Daniella Hernandez English Transcription

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Well, today is August 3, 2023, my name is Amanda Ortiz and for my research project titled “Puerto Rican Bomba Fashions: Consumption, Presentation and Meaning Making” I will be interviewing Daniella Hernandez. Thank you for being here Daniella, it’s a pleasure to have you.

Daniella Hernandez

A pleasure.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

The purpose of this study is to be able to collect and document information from Puerto Rican bomberos, Puerto Rican Bomba practitioners about their experiences with Bomba and the Bomba dress to understand the deeper meanings and uses of the dress. Whether in the context of identity, space, and place. Let’s start with the demographics. How old are you Daniella?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, I’m 18 years old.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And where do you live currently?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, right now I am studying at Roger Williams University, which is located in Bristol, Rhode Island, so I live here on campus.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, so you don’t live there, didn’t you live there before or did you live there before?

Daniella Hernandez

No, I came only to study. Originally, raised and born in Puerto Rico, all my life.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, from what, from what town?

Daniella Hernandez

Canovanas.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, and right now are you dedicating yourself to studies and something else?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, I only dedicate myself to my studies. I have a double major in biology and public health.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And this is your bahclero’s, master’s degree?

Daniella Hernandez

My bachelor’s, yes.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And how old are you, will you finish soon?

Daniella Hernandez

I have three years left to finish. I’m just getting started.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, what gender do you identify with and what pronouns do you use?

Daniella Hernandez

I am a woman, female, and I use the pronouns she/her/hers.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

What is your sexual orientation?

Daniella Hernandez

Heterosexual.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Are you in a romantic relationship?

Daniella Hernandez

No.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Do you have sons or daughters? Can you tell me about your family? Is it a big family, are they close?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, obviously like almost all Hispanics we have a very large family, but I don’t maintain such a close relationship with the majority. So usually when I say family I mean me and my mom, always me and my mom.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And is your family in Puerto Rico right now?

Daniella Hernandez

Most of my family is in Puerto Rico.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Do you have any physical or movement disabilities?

Daniella Hernandez

Not at the moment.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Could you share your household income at the moment?

Daniella Hernandez

Very minimum, I can’t tell you, I can’t give you a number.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Don’t worry. Do you have any religious or spiritual affiliation?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, Christian, you could say.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, great, well those were the demographic data… Thanks for, for responding. Now we are going to talk a little about your Puerto Rican identity. What does it mean for you to be Puerto Rican?

Daniella Hernandez

Okay, well that is a very personal question, because I feel that I once knew Bomba and at the same time I moved here, taking into account what Puerto Rican identity is, it changes a little, but for me, being Puerto Rican means that I am a woman who comes from a resilient, diverse island, with a well-enriched culture.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

But you said, right, if you don’t mind, you said that it changed from when you moved there, in what ways that perspective of yours changed?

Daniella Hernandez

Well once, for me I feel that it is very different to be on the island and get involved in, well because when you are on the island you are not, you are there, and there are many people who are not aware of their culture, but because their in the island, they feel, “I am Puerto Rican,” you understand me, but for me it doesn’t make sense, you feeling that, that feeling that I am Boricua, I am Puerto Rican, but the reality is that you don’t know where you come from, what are your pasts, your antecedents, your ancestors, your culture, what really makes up a Boricua and for me it is having consent about what your culture is.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And do you think that moving to the United States influences you?

