Herbal Healing with Food
Caribbean Cooking
Herbs
Participants taste the results of cooking with herbs.
Nicole Wines
10-16-2010
Levi Guerrero
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Culture is Family
Raícitas Youth Program
Family members involved in the Raícitas Youth Program and Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble in 2011.
Nicole Wines
08-05-2011
Lucinda Holt
L Holt
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Capoeira: Culture and Community
Afrobrazilian
Capoeira
The Emerging Artists Group exhibit was organized by local artist Elaine Morales, who also brought members of the capoeira school she belongs to, Grupo Senzala. The group did a capoeira demonstration among the artwork of local art students.
Nicole Wines
10-22-2011
Mestre Zumbi
Levi Guerrero
Elaine Morales
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Plena at the Brooklyn Puerto Rican Day Parade
Afropuertorican
plena
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 played on a set of three handheld drums called panderos or panderetas. Panderos look similar to tambourines but without the cymbals. The largest and deepest drum is called the bajo, the middle drum is called the seguidora, and the smallest, most high pitched drum is called the requinto.
Angela Lugo
06-28-2009
Holly Taylor
Francisco G. Gómez
Nicole Wines
© Raíces Cultural Center
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Brooklyn, NY
Una Plena
Afropuertorican
plena
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.
Angela Lugo
06-28-2009
Nelson Ramirez
Eddie Rodriguez
© Raíces Cultural Center
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Brooklyn, NJ
Raícitas Dance Class
Raícitas Youth Program
From 2009-2010, Raíces Cultural Center held classes at the Hub City Teen Center in New Brunswick. Classes were held for children and adults. Participants learned the folkloric traditions of the Caribbean in dance, music and song. Almost one hundred different people participated in the classes while they were being offered.
Nicole Wines
12-01-2009
Francisco G. Gómez
Brianna M
Jordy F
Bahia M
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Dancing for Haiti
Afrocuban
orisha dance
Haiti
After the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble was asked to perform at a benefit event sponsored by local Rutgers University students. Raíces Ensemble members and Raíces student performers created a presentation for the event, in honor of the orishas, or forces of nature, Yemayá and Ochún, the salt and the sweet water, asking for their healing energies to bring some peace and the space to rebuild amongst the devastation.
Angela Lugo
02-01-2010
Carolyn Haines
Annie Dent
Aja Washington
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Bembé for Haiti
Afrocuban
orisha dance
Haiti
Raíces student performer Aja Washington dancing Yemayá, the orisha, or force of nature, of the ocean. In Nigeria, the orisha Yemayá was originally a river, but in the evolution on the island of Cuba, during and after the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Yemayá became known as of the orisha of the ocean, or salt water. Yemayá is also associated with motherhood and is the mother of all orishas.
Angela Lugo
02-01-2010
Aja Washington
Carolyn Haines
Nicole Wines
Francisco G. Gómez
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Raíces Rehearsal
Afropuertorican
afrocuban
plena
orishas
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.
Angela Lugo
03-08-2010
Francisco G. Gómez
Nicole Wines
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Raíces Rehearsal
Afropuertorican
afrocuban
plena
orishas
Raíces students often rehearse and perform with the core of the Raíces Ensemble. Practicing voices for a full chorus in the Spring of 2010.
Angela Lugo
03-08-2010
Sean Battle
Francisco G. Gómez
Nicole Wines
Holly Taylor
Aja Washington
Annie Dent
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Kwanzaa Celebration
Afrocuban
batá
Kwanzaa
The Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble was asked to share the traditions and cultures of the Caribbean through music, dance and song as part of the 2010 NAACP Kwanzaa Celebration. Raíces Ensemble members are pictured here playing batá and singing to the Orishas, or forces of nature. The batá are the sacred drums of the Yoruba, used to praise and call the Orishas.
Nicole Wasserman
12-09-2010
Francisco G. Gómez
Nicole Wines
Holly Taylor
© Raíces Cultural Center
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Edison, NJ
Bomba Class Flyer 2009
Afropuertorican
bomba
Raíces Cultural Center flyer for children’s and adults’ bomba classes held at the Hub City Teen Center in New Brunswick.
Nicole Wines
Francisco G. Gómez
09-24-2009
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Orisha Art Show Cultural Display
Afrocuban
orisha
visual art
Cultural and educational display at the Orisha Art Exhibit. The display includes the batá drums, and peripheral instruments used in Afro-Cuban music, an orisha Oyá doll, a handmade Eleguá, Orisha tiles and a an Orisha poster.
Nicole Wines
09-18-2010
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Raíces 2010 Newsletter (6 pages)
Raíces Program History
Page 1 of the Raíces 2010 Newsletter. Article about the Hip Hop Ambassadors Cultural Exchange Program.
Page 2 of the Raíces 2010 Newsletter. Continuation of article about the Hip Hop Ambassadors Cultural Exchange Program
Page 3 of the Raíces 2010 Newsletter. Article about the Raíces production "Spirit of the Drum: History and Evolution of a Caribbean Tradition"
Page 4 of the Raíces 2010 Newsletter. Article about the Herbal Healing from the Island of Puerto Rico workshop and information about Raíces interns at the time of the newsletter's publication.
Page 5 of the Raíces 2010 Newsletter. Article about the Orisha Art Exhibit held in September of 2010 at Raíces
Page 6 of the Raíces 2010 Newsletter. Call for donations and upcoming event info.
