huge number of people in all parts of the world are covered by “salsomania”. nine0004
As music, salsa is a bright fusion of Cuban (son, danzón, rumba), North American (jazz, rock, swing), Caribbean (bomba, captivity, cumbia) and South American (samba, tango) rhythms. Mmmm... Real sauce!
The name of this dance comes from a very popular at the beginning of the century son (sleep is a style of music) "Echale Salsita" (which means "Add a spark" in translation).
According to this version, at one concert, Latin American performers presented their "new invention" - the boogaloo rhythm is nothing more than a modernized Cuban dream mixed with merengue, bossa nova, cumbia, cha-cha-cha, mambo and boogie-woogie. Tito Puente (the famous "king of mambo"), watching people dance to new rhythms, said: “Esto es una gran salsa!”, which translates as “Great sauce!” And it stuck. nine0004
In the 70s, having got to the USA with the music and culture of emigrants, salsa turned from a purely folk, folklore into a universal social dance (in the lane - social dance), becoming a fashionable trend and an integral part of American dance leisure. And mixed with jazz, salsa conquered the whole world.
The characteristic features of salsa are: four-quarter time, fast tempo and complex rhythmic pattern.
And emotionally - passion, temperament and extraordinary sexuality! nine0004
Salsa is a flirtatious dance. Therefore, dear men, when going to dance lessons or to a latina bar, do not forget about your innate charm, sparkle in your eyes and passion. Women are crazy about it. While don't even think about hypocrisy! After all, salsa is a dance of freedom, love and happiness. By the way, there are no permanent partners in salsa, so no one will appreciate your jealousy either. nine0004
What is important to know before going to learn salsa:
— This is primarily a pair dance, so its most important aspect is the feeling of a partner, light and sensitive leading.
- Pair dance - means cooperation. The partner leads, and the partner decorates.
- In the process of learning to dance, it is customary to change partners. This worldwide practice has a simple goal - you can dance with any partner anywhere in the world. nine0004
In addition, as an avid salso addict, I personally am absolutely sure that salsa is very useful for self-improvement !
First of all, salsa is great for developing creativity. After all, it is customary to improvise. This provides performers with great freedom and space for dance delights. nine0004
Secondly, salsa teaches you to feel the rhythm (and in this dance, it is sometimes quite difficult for an unprepared ear), to be flexible, plastic and move your hips (!!!).
In addition, salsa develops the ability to work in a team and feel a partner.
Thirdly, this wonderful dance helps us to become what we are born to be. Men to be leaders, courageous and strong, and women to be soft, fluid and pliable. nine0113 Cavaliers learn strategic thinking (you dance yourself, you lead your partner and at the same time think about what figures you will perform next - that's the task!). The ladies, having overcome their feminist views on life, gladly obey and spin, spin, stunning everyone with their flexibility and grace.
And, fourthly, salsa makes it easier to relate to life! Cubans say that Europeans dance salsa because they want to learn how to have fun from Cubans. And this is absolutely true. We, the inhabitants of a cold and inhospitable climate, have completely forgotten that all you need for entertainment and fun is music, passion and a smile.