Daniella Hernandez

Well yes, for me it influences a lot because this is where, where you really have to have that grip and carry it with you and that nothing or no one, not any comment because well there are many things, for example, are you a citizen of the United States or are you not a citizen, having a passport in your hand, you understand what I mean. There are many situations that one deals with and one learns. Even I have learned to keep a list and everything, of all the things they tell me that you say, wait no, I am Boricua, I am Puerto Rican, but I do have citizenship. I mean, they come and go and here when you come to the United States, you realize that recognizing and knowing about your culture is what makes you Puerto Rican, because when you go to meet other people from all over the world, because when you come to the United States, there are people from all over the world, you recognize that the only thing you have to teach them or give to them is your culture and your identity.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And speaking a little bit, right, you mentioned that sometimes you write down those interactions, has there been, do you have an example of a moment where you have felt more or less sure of your Puerto Rican identity, whether in the United States or here in Puerto Rico?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, that I can tell you quickly just because it happened to me several times. When applying for a job at the university or in any other institution or any other place of employment, they always ask you, you have to fill out some paperwork, paperwork and, well, you have to bring identification, I don’t have identification from the United States, my IDs are all from the island. Well, usually to avoid problems, I always carry my passport. And one time when I was applying for a job, already having my passport in my hand, he asked me, “are you an American citizen?” And I answer yes, and she tells me, “but are you not from Puerto Rico,” and I tell her, “yes, I’m from Puerto Rico,” and well, those are the things that no, no, they don’t do it with bad intention, but it is a lack of education and I have realized that this happens a lot.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, well thank you for sharing that. What elements or characteristics connect you with your Puerto Rican identity?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, I feel that things that connect me with my Puerto Rican identity, the main one has to be the Bomba. I started dancing Bomba 3 years ago. I’m already on my way to four, but I hadn’t been around for long, I didn’t know. Even I started dancing Bomba, because my family was going through situations and I met Bomba and it was my healing method for me to heal and feel confident in myself, it helped me a lot. So I would say that once I know Bomba, then I knew what it is to be Puerto Rican because it is, it is a totally different thing and it is a totally different space and I feel that the people who I know, dedicate themselves to teaching or giving workshops or teach Bomba classes, because Bomba is not just a dance, it is history. So, when I started to meet those people, well, that’s when I said, “okay, here I am finding my identity as a Puerto Rican.”

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Are you currenly active in your Bomba participation?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, currently the transition was very difficult, because being on the island I once started taking workshops and classes, I was always at all the Bombazos where there was Bomba, there I and my mother would always be there for all of them. So when I get here it is very different because well you are not going to see it everywhere, but thank God through connections I am giving workshops sometimes at the Puerto Rican Institute of Advocacy with one of the greats, Lidia Pérez. I always say that in Bomba it is very important to recognize that you can search on the internet, but it is not the same to learn from people who have lived it, you understand, it is very important to respect the elders, at least when it comes to Bomba and well she gave me the opportunity. I keep dancing here, I keep exchanging, making connections but at the same time, it was a new way for me to see things, because I not only see for healing, for my identity, but now it is more of a method of creating intercultural connections and sharing and learning about other cultures through exchange.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Wow, it’s good that you were given that opportunity. You know that at least he has one, an opportunity to continue promoting that practice and, and now giving it to others, I mean to give others the opportunity to also practice that is very nice and I love it. So you said that you were workshops, do you dance, do you have any other bombshell roles or do you dedicate yourself to that?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, in terms of Bomba, I am only a Bomba dancer.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, and do you have a specific region that you are part of or a little bit of everything?

Daniella Hernandez

Well yes, well, I consider myself more from the Loisa area, I am from the Loíza region completely, because that is where I started. I am from Canovanas, we are right there, however, I can say that I like all the rhythms, I know a little about all the rhythms, of course, I am not an expert, but yes, if I had to choose a region that I identify with, then it has to be the region of Loiza.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, and you said you started 3 years ago, what was it like, what was it like that first time you got involved?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, the first time I know the Bomba. Well, nothing, I was going through a family situation and I stuck to my studies. I was like 16, 15 years old. I stuck to my studies. I would study, study, study. I didn’t want to have a life, I didn’t want to do anything and well, professionals recommended me that I had to go to open places and so that’s where I go to Puente Herrera in Loíza and there usually whenever I went, because you could hear the sounds of Bomba because they had, they were giving workshops in the area and then they kept pushing me, like look, try it, try it, but at that time I was the most insecure person on this planet. Right now, this conversation that I am having with you would never have happened and I would never have had it because I was one of those who was hidden away, from afar, don’t talk to me, no one tell me anything. And I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to until finally, once I said yes, let’s try it and after that every day, Bomba here, Bomba there, Bomba everywhere.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Wow, and what was that thing that grabbed you, because you said before that first day, I continue every day, what was that, that something that grabbed you from Bomba?

