Un Paso Alante:
Master Class Clinics
LP21’s Un Paso Alante (UPA) is a program consisting of master class clinics for adults with guest master practitioners in area-focused sessions, such as regional styles and solo concepts in Bomba and Plena percussion and dance.
Un Paso alante
El lenguaje de la Plena: Cadencia, Estructura, y Memoria Cantada con Víctor Vélez
📅 June 4, 2026 6:00pm-7:30pm
Tamboreando con Bony Benavides
📅 June 17, 2026 6:00pm-7:30pm
📍 Julia de Burgos Cultural Center 1680 Lexington Avenue, El Barrio NYC
$25 per class | $45 for both sessions
Space limited, pre-registration highly encouraged
🎟 Register today!
🎶 Los Pleneros de la 21 presents: 🎶
Un Paso Alante
El lenguaje de la Plena: Cadencia, Estructura, y Memoria Cantada con Víctor Vélez
Join us for an evening with Master Plenero Víctor Vélez, joining us from Puerto Rico, as we take a journey into the language of La Plena. Dive into lyrical structure, cadence, the art of storytelling, and the collective memory carried so beautifully through plena's song.
Through conversation, listening, and hands-on exploration, participants will deepen their understanding of how plena communicates history, community, and lived experience through rhythm and voice.
Date: June 4, 2026 | Time: 6:00–7:30 PM | Location: Julia de Burgos Cultural Center
Tamboreando con Bony Benavides
Join us for an evening with percussionist and cultural practitioner Bony Benavides as we explore bomba through its living connections to other Afro-Latine rhythmic traditions. Through this unique lens, participants will engage in a more profound exploration of the rhythmic language of bomba, deepening their understanding of musical conversation and the role of the drum as both foundation and voice.
This session invites participants to expand their rhythmic awareness while honoring the shared roots and distinct expressions that connect Afro-diasporic traditions. Together, we will explore how other rhythmic vocabularies can deepen our relationship to the barril and enrich and deepen our understanding of bomba.
Date: June 17, 2026 | Time: 6:00 PM–7:30 PM | Location: Julia de Burgos Cultural Center
Join one or both sessions to explore the rich rhythmic, vocal, and cultural traditions of Puerto Rican bomba and plena.
No prior experience necessary. (instruments available on a first come, first served basis).
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The Un Paso Alante series is made possible in part by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, The Rooted and Relational Community Grant made possibly by the Centro for Puerto Rican Studies and Michigan State University, and Sirius XM.
- - - UPA CANCELLATION POLICY - - -
24 hours' notice before class start time is required to receive a refund or transfer credit.
Refunds available only for individual session purchases. Full session purchases are not eligible for refunds..
For more info: programs@lp21.org
Former UPA guest instructors have included Dr. Pablo Luis Rivera (AFROLegado, Historia y el arte del baile de Bomba), Ivelisse Díaz (Canto, Historia y Etiquetas de Bomba), Julia L. Gutiérrez-Rivera, Nelson Mateo González (Baile de Bomba), Juan Manuel Usera (Baile de Bomba), Kily Vializ (La Plena en la Tradición Mayagüezana), and Juan “Llonsi” Martínez (Composición y Cántico en la Plena).
This video offers a brief look at selections from LP21's 2018-19 Un Paso Alante Masterclass Series. First - Canto de Bomba w/Ivelisse Diaz on 5/2/2019, reviewing staple songs from the repertoire of Bomba, and practicing singing with maraca in the correct rhythms. Next - Canto de Plena w/Tito Matos on 5/28/2019, where each student gets a chance to sing a refrain, learning how to compose on the spot in the tradition of true Pleneros.
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This program is part of LP21's Bomba & Plena for All: Learning through the Arts Initiative, made possible in part with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and generous contributions from individuals like you!
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If you still have problems, please note that credit card payments can also be made on site, at the door, the day of class. Thank you all for your participation!
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