Richmond's Claves Unidos dancers will be among the groups performing at the 14th annual Imagine Festival. (Photo by Daniel Bustamente)
The sounds of drums and feet hitting the floor in a nonverbal dialogue known as the bomba from Puerto Rico will be among the sights to witness at the 14th annual Imagine Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20.
Ángel Alberto Rodríguez Serrano, also known as Salsa Guy Richmond, will be dancing with Salsa Guy's Bomba y Plena as one of the cultural performances scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. at the Broad Rock Sports Complex.
“The dancer, him or her, actually does movements challenging the drummer, and the drummer replicates the movement,” Rodríguez Serrano says of the bomba. “So the music that you hear is essentially created by the movement of the dancers.”
The dance derived from the need for a common language between enslaved Africans who spoke different languages.
“Back in the 1800s, the dance was used to be able to communicate ways to create rebellions and to help people escape from sugar cane plantations,” Rodríguez Serrano says. “So the movements resemble communication between the enslaved Africans.”
Other groups will demonstrate ethnic dances from Hispanic, Sudanese, Japanese and other traditions. Performers include Claves Unidos, Sacred Heart Folklorico, Happiness Dance Studios and more. There will also be cultural foods, arts, crafts, exhibits and family activities.
The Sacred Heart Folklorico group is among those set to perform. (Photo by Daniel Bustamente)
“The Imagine Festival is a great opportunity to highlight Richmond’s diversity and for people to experience various cultures together,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney says in a statement announcing the event.
Along with the performances, the programs La Casa de la Salud and Una Vida Sana will provide free preventive care and health care screenings. Over 50 other local organizations will talk about the services that they provide as well.
Rodríguez Serrano says performing at the festival offers a chance to feature Caribbean-Hispanic culture.
“It gives us the opportunity to show [that we are] a part of Hispanic culture, because when we talk about the Hispanic culture, we normally think about Central and South America. The Caribbean sometimes is not represented. So this allows us the opportunity to insert the Caribbean into the flow of these festivals.”
The 14th annual Imagine Festival takes place at Broad Rock Sports Complex, 4802 Warwick Road, from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free, with food and drink available for purchase.
