On Thursday, February 20, members of the Gaynor community were invited to a special presentation, Cultura in Movimiento (Culture in Motion) with Jose Ortiz, also known as Dr. Drum. Presented by the BIPOC Family Affinity Group, this event celebrated Black History and Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Months by teaching the Gaynor community about the Puerto Rican music style “bomba,” and its African cultural roots. It was sure to be an educational event, but no one was ready for just how much fun it would be!
To start the evening, attendees filed into the Yvette Siegel-Herzog Performing Arts Center and helped themselves to a spread of Puerto Rican food provided by local restaurant Barrio BX. The buffet included chicken wings, sorullitos (corn and cheese fritters), rice with peas, sweet plantains, and desserts of tres leches cake and flan. After sampling the tasty dishes and mingling with fellow members of the Gaynor community, attendees were ready for the presentation to begin.
Dr. Drum was joined by members of BombaYo, with special guest Alba Hernandez, mother of Green Cluster students Valentina and Antonello. Alba introduced the group and the inspiration behind the event, saying her experience with bomba had been a healing one, and she hoped to share that feeling with the Gaynor community. She also spoke about the strong community this music creates, and how the group aimed to bring the culture of Puerto Rico to a wider audience through this event.
Dr. Drum then took the mic, and explained what he felt was most important for attendees to know before the group began playing. He emphasized the importance of movement, how it better connects an audience with the culture, and the drum as a way to connect everyone as one. Dr. Drum explained that there are specific rhythms for each song in bomba, and the one the group would be starting with was called a sicá rhythm. The audience sat in their chairs, anticipating the performance’s beginning. But they wouldn’t be sitting for long, as Dr. Drum and the group encouraged attendees to get up and dance!
Some Gaynor students immediately shot out of their chairs to dance along to the beat as Dr. Drum and his fellow drummer set the rhythm of the song. Alba was joined by two members of BombaYo as additional percussion and singers. During the first song, one of the group members came down to dance with the students and show them some moves. Dr. Drum encouraged attendees to not only feel the rhythm and connect to the culture by dancing, but also by playing the additional drums that were on the stage. Adults and children alike made their way to the stage to try their hand at the drums and add their own beat to the music.
The first song eventually ended, but after a short break the group was ready to go again, this time with more call and response singing from the audience. Dr. Drum stated that having the audience be part of the performance was important to him because, “This is not a performance. This is my way of preserving my culture.” He continued, explaining that spreading bomba as an element of Afro-Boricua culture is important to him because he didn’t have that growing up, and sharing it with Gaynor students at their young age meant a lot to him.
Attendees sang and danced their way through the second song, until finally it was time to go. Dr. Drum thanked the Gaynor students and our community for joining in with enthusiasm, and not holding back. He advocated for drumming as a way of healing, a way to communicate, and a way to bring community together. It was clear that the Gaynor community felt closer together after this experience, and we are so thankful to Dr. Drum, BombaYo, and the Gaynor BIPOC Family Affinity Group for their participation in and orchestration of this event.
