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Angel Luis Reyes, distinguished performing artist, is considered today one of the most exceptional masters and educators of Bomba music and dance in Bomba’s native Puerto Rico and worldwide. Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and raised in New York from the age of 3 to 24, he attended The College at Old Westbury, Long Island majoring in communication and creative arts with a duel focus on music and photography. Angel began his career in percussion playing the American trap drumset, congas, timbales and later joined pioneer Bomba group, Teatro Otra Cosa under the direction of Felix Romero.He was part in the first ever ground breaking”Bomba Sinfónica,” featuring the folk drumming of Bomba and a western classical music ensemble in New York in 1975 in collaboration with CheoFeliciano among other music legends. In 1977, he realized his predestined calling towards the folk traditions of Bomba and his roots in Puerto Rico.As a disciple of the Bomba patriarch, Don Rafael Cepeda, Angel trained meticulous on the barriles, bomba drums, dance technique and established a strong foundation in time honored song renditions.In Puerto Rico, he performed and toured as a principal member of La Familia Cepeda, Los Hermanos Ayala and Paracumbe, the most important groups representing the differences in the regional syles of Bomba. He has also done tours with the renowned William Cepeda’s AfroBoricua group featuring prominent figures such as Felix Alduen and Angel Luis Torruellas. Angel became a multifaceted artist, drawing connections between traditional Bomba drumming and his early training in other percussion instruments. Simultaneously, his dancing has a recognizable trait of elegance, demanded in Bomba, as well as nonstop ingenuity.In 1981, with the blessing of his teacher and mentor, Angel founded Agueybaná, developing community and after school performing arts programs for the youth. For many years Angel offered dance classes and created performances in a special ongoing program to Down Syndrome teenagers and young adults in Puerto Rico. This also led to a tour and workshop series with these special students in Spain. His pedagogical approach allows him to teach both male and female Bomba dance technique with equal precision and grace, a feat conquered by few. His countless students, who they themselves have, become Bomba music and dance teachers, often return to Angel for invaluable advance lessons. His desire to pass on his knowledge has taken Angel to notable cities around the world such as Texas, New York, Minnesota, Florida, Chicago and Pennsylvania. He is frequently invited to conduct workshops and performance tours with national groups such as Gìbaro de Puerto Rico in Madrid, Spain and has collaborated with innovative artist, Modesto Cepeda in San Francisco Bay Area communities, El Festival Internacional Afrocaribeño in Vera Cruz, Mexico, El Primer Festival Internacional de Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Afro-America ?92 in Yaracuy, Venezuela. Carnaval del Caribe in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. Performance Venues include: Theatre for the New City, Teatro LA TEA (NY), La Peña (CA), Planet Ordway (MN), Bellas Artes (PR)/In the United States, Angel is a regular invitee to Puerto Rican music and dance conferences and symposiums as an authority often asked to give lectures, workshops and performances to the Bomba community away from the island. These include BomPlenazo, Hostos Community College in New York, Congreso de Bomba in Chicago and Maestros de Bomba en la Bahia in San Francisco. In New York, 2002, he participated in “ReEncuentro de Pies, Tambores y Faldas,” a display of Flamenco, Bomba and Kathak (classical Indian dance) in which he and his son Otoqui assumed the roles of Bomba choreograhers, singers and drummers alike. Later, the show won the “Premio ACE” (ACE award) and “HOLA”for Best Musical Production.Angel has appeared in videos such as “Raices” a documentary produced by Banco Popular in 2001 and numerous music videos. He produced and recorded an album with his band Soul Rebels, incorporating Bomba with other Caribbean sounds. His fusion projects include collaboration with salsa, plena, reggae, funk, rock, flamenco, chutney, soca calypso and classical Indian music. Recently, he recorded on a cultural project album to be released soon called Pray Drum/Ora Tambo, under the musical direction of Istvan Dely and executive production by K.C. Porter.As a researcher he is constantly examining the origins of Bomba?s intercultural components by way of archival documents, footage, audio and interviews with surviving custodians of this genre and has contributed greatly to the notion that it is only through filling in historical gaps that Bomba can truly be understood and appreciated. As noted by many of his interviewers, Angel L. Reyes’ recurring goal still remains as it has always been; to give the young people the opportunity to learn and share Puerto Rico’s rich history and culture through music and dance as a way to ensure that Bomba stands the test of time.