Daniella Hernandez

I feel that I can tell you that everywhere I danced and began to dance and began to visit, all the regions I learned something from all of them and they all made me feel some way, but at least in Loíza, the simple fact of being in Puente Herrera, Puente Herrera is a beach, I was on a beach that has the river and it was that, that connection between the sand, the sound of the drum, the, the sound of ocean, it was, it was a you te, you felt good, you understand me, it’s nothing, nothing religious, nothing spiritual, nothing to do with Santeria, there are many people who confuse Bomba with Santeria, they are two things, they are, they are totally different things. Sometimes I compare it to yoga, you do yoga and your body feels good, because when you dance Bombas in places that have good vibes for you as a person, you feel good and in Puente Herrera I felt that way.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, and right now how often would you say you participate in Bomba, whether it’s a workshop or if you give presentations?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, in terms of giving workshops and dancing with people, I go to the center every Saturday, but I have taken at least an hour out of routine, 3 times a week, I go to the dance studio and then I practice, I dance. Just because for me, well that’s my way of relaxing, releasing stress, especially when classes start, well I spend at least 1 hour, 3 times a week.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay. And they are always workshops or you also do presentations, bombazos, which one is it?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, they do, they do family Bombazos from time to time. At least with the group of the person I work with. There are presentations that are coming, but since I have only been here for a short time, I still haven’t had any presentations yet.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

OK.

Daniella Hernandez

Yes, one of those presentations that we all put on beautiful and precious.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

But before on the island did you do presentations?

Daniella Hernandez

Yes, before on the island, I was, I have always been from here to there, and always if they called, well there I was, but to remain formally in a group, I belonged to the Belelé group, which is associated with the Ricky Foundation Martin, it is a group of children and young people. For me it was a great experience, especially that was also where I learned to, to let go, to have that stage presence, to, to dress in the correct way, in the traditional way, not correct, correct is not the right word, sorry for the redundancy, but in the traditional way and I learned more with my classmates, who were the same age as me and it was a very nice experience.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay, awesome. And for you, what does Bomba mean to you?

Daniella Hernandez

For me, the Bomba is healing, resilience, identity. For me I have learned and I dare say that Bomba is not, it is not a single thing, for me it is everything because it is a way of living. I live through Bomba.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And, truthfully, that is the meaning that you have of Bomba from your experiences, what message do you understand that Puerto Ricans as such make known about Bomba, I mean, whether through social media, through education, do you have any opinion on that?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, I feel, okay right now, I feel like they are doing a very good job. Social media has served so much to encourage people to know, be informed and interested. For me, the Bomba has taken on a spectacular boom in the last year, something that had been lost, at one time it was mostly the bomberos and, for me, it was like a subculture, a subsociety, it was a separate people, but now more and more, because people still seem to want to know, “look what this is, what is this like? Wow, I want to dance, I want to learn, I want to know how to play, I want to sing,” and well it connects. Before Bomba and Plena were one thing, “ah, let’s go, let’s go, see Bomba y Plena.” The Bomba is one thing, the Plena is another. They are two totally different things, and like everything, social media, the people who inform can always have misconceptions or, or not digest the information correctly, but that will always happen.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Of course.

Daniella Hernandez

From what is being done, I think it is going very well and the people have that interest, which is the most important thing.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Do you have a rhythm, right, of the many rhythms in Bomba that you identify with?

