We drove up the coast from Condado to Loiza, enjoying the rich green vegetation along the way as well as the swaying palms and immense ocean. The day was clear with just the right amount of clouds to keep the sun from it's full scorching potential. We stopped where the beach looked nice and dipped in the salty water, soaked in the sun and talked about what color fabric would look best for the skirts that would be made.
Loiza is known for it's distinct interpretation of Bomba Puerto Riquena. We stopped at the Casa Ayala where the prominent Ayala family continue to practice Bomba. It's a historical and important stop for all the In-Search-Of-Bomba types and has historical photos, information, etc about Bomba Loizena and the contribution of the Ayala family to the genre. We picked up a few masks, maracas, and CD's and then headed across the street to Samuel Lind's studio where he's working on prints and sculpture that depict Bomberos dancing as well as important figures in Bomba history.
His work is tight and his devotion to artistic representation of Bomba leads me to believe that he's just as much a Boma fan as any other. Samuel's work is beautiful and since I'm on a prints moratorium ( I have more prints than wall space) I didn't grab a print on my way out but if I was you I'd get one, next time you are in Loiza!
I had to leave Loiza and headed to Taller Tamborica inRio Piedras to meet up with Elia. She's got a great space and I watched her ensayo, danced a little and we made plans to meet this week before I leave. She's all about teaching people to be teachers of Bomba. After that we headed to Luis Munoz Rivera park that Denise renamed " Desde Cero Park" for a bombazo where the Bomberas de la Bahia repped
Bomba Bahianense (I made that up- that means Bomba from the San Francisco Bay Area!).
