 thumb|bomba-1  bomba is one of the traditional musical styles of puerto rico.berkeley: bay area puerto ricans bring bomba to la peÃ±a, andrew gilbert, san francisco chronicle, 29-6-2005, access date 05-01-2012 it is the mixture of the three different cultures of the island, the spanish, african and taino cultures. the base rhythm is played by two or more drums. while bomba can be used as the generic name for a number of rhythms, its real meaning is about the encounter and creative relationship between dancers, percussionists, and singers. bomba is a communal activity that still thrives in its traditional centers of loÃ­za, santurce, mayagÃ¼ez, ponce, and new york city. ==characteristics== bomba is described to be a challenge/connection between the drummer and the dancer. the dancer produces a series of gestures to which the primo o subidor drummer provides a synchronized beat. thus, it is the drummer who attempts to follow the dancer, and not the more traditional form of the dancer following the drummer. the dancer must be in great physical shape, and the challenge usually continues until either the dancer or the drummer discontinues. bomba also is composed by three or more singers and a solo singer, the singing has a dynamic similar to those of "son" where the lead singer sings a chorus and the other respond, and in between choruses the lead singer will improvise a verse. the theme of most bomba songs is every day life and activity, like the case of a certain song called "palo e bandera" that talks about a love triangle between a female dancer, a female singer and the singer's husband the "primo" player. the wife realizes her husband is cheating on her with the dancer and decides to teach her a lesson on the dancefloor (also called batey, which means front yard). == history== this particular style of music originated in mayagÃ¼ez, puerto rico amongst the slaves who worked the sugar cane fields. these slaves came from different regions of africa so they could not easily communicate with each other but they found common ground in music. as opposed to the blues in the united states, bomba was not a form to expres
Puerto_Rican_styles_of_music