Daniella Hernandez

Wow, I like them all. I love Cuembe, it is a very elegant and sensual rhythm. I am fascinated by it, the Cuembe. I also love Yuba because it is a, it is a rhythm, well of strength, I don’t know how to explain it to you, strength. The Seis Corrido is happy, I always love the Seis Corrido. If I have to choose one, I will always choose the Seis Corrido because it was the one I started dancing with, but I feel that it depends on how I feel because it is like I always say, the Bomba is about feeling, so if I am sad, I will I’m going to say that I like the Yuba. If I’m happy, I’m going to tell you that I like the Seis Corrido or the Holandés and many more rhythms that there are that I don’t know all about, so I go and ask those who do know.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes you use it as a way of expressing, to express yourself. And you’ve touched on this a little bit, right, because you said that Bomba has given you healing, especially in very necessary moments, but have there been other things that you have gained through your experiences with Bomba?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, Bomba is, in terms of Bomba, I have known how to handle different things because for different people the Bomba is something different, in different spaces, Bomba is danced in different ways, wearing the skirt, not wearing this and that. There are many things, why, because the Bomba is not something, as I say, that you, you search on the Internet for Bomba this, this and this and you will get the most basic and simple things, but, but the Bomba is something that has a lot of background that you cannot find, unless you ask the right people, the people who lived it, have studied it for a long time and well apart from that there are times that especially me, who learned to dance Bomba in Loíza, this is something very personal, but since we are at it, it sometimes was a little hard for me, because I am, I am white within what it is. And, well, it’s different, it feels different to learn in places, you know what I mean, where, where the thing that stands out the most is the, the, the color black. Well, it was, it was a little unexpected at times, but there are also always those people who, well, give you their hand and take you in, take you in, take you in and support you and within everything I feel that through Bomba I have always had the support of, of people, you understand me because it is always important to me, no, it doesn’t matter who supports me after they are people who are, well, respectable.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, that is very important.

Daniella Hernandez

That is why there are times, because for me the Bomba is a totally different community. I, the people I know through the Bomba, never and would never have met, leaving school and well.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, yes, more than a dance, it is a, a community as you say and the support and among all these interviews, that topic of community has been communicated a lot, so I love it. And when you practice the Bomba, right, let’s, let’s talk a little more about clothing. When you are dancing, whether in a workshop or by yourself practicing, what do you usually use, that is, what clothing accessories do you usually use?

Daniella Hernandez

Okay, when I’m dancing, practicing, I wear whatever. When I go to dance I also always wear what I want in a batey, whatever you wear when you dance, even the skirt, the skirt, that is an accessory. Because Bomba is not, at least for me, Bomba is not what you are wearing. Bomba is what you transmit with your body. So I am barefoot, I usually dance barefoot, if I have shoes on I am going to take them off. If I’m in heels, if I’m in flip flops, if I’m in tennis shoes, if I’m wearing a skirt, if I’m wearing pants, if I’m wearing sports bras, if I’m wearing exercise clothes, if I’m wearing whatever, I’m going to dance if I feel like it. Of course, usually, I wear my skirt, when there are rhythms like Sica, Cuembe, Holandés, Yuba. I really like to dance the Seis Corrido without the skirt, but there are times when it looks pretty too, especially in presentations, in presentations I will always wear the skirt. And sometimes in presentations, well, I do wear traditional clothing, but on other occasions I don’t because the skirt is not only what traditional clothing entails, as they say. Another thing that I always carry with me are the headwraps, the headwraps, I take them everywhere.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

How cute that one is.

Daniella Hernandez

I always wear them everywhere, everywhere.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

But everywhere about, when he’s doing Bomba or in general?

