Lehman Center is the performing arts center at Lehman College in Jerome Park, The Bronx. It presents Latin bachata, comedy, disco, freestyle, merengue, rap, son Cubano, salsa, and more in a theater whose audience makes it feel like home.
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Latin Culture at Lehman Center
MARCH 2026
Puerto Rican Freestyle Rap
Sal Abbatiello’s Forever Freestyle 18 brings together TKA, George Lamond, Judy Torres, Brenda K Starr, The Cover Girls, Cynthia, Coro, Soave, and C-Bank; at Lehman Center at Lehman College in Jerome Park, The Bronx; on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 8pm (7pm doors). From $49. 🇵🇷 🇩🇴 🇨🇺
FEBRUARY 2026
Dominican Puerto Rican Salsa
Wish you could have seen the Fania All-Stars live? A Tribute to Johnny Pacheco pairs legendary salseros from Fania with today’s greats. Actor Nando Albericci hosts. Oscar Hernández (Spanish Harlem Orchestra) is music director. Fania legends Bobby Valentin, Nicky Marrero, Alfredo de la Fe, Jimmy Bosch, and Eddie Montalvo perform. Vocalists are Herman Olivera, Ray Viera, ANOVA, and Jorge Maldonado. It’s a Lehman Center at Lehman College in Jerome Park, The Bronx; on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 8pm. From $31. 🇩🇴 🇵🇷
This is about a close as you can get today to seeing the Fania All-Stars live. Oscar Hernández was also music director for another famous All-Star, Rúben Blades. We’re losing the Fania generation to old age, so go see them while you can.
Iroko “Kíko” Keith ~ The 1970s Golden Age of Salsa was full of Cubans and Puerto Ricans, but I always wondered where were the Dominicans. It was Fania Records co-owner and Fania All-Stars bandleader Johnny Pacheco. I spend most of my time in his hometown, Santiago de los Caballeros (where merengue típico is from). On Sundays I go dancing son Dominicano on the streets at Son de Keka in his old neighborhood, Los Pepines.
My favorite Johnny Pacheco story is that when he was seven years-old, his bandleader father gave Johnny his first instrument, a harmonica. Without any training, he took it and played “Compadre Pedro Juan,” which is basically the national song of the Dominican Republic. Genius shows early, and Johnny Pacheco was La Salsa.
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Lehman Center
250 Bedford Park Blvd W
Jerome Park, The Bronx