PUERTO RICO TRAVEL 
THE TAINO & BOMBA

I recently received a grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture in collaboration with Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center (JDBCAC) that will help fund a dream project for me. I will be traveling to Puerto Rico to study my indigenous ancestors the Taino's and one of Puerto Rico's traditional dances called Bomba.

​

I will be learning more about the indigenous people of the island, the Taino's and exploring sacred and important archeological sites capturing footage of artifacts, tombs, caves, petroglyphs, ceremonial sites, and museums.

​

The island also has a rich music and dance culture that we will have the pleasure of researching. Our Taino and African ancestors that lived during the times of slavery used a musical style called Bomba to express their hardships and join together in community via dancing, singing, and drumming. As a dancer, this is going to be so fun as I have been learning Bomba on my own and it will be a blast as I learn from more experienced dancers and those knowledgeable about the history.

​

I look forward to sharing our research, footage, and interviews in free workshops at JDBCAC and in a documentary with music created by our local community.  It's going to be great to bring our community together to share and learn about our history and look for ways to help strengthen our communal ties. We have some challenges that may be different from our ancestors, and yet we are still healing and working through the conditions we were faced with. I believe if we can incorporate more music, dance, singing, togetherness and love we can create a community that is stronger and healthier. I have no doubt this will have a beautiful ripple effect into our surrounding communities and beyond!

​

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to see what I'm up to. I feel honored to have been given this opportunity and will absolutely share it forward.

​

I will be raising funds to help pay those supporting me on this project. I know some amazing local artist, writers, photographers, videographers, editors, speakers, workshop facilitators, wisdom keepers, and healers that will add their gifts to make this adventure a true work of art. I want this project to fuel us in ways that will create a wave of growth emotionally, spiritually and financially.

​

If you feel called to contribute towards our 10K goal you can donate via Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal (please use the fiends and family option).

​

Thank you in advance for your support!

​

If you have any questions please email me.

​

Also, please follow along with me as I'll be posting updates on Instagram and YouTube.

With love & appreciation,

Lynette

​