Jaylynn Lyons; Group 13

Following more introductions, we lead into Bomba. After watching a short video in class about it, I was very excited to experience it live. Bomba is a traditional dance and musical style that originated in Puerto Rico. Bomba is described to be a presentation that shows the connection between the drummer and the dancer. The drummer is required to follow the dancer in their movements. The rhythm that was instructed for majority of the session was named “Bombiando.” The participants were engaged and enlightened by the experience by following the instructor’s movements. People of all ages that joined in Bomba expressed an energy that spread throughout the whole room. To “spice it up” the last four minutes of Bomba was the rhythm called “Quembe.” Different from “Bombiando” the rhythm was faster and included a vocal portion from the dancers to intensify the emotions that radiated throughout the dance. This was an unforgettable moment to watch a community come together to dance and release feelings of excitement and love.