The True Power of Bomba

It’s Wednesday at 10:00 am. I walk into a dark, half full theatre. Twenty drums are arranged in a semicircle while a man wearing a white shirt and a fedora is loquaciously talking about “Bomba”, the traditional drum rhythm from the island of Puerto Rico. The man in the fedora is José “Dr. Drum” Ortiz, a co-founder and Musical Director of BombaYo Afro-Puerto Rican Arts’ Project, the keynote speaker at the “Playing Bomba Together: A Latin Percussion Workshop with 50 Bomba Drums” event.
“Drumming is like a workout for the mind”, he says, while he explains the technique associated with Yubá, one of the rhythmic styles most prominent in Bomba. The seats behind the drums are occupied by students and faculty alike. They try to reproduce the rhythm that Dr. Bomba just demonstrated. Nuyan Haque, a student in the audience, tells me that Dr. Drum has been explaining the historical importance of Bomba for Puerto Rico. “He’s doing a great job tying it up with the cultural relevance that it has today, bringing people together”, he adds.
As the workshop progresses, the incessant rhythm of the drums creates a climate a trance-inducing climate. Dr. Drum invites the attendees on stage to dance and join the experience. Two faculty members, Professor Hugo Fernández and Dr. Ana María Hernadez jump onto the center of the stage without hesitation. Improvised dance is an important part of the Bomba drum circle tradition and both Professor Fernández, as well as Dr. Hernandez, seem to understand this concept to perfection. But they are not alone. As different groups of students take the stage to play the drums, others join to dance, and with them, new ways to interpret the music. “I wasn’t too focused on the playing. I was observing the people in the audience enjoying the experience” says Chris Tobias, one of the students seated behind a drum.
“I’m an exhibitionist”, Professor Fernández tells me days after the workshop, explaining what moved him to jump to the stage. “It’s important to show the students our investment in the experience”, he adds. This is a concept that Professor Fernández tries to extend to the students as much as possible. Showing them that you can have fun in an educational setting carries a powerful message. The brainchild of Professors William Fulton (colloquially known but some of the faculty as “Dr. Funk”) and Professor Fernández himself, and with the assistance of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the CUNY Humanities Alliance, the Hispanic Heritage Celebration was born, in a way, to embrace all of Latin American Culture.


The historical significance, the cultural importance, the rhythmic qualities and the healing powers of Bomba where all showcased in the workshop. In Dr. Drum’s own words, “drumming got me through hard times, like the passing of my brother”. Maybe we can all find some use for the knowledge gained. A true testament to the real power of Bomba. 

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