Daniella Hernandez

When I’m doing Bomba, when I go for any Puerto Rican activity, for example, here there was the event, the festival, the Puerto Rican fest, everyone with their flag dresses and not me, I go with my headwrap and my Bomba earrings and I wear them because I like them and if I’m going to wear something and it looks pretty with my headwrap, I wear it too.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, but then, where do you get, where do you get those headwraps and the skirts that you wear, I mean right, you communicated that it doesn’t matter, right, that you dance however you are, but that, that, those things that you wear where do you usually get them from?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, the key things, I have many, many shirts in African fabrics. In itself, the Bomba’s costume has evolved a lot, now it is much more modern that is what I understand that I dress much more modern than what is traditional, because what is traditional, even what we call pañuelo, it was called tiñón.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Tiñon.

Daniella Hernandez

Tiñon, it was the tiñón, the shirt was not a shirt, it was like a pecherín that is the fringe that are seen in the front. Then there was the skirt and the skirt had like an apron and then there is the petticoat and the petticoat had a lot of lace and little bows, well that was the show, the little bows and the tiñón or the headwrap or handkerchief. That was the show and it is important to emphasize because there are many people who confuse it and many comments that I have seen, for example, in the media are like, “ah, yes, there is that culture, that African side is seen a lot in dance,” but the traditional clothing is from the Spanish area, it is the Spanish, because those fabrics, those clothes that the African women wore were not bought, they were the landowners who gave them or gave them, or gave to the African slaves, those fabrics of clothes. The thing with that costume with its little bows, the petticoats, you’re not going to see it unless you’re going to see a presentation, because when you’re going to go to a community batey, what you’re going to see is the people dressed with what they wear and the skirt sometimes. At least all of my skirts are made by seamstresses on the island, as are almost all of my scarves or shirts that I use, and most of the shirts that I have made are made of African fabric. I use almost everything from the African side, the little bows and fringes, well I don’t use it much, but yes semastresses from island.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And, truthfully, this is probably your opinion or from what you know. I know that in different gatherings around the island the skirt, you know, Bomba is danced without a skirt, but why you think that the skirt has, it has stayed there like the staple of a Bomba, because almost everyone and you don’t see the long necks, unless it’s a presentation, well, why do you think that the skirt has remained a Bomba staple?

Daniella Hernandez

I feel that the skirt is the most that has been maintained, especially because when you wear the skirt, you paint. For me it is, for me, you are painting, you draw, you are doing, for, that is where the difference is that not only, because of that I am not, I am not a just a dancer, I am a professional dancer, I dance Bomba and it is a art in general, because for me the Bomba is a drawing, you see that skirt and you are there. You are drawing with your skirt, you are marking movements and the reality is that when you mark a movement with your skirt it looks much more elegant, cleaner, prettier, more striking and you have something, you have something that sustains tradition.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

I love that analogy of, of painting because it’s true, it’s like the brush when it leaves its, its, the, the paint, I love it. How do you, right, you said that you are a little more modern, but how do you define your Bomba style? Like, if you tell someone, look, this is usually what I wear. How will you define it?

Daniella Hernandez

Like, like, like, with a word like I…

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

If you have a word, 3 words, a sentence, like, however you feel.

Daniella Hernandez

I don’t know how to say, honestly I consider it very modern. For me, it is very adaptable to African fabrics, so I usually always wear something that has an African fabric or something, well comfortable and, and I almost always match my skirt with whatever I am wearing. I don’t, I don’t take skirts randomly, I always do, I plan because, although I don’t always think about what I’m going to present in a presentation, I, I know that I’m going to dance and when I go to a batey, well, I like to look presentable.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And why African fabrics? Why are African fabrics so appealing to you?

