To bring cheerfulness and the Caribbean hit to the Europeans is the main purpose of the Folklore Group Sabor Boricua from Porto Rico, which performed its first presentation yesterday night (23rd), during the second day of Jurjevanje International Folklore Festival in Črnomelj, Slovenia.
Arrived from Bosnia also yesterday, where they were having a dancing tourney, the Folklore group, represented by 15 of their 35 members, performed a one-hour exuberant spectacle from the beginning to the end.
During the whole presentation, Jannira Mercado Montalvo, singer and group leader, described the story behind the Puerto Rico rhythms, in an attempt to bring the public a bit more about their culture.
One of the traditional rhythms of Porto Rico Bomba was the first music style to be played during the night. Influenced by African, Spanish and Taino cultures, it brings together dancers, musicians and percussionists.
To Jannira, being in Europe performing music and dancing presentations is also connecting to local people and sharing the cultural experience: “It is very exciting to be here because European people like our music. In the other hand, our group talk to the people, learn about culture, history and we even find similarities, for example, with dances we have in Porto Rico".
According to Jannira, some of the rhythms that are normally considered by them as being exclusively Puerto Rican, might have been taken to Porto Rico by Europeans sometime in the past, besides other cultural aspects: “In every country we go we find something we do in Porto Rico that we didn’t know that came from this part of the world”.
Folklore Group Sabor Boricua
The Folklore Group Sabor Boricua will perform other 5 presentations during Jurjevanje. Which will take place today (23rd), at 4 pm and 8:15 pm; tomorrow (24th) at 8 pm and on Sunday (25th) at 7 am and at 8 pm.
Jurjevanje
The Jurjevanje is taking place in Črnomelj and the full program can be checked out here (in English).