Browse Items (37 total)

  • Collection: Raíces Caribeñas Performances

Plena is a community tradition. Known as a “singing newspaper”, it tells a story, and traditionally brought news between the towns and cities of Puerto Rico. Everyone joins in the singing, dancing and playing.

Raíces Cultural Center ensemble member Dean Warren Schomburg preparing to perform and share the history and evolution of traditional Puerto Rican and Cuban music and dance traditions with Rutgers University students at the Center for Latino Arts and…

Bomba performance by the Raícitas Youth Program participants. Illustrates bomba dance, a conversation between the dancer and the drummer.

Raíces students often rehearse and perform with the core of the Raíces Ensemble. Practicing voices for a full chorus in the Spring of 2010.

Raíces Co-Directors Francisco G. Gómez and Nicole Wines in a Raíces Ensemble rehearsal. Francisco is also the Musical Director of Raíces. Pictured here in the spring of 2010 surrounded by cultural objects and instruments.

Raícitas Youth Program student performers illustrate the Puerto Rican folkloric tradition of “Los Vejigantes”.

The Raíces Folkloric Ensemble performing the genre of Cuban són at a concert dedicated to the music of the Caribbean at the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

The Raíces Folkloric Ensemble performing bomba at the Reformed Church of Highland Park in 2017.

The Raíces Folkloric Ensemble performing songs for the Orishas on the batá drums at the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

In June of 2009, Raíces Cultural Center Folkloric Ensemble was invited to collaborate in a cultural performance at the annual Brooklyn Puerto Rican Day Parade. The collaboration was made up of additional musicians and dancers from NJ and NY.

Members of the Raíces Folkloric Ensemble in 2017 after a performance at the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

February 19, 2011, New Brunswick, NJ

The Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble and student performers presented the folkloric traditions of the Orishas (Cuba) and the Vejigantes (Puerto Rico) at the Lounge Society's Annual Black History Festival. …

NJ musicians from Raíces Caribeñas preparing to perform at the Streets2k5 festival in downtown New Brunswick, NJ. Raíces Caribeñas played Afro-Caribbean and hip-hop fusion music at this festival celebrating and highlighting public art.

Raíces Caribeñas, the predecessor to the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble, performing as part the Streets 2k5 community and public arts festival. Raíces Caribeñas was invited to participate as part of the attempt to integrate cultural arts and…

There are many styles of bomba dresses and costume, both traditional and contemporary. Raíces Cultural Center had these costumes handmade by a local NJ seamstress for their educational performance series Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico in 2009, opting…

Plena is played on hand-held drums called panderos or panderettas, which look similar to tambourines without the cymbals. They are usually played in a set of three-the bajo, the seguidora and the primo or requinto. There can be many multiple bajos…

In June of 2009, Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble members were invited to participate in the Brooklyn Puerto Rican Day Parade, drumming, singing and dancing plena. Plena is a musical tradition that evolved on the island of Puerto Rico. Plena is…

Dean Warren Schomburg playing music with other NJ based folkloric Caribbean musicians

As part of the 2009 Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico arts residency program, the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble performed their vejigantes presentation at Paul Robeson Community Theme School for the Arts in New Brunswick, NJ. Students learned about…

Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble performed bomba and plena and presented about the tradition of Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico, an Afropuertorican folkloric tradition. After the interactive performance, participants had the opportunity to dance and…

Students learning plena dance steps with los vejigantes de Puerto Rico during an interactive performance and presentation at Paul Robeson Community Theme School for the Arts.

As part of the 2009 Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico residency program, the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble performed the music, dance and song of bomba and plena at the Greater Brunswick Charter School. As in all bombazos, audience/community…

Bomba is community! Students from the audience were invited up to dance bomba before the drum with the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble.
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