Dynamic Puerto Rican Bomba: Plaza de Armas, Old San Juan

I returned to Puerto Rico and its colorful capital city of San Juan last week for a little work and play. Working on a video spotlighting three local non profit organizations (more on that soon over at southfloridafilmmaker.com) but also finding time to photograph a few cultural events. The first one being a night of Puerto Rican Bomba at the Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan courtesy of Escuela de Bomba y Plena Doña Caridad Brenes de Cepeda.
 

Plaza de Armas, Old San Juan

The Cepeda family have been nationally recognized for promoting and preserving the traditions of Puerto Rican bomba music and dance for eight generations(!). The current Cepeda family are descendants of Rafael Cepeda Atiles, a prolific musician, composer, and “Patriarch of the Bomba”. He was born on July 10, 1908, in the Puerta de Tierra neighborhood of San Juan and according to Cepeda, he was born while his mother Leonor was in the middle of a Bomba dance.
 

Puerto Rican Bomba

Often mentioned as “bomba y plena” 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.
 
Bomba, which dates back to the early European colonial period in Puerto Rico, is a percussion-driven musical tradition 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.
 

 
Plena developed from bomba music around the beginning of the 20th century in southern Puerto Rico. It blends Latin American and African musical traditions into a uniquely Puerto Rican style and is recognizable for its robust percussion and simple rhythm (in contrast to bomba´s sixteen rhythms!). Plena lyrics convey a story about events, address topical themes, often comment on political protest movements, and offer satirical commentaries. It has been defined as “the newspaper of the people.”
 

 
In ancient times(*), men used to dominate the bomba scene with strong jerks and sharp steps, while the women used skirts to make subtle swings and shy movements. Then came Caridad Brenes de Cepeda, a woman who broke the unspoken rules of bomba, changing the genre forever. She used her skirt to make more aggressive moves, raising it higher than before as a sign of rejecting oppression.
 

 
And it was at Old San Juan’s Plaza de Armas where I once again had the chance to catch a “bombazo” courtesy of Escuela de Bomba y Plena Doña Caridad Brenes de Cepeda‘s “La Magia de los Tambores” featuring the Cepeda Brenes family matriarch Tata Cepeda as well as her daughter Margarita “Cary” Martínez Cepeda.
 

You can view photographs from my first bomba performance last year at Plaza de Armas HERE

Enjoy the photographs…
 

Margarita “Cary” Martínez Cepeda, great-granddaughter of Doña Caridad Brenes Caballero and Don Rafael Cepeda Atíles

A group photo closed out a remarkable evening of music and dance.

“La Magia de los Tambores” takes place every first Saturday of the month at the historic Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan. So should you find yourself in or around San Juan, do not miss this monthly “bombazo”. And should you be planning a trip to Puerto Rico arriving after the first Saturday of the month, modify your flight and reschedule your hotel stay just to make sure you’re there to see it. You won’t be sorry. Promise.

You can view the FULL GALLERY HERE

View a video of “La Magia de los Tambores” over at Dan Perez Films

All photographs taken with the Sony A7IV using the Sony 24-105mm f/4, Sony 35mm f/1.4, Sony 85mm f/1.8 and Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 lenses