Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
depiction of poverty on the island. His work has joined the permanent collection of the Mu-
seum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress.
Myrna Báez is one of a new generation of female artists building on Puerto Rico's tradi-
tions to create exciting installation art. Her work is exhibited in many San Juan galleries.
Better known by the nickname Diplo, Ramón Rivero was the king of Puerto Rican comedy who kept islanders laughing through
times of intense economic hardship in the 1940s and '50s. He also starred in one of Puerto Rico's finest films,
Los peloteros
(The Baseball Players).
Dance
The rolling gait of salsa is inexorably linked with the Puerto Rican identity, and the island's
attitude toward dance often has a refreshing lack of North American reserve.
Over time, many classifiable musical forms -
bomba,
salsa,
plena
and
danza
- have
evolved complementary dances based on syncopated rhythms and melodies. An early ex-
ample was the formal
danza,
an elegant ballroom dance imported from Cuba.
Bomba
is another colorful import, with influences brought via African slaves. Boister-
ously energetic,
bomba
has spawned a plethora of subgenres such as
sica, yuba
and
holan-
des,
and is both spontaneous and exciting to watch.
Puerto Rico's signature dance is certainly salsa. With its sensuous moves and strong
African rhythmic base, it seems like the perfect expression of Puerto Rico's cultural DNA
- loose-limbed locals make it look as simple as walking. Salsa is relatively easy to learn,
and it is studied around the world.
To see the best Puerto Rican dance, head to San Juan's numerous nightclubs, where
steamy Friday dancefloors can only be cooled with icy mojitos.
