Las Bomberas de la Bahia

Bay Area African/African-American Latino/a/x Dance

Las Bomberas de la Bahia was founded in November 2007 and is the Bay Area’s first and only all-women’s bomba ensemble.  The group is composed of Bay Area activists, educators, and artists who actively contribute to growing the tradition of bomba and work to maintain and support Puerto Rico’s oldest African-influenced music and dance tradition, which formed in Puerto Rico’s sugar cane plantations by slaves as a form of resistance.  Las Bomberas de la Bahia have performed throughout the Bay Area for educational institutions, cultural centers, and cultural festivals.

In 2010, with support from ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program, Las Bomberas de la Bahia’s director Denise Solis and founding member Melissa Reyes travelled to Puerto Rico to study and practice bomba with master dancers, singers and percussionists.