Nicole Wines
11-18-2014
Abdul Muyingo
Yeukei Zinyoro
Francisco G. Gómez
Holly Taylor
Noni Sachdeva
Francisco A. Gómez
Hasan Rizvi
Aja Washington
Angela Lugo
Min
Sweety Almeida
Sean Battle
Joe Lentini
Ozzy Vera
Amy Garas
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Learning percussion
Afrocuban
orisha
percussion
rumba
Raíces Cultural Center provides arts and music education to the community. Here a student is learning the basics of Afro-Caribbean percussion with teacher and Raíces Co-Director Francisco G. Gómez
Nicole Wines
09-20-2010
Ana Hernández
Francisco G. Gómez
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
“Spirit of the Drum: History and Evolution of an Afrocaribbean Tradition” Tickets
Afrocuban
orisha
percussion
dance
rumba
Tickets for Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble’s 2010 Production “Spirit of the Drum: History and Evolution of an Afrocaribbean Tradition” Tickets
EVENT DESCRIPTION
The Spirit of the Drum takes the audience on a musical journey through the history and evolution of Afro-Cuban music, song and dance. This history, born out of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade and the resulting cultural fusion of African, European and Indigenous people, has nourished the traditions of Mother Africa and birthed new forms of artistic expression.
The Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble and collaborators will travel through time and across oceans illustrating the roots of Afro-Cuban traditions with music, song, dance and poetry. Through Orisha, rumba, danzón, són, cha-cha-cha, changüi, guaguanco, carnival and more the rich history of these traditions are kept alive and preserved in the Spirit of the Drum.
This production was made possible in part by funding from a Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage MINI Grant, as well as a donation of theater space and technicians at the Crossroads Theatre by Johnson and Johnson.
Nicole Wines
Francisco G. Gómez
10-30-2010
11-11-2010
12-18-2010
© Raíces Cultural Center
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Performance Ticket
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New Brunswick, NJ
Perth Amboy, NJ
Highland Park, NJ
Arts and Family Day: Family Bomba with Vejigante
Visual Art
Cultural Education
los vejigantes
Family participants in the vejigantes Arts and Family Day event got to try the instruments of bomba and plena and learn how to play a simple bomba rhythm together.
Angela Lugo
2-11-2009
Nicole Wines
Francisco G. Gómez
© Raíces Cultural Center
<a title="Arts and Family Day: Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Program Flyer" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/239" target="_blank">Arts and Family Day: Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Program Flyer</a>
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New Brunswick
Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Residency: Paul Robeson School Assembly
Afropuertorican
plena
bomba
los vejigantes
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 the music of bomba and plena and met and danced with the vejigantes.
Angela Lugo
11-9-2009
Gabriel Gómez
Holly Taylor
Francisco G. Gómez
José Chetrancolo
Nicole Wines
Carolyn Haines
© Raíces Cultural Center
<a title="“Los" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/3">Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico informational handout</a>
<a title="“The" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/2">The Music of los Vejigantes informational handout</a>
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New Brunswick, NJ
Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Residency: Dancing with los Vejigantes
Afropuertorican
plena
bomba
los vejigantes
Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Residency: Dancing with los Vejigantes
Angela Lugo
11-9-2009
Nicole Wines
© Raíces Cultural Center
<a title="“Los" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/3">Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico informational handout</a>
<a title="“The" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/2">The Music of los Vejigantes informational handout</a>
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New Brunswick, NJ
Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Residency: Dancing Plena at Paul Robeson School
Afropuertorican
plena
bomba
los vejigantes
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 sing with the vejigantes and the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble.
Angela Lugo
11-9-2009
Gabriel Gómez
Holly Taylor
Nicole Wines
Francisco G. Gómez
José Chetrancolo
Carolyn Haines
© Raíces Cultural Center
<a title="“Los" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/3">Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico informational handout</a>
<a title="“The" href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/2">The Music of los Vejigantes informational handout</a>
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New Brunswick, NJ
Centro de Artesanía familia Ayala
Cultural Exchange
Artisans
Artisan shop and exhibit center for the Ayala. The shop is decorated inside and out with vejigante masks and costumes, handcrafted by the Ayala family. Vejigante masks and costumes, as well as other handcrafted items can be purchased here.
Francisco G. Gómez
7-26-2009
© Raíces Cultural Center
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Loíza Aldea, Puerto Rico
Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Residency: Dancing Bomba at the Greater Brunswick Charter School
Afropuertorican
plena
bomba
los vejigantes
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 participation is key. Raíces Co-Director and Ensemble member Nicole Wines made sure to bring the principal of the school, Robert Agree, up to dance bomba before the drum.
Vanessa Jones
4-23-2009
Gabriela Pérez
Holly Taylor
Nicole Wines
Robert Agree
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New Brunswick, NJ
Los Vejigantes de Puerto Rico Residency: Bombazo
Afropuertorican
plena
bomba
los vejigantes
Bomba is community! Students from the audience were invited up to dance bomba before the drum with the Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble.
Vanessa Jones
4-23-2009
Itamarie F.
José Chetrancolo
William Torres
Holly Taylor
© Raíces Cultural Center
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New Brunswick, NJ
Habana Province - Conjunto Deboson
Habana Vieja
Conjunto Deboson. They play the classic Son music of Cuba. Janete on the flute, Jorge on percussion, Andrés on bass.
Francisco G. Gómez
8-15-2007
Janete Jiménez, flute
Jorge A Capote, percussion
Andrés Cruz, bass
© Raíces Cultural Center
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Havana Province, Cuba
No Roof - Loíza
Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria
Nicole Wines
1-13-2018
© Raíces Cultural Center
<a href="http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/digital-archive/items/show/363" target="_blank" title="Centro de Artesanía familia Ayala" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centro de Artesanía familia Ayala</a>
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Loíza Aldea, Puerto Rico