Words: Meghan Moore
Photos: Zach Grable
On Friday, December 2, 2016, Centennial students taking Spanish IV and V were able to attend a workshop with Maryland based band Los Hijo ‘e Plena for a traditional Puerto Rican genre of music called la plena. New York author César Colón Montijo, a doctoral candidate at Columbia University and author of the book Viaje A La Casita, was also in attendance to talk to the students about the origins and motivations behind his book.
Students were able to engage in an authentic American-Puerto Rican music experience while getting a taste of the cultural diffusion that has spread from Puerto Rico to America. The band pulled students from the audience and taught them how to play traditional drums while other students in the audience sang and danced.
For more information on la plena and local performances, visit the Facebook page Cultura Plenera.
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