Puerto Rican Bomba y Plena
Fredericksburg, VA
Photo courtesy of Central Rappahannock Regional Library
Semilla Cultural is a non-profit organization based in Fredericksburg that cultivates Puerto Rican arts and culture in the wider DMV area. It was founded by Isha M Renta López in 2014 and is led by a team of volunteers committed to preserving and disseminating the Puerto Rican cultural legacy. Semilla Cultural teaches and performs the Afro-Puerto Rican musical genres of bomba and plena, which are grounded in percussion, dance and singing. Enslaved West Africans on Puerto Rico’s sugar plantations created the foundations of bomba over 300 years ago, and it continues to develop, transform, and connect communities to the island’s African heritage today. Bomba is defined by its dance, multiple rhythms, and percussion instruments. Plena is younger than bomba, and often reflects daily life, news, and social issues, which is why it’s known as the “people’s newspaper.” Its dance is characterized by lively, grounded steps, playful partner interaction, and rhythmic improvisation. Both bomba and plena use call-and-response singing and keep evolving to reflect the needs, stories, and realities of the communities that practice them today.