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Date: 11/20/2020
GRANBY – A dance studio and center that recently opened their doors to the public is working to share Puerto Rican culture and traditions with others in the community.
Brenda Cepeda told Reminder Publishing her grandfather, Rafael, was “well known as one of the people that started” Bomba music. “So as a third generation, I’m just continuing the tradition,” she said.
She said her group has been drumming and dancing to Bomba music for years in the Pioneer Valley. This, she said, is how she decided to open the doors to Bomba de Aqui, located at 216 W. State St. in Granby. “Well I’ve been with my group, we’ve been working with the community for five years. I said one day, it’s time for us to have a place and people can come in and learn dancing, learn drumming and connect with one another,” Cepeda said.
Bomba, she explained, is a combination of beats and dances that have been passed down from generation to generation. “The music that we play is music that comes from our ancestors, connected with African Caribbean roots,” she said. “We have learned pretty much in times of slavery, slaves would come out and drum. We have learned the music, it has changed a little, but it comes from them.”
It’s not just the beats that come from their ancestors, though, the drums and dance moves are also a reflection of their history. “The drums come from our ancestors, the drums that they made,” she said. The drums, she explained, were made out of rum barrels.
Cepeda said the dance moves are a form of communication and expression, and as the beat changes so do the dances. “It was a free dance, an expression of how they feel. Different rhythms go to different dances,” she said.
She explained that when the dances were created, those who created the dances didn’t speak the same language. This, she said, was how the dances became a form of communication between them. “It plays a different communication. They did not all speak the same language. As we adapted to their language, the drums change. We have moroccans, we have our lyrics, our dresses. Our dance steps change as well,” she said.
The center, she said, will help teach people about the history behind Bomba music, how to drum to the music and how to dance to the music. So far this has been done using Zoom due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve been using Zoom. For those who don’t want to leave the house we drop off what they need,” she said. “So our instructions go for a week. So for that whole week, they have the drum ahead of time already.”
In addition to offering drumming and dancing classes, Cepeda said she’s hoping to form relationships with schools across the Pioneer Valley to help them explore the history. While the center is located in Granby, she said they’ve worked with people from Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee and other communities across the Valley. “All over the place,” she said.
She said they will do this by providing an after school space, a “multicultural learning center.” The space, she said, will allow students to explore Puerto Rican culture through drumming, dancing, and arts-based projects.
While the center largely focuses on sharing Puerto Rican culture and history, Cepeda said the students at the center have a variety of ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds. “All of our students have different backgrounds. We have white, black, hispanic [students.] We have all sorts of backgrounds,” she said. Cepeda recalled a student that after hearing her speak began to get excited and interested in their own culture.
This, she said, is why she opened the center. “It gives students a chance to explore the culture, and it gives them the excitement to learn about their culture as well,” she said.
Classes are offered for students ages five and up. At 5 to 5:45 p.m., a class on dance is offered, at 6 to 6:45 p.m., drumming class is offered and another dance class is offered at 7 to 7:45 p.m.
Those with questions or wishing to enroll in class should email bombadeaqui123@gmail.com or visit the Bomba De Aqui Facebook page.