Daniella Hernandez

I don’t know, if I’m honest with you, I can’t tell you. For me, African fabrics make me feel more connected to my African descent. I always see it, I always want to be an example, I would always like to be an example, you understand me, and maybe one is not used to seeing lighter-skinned women with a headwrap, but at the end of the day this is not my hair, my hair is curly and it’s afro and I can wear my hedwrap if I want and well I like to carry that message and at the same time respect and carry with me that part, that piece of, of that Afro-descence that one carries inside.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Of course. How important is your clothing for you?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, in terms of my clothing. For me it carries a large part, it is very important to know about what the traditional clothing is, but in terms of when I am going to dance, well for me the clothing does not, it does not carry any type of meaning, so it is important because well, as I told you, Bomba goes beyond what you’re wearing. But yes, yes, it is something very important that one has to know and recognize, because it is part of history, that is where you see and recognize where the mixtures come from. Where is each mix? Where do those fabrics come from? Who were the ones who carried them? Why did they use those fabrics? Why did they wear those headwraps? Those headwraps carry messages. If it goes to the left, if it goes to the right, it goes backwards, if it goes to the front, they are all those things that make it important in terms of you to be trained and educated about your culture, but when it comes to dancing you can never ever limit yourself by whether, if you wear the skirt, if not, if you wear the headwrap, if you wear the shirt, if I dance with a skirt, if I don’t dance with a skirt that, for me that is not, it is not something important.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

But when you put on the skirt and the, I mean, do you feel different if you put on the skirt than when you put on something normal or is it the same?

Daniella Hernandez

Of course. Of course yes, the feeling is totally different when, at least for me, when I dance and no, and I can’t tell you what the feeling is, because I do feel in, in, at the moment I feel that drum, that barrel and I want to dance, I’m going to go out no matter what, if I have the skirt or I don’t have the skirt, well, but always if there are, if there are rhythms that well, you, you would like to wear the skirt and you say, “dang this it would look really cool if I use my skirt.” And well, it is a way of, of communicating because the Bomba is a communication between the drum and the dancer. For me it is a way to communicate and let go and make those movements look elegant, and, and fine and pretty. For me, yes, yes, it influences a little how I feel when dancing.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And I ask this question to all my participants because it is a conversation that I think we have to have about authenticity, I mean, for many people, authenticity is a little difficult to define, but you know, but at the same time everyone knows what does authentic mean. When it comes to Bomba’s clothing, whether traditional, the skirts, the headwraps, do you think there are elements that take away or add to its authenticity, for example, where you get it from? What materials are they made of? Who made them? Do you think that influences the authenticity of the dress?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, it is something very difficult for me to answer you, even for many people it may be. I may offend some people because of course, I am, this version that you are meeting and you are interviewing I am the youth. I am from now. Probably a person who has been dancing for years and many years, well, they can tell you something different, or a person who, their base is Bomba and is always surrounded by Bomba, then maybe they can tell you something different. But for me, where it comes from is definitely not something that loses authenticity. Of course, preferably, if I am going to be wearing clothes to represent my culture, I would like it to be made on the island, I mean, by hand, by the hands of people who recognize and are aware of what they are doing. I don’t ever, I’m not one of those who orders a skirt to be made out there by someone, no, I don’t know if that, it doesn’t feel to me, it doesn’t feel the same, that fluidity, because the skirts you create a connection with your skirt and your skirt is your skirt, that doesn’t change. In terms of, of, of mixing, of staying traditional, a little more modern. I don’t feel that it loses authenticity because when I see a dancer I don’t see what she’s wearing.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Okay.

Daniella Hernandez

I carry, I, what I see is how she communicates through her Bomba dance, what the story she carries says, because when you see someone dance it makes you feel some way. That’s why, well, in terms of clothing, no, I don’t think it influences the authenticity of what the Bomba is, but again, I emphasize that it is recognizing that you are educated and you know, when you enter a batting or you are in the Bomba community, you know who is conscious and who is not conscious of, well, of the importance of recognizing the uniform as they say.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, having that knowledge and that, knowing the history to respect it.

Daniella Hernandez

And, and there is that it is not necessary, you do not have, because there are many people who do not know and not because they don’t want to, but because of those who again like me, I would like to know much more, but when it comes to searching and educating myself there are no books, there are no things, so one says, how? It is the simple fact of showing interest in educating yourself. That is the fact of you wanting to know, wanting to investigate, wanting, well, to ask