Los Pleneros de la 21

Founded in 1983 by National Heritage Fellow, Juan Gutiérrez, Los Pleneros de la 21, is a non-profit, East Harlem-based group of Puerto Rican folk masters and professional musicians, united in common cause to expose and highlight the importance of the traditional musical forms of Bomba and Plena.Through energetic, sociable and interactive performances, Los Pleneros have developed an extraordinary presence in the Puerto Rican community and beyond. Since 1986 the group started presenting cultural and educational programs which led us to become a non-profit organization. Its name, Los Pleneros de la 21, means "Plena musicians of Bus Stop No. 21", named after a neighborhood in Santurce, Puerto Rico, famed for the renowned practitioners who lived there, many among them, founding fathers of these expressions. In New York City and United States, Los Pleneros have been the major custodians as well as tireless of the Bomba and Plena traditions and traditional Puerto Rican values and identity.Los Pleneros de la 21 is dedicated to fostering awareness, appreciation and understanding of the richness and vitality of Puerto Rican artistic traditions of African descent and Creole, as well as to promote their further development. Our overall goals are: 1) to present accessible public traditional music programming; 2) to expose inner city youth and others to the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico and encourage their active participation in these traditions and, 3) to perform a repertoire of works embedded in the rich tradition of Puerto Rican folk music to audiences everywhere.