Los Pleneros de la 21 are a Grammy nominated, National Endowment of the Arts fellows, New York Puerto Rican, bomba and plena group of performers and teaching artists, based in “El Barrio” East Harlem.
A little advice. If you are lonely in New York City, study bomba or plena with Los Pleneros de la 21. You will find yourself in the most loving community. Welcome to Puerto Rico!
Los Pleneros de la 21 in New York City
The group usually celebrates Las Fiestas de Cruz in June, and during the holidays a parranda and a Gran Fiesta Navideña. ¡WEPA, WEPA, WEPA!
Los Pleneros de la 21 play bomba and plena for the Three Kings Day Celebration at El Museo del Barrio in “El Barrio” East Harlem; on Friday, January 5, 2024, from 1:30-3pm. FREE with rsvp. elmuseo.org 🇵🇷
Los Pleneros de la 21 celebrate La Gran Fiesta Navideña; in the Crystal Ballroom at Taíno Towers in “El Barrio” East Harlem, Manhattan, on December 17, 2023, from 2-9pm. From $25. losplenerosdela21.org 🇵🇷 🎄
Los Pleneros de la 21 with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra celebrate Los Pleneros’ 40th Anniversary and “Una Navidad Nuyorkina;” at Hostos Center in Mott Haven, The Bronx; on Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 7pm. From $42. mpv.tickets.com 🇨🇺 🇵🇷 🎄
Los Pleneros de la 21
The group was founded in 1983 by NEA Fellow “Juango” Juan J. Gutiérrez and Master Plenero Marcial Reyes Arvelo. Gutiérrez still leads the group.
The group’s name comes from the old trolley or bus stop 21 in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. That stop was once a neighborhood of famous pleneros.
They are NEA – National Endowment of the Arts fellows. “Para Todos Ustedes” was Grammy-nominated for “Best Traditional World Music Album” in 2005.
Bomba and Plena
The group’s name refers to plena, but they are usually photographed singing, drumming, and dancing bomba. Don’t be confused.
Bomba and plena are not the same thing, though in Puerto Rico, they come from the same neighborhoods. Folkloric groups in the Puerto Rican Diaspora usually do both arts. That’s why you see “bomba y plena” together.
- Bomba uses a barril, a barrel drum that used to be made from rum barrels.
- Plena uses the pandereta, a hand drum like a tambourine without jingles, which originally came from the Arab world.
The rhythms and dances are different too. Bomba and plena influences are one of the things that makes New York salsa different from its son Cubano roots.
Many people associate bomba dancing with the striking woman’s movements and dress work. But men dance bomba too, and sometimes are even more interesting. Try it. It’s easy and fun.
New York Venues
These are some of the places where Los Pleneros de la 21 play:
- El Museo del Barrio in “El Barrio” East Harlem
- Julia de Burgos Cultural Center in El Barrio East Harlem.
- Hostos Center in Mott Haven, The Bronx.
- Pregones/PRTT in Concourse, The Bronx.
- Taíno Towers in “El Barrio” East Harlem.
To learn more, visit losplenerosdela21.org
X (Twitter) @Pleneros21
Facebook @Pleneros21
Instagram @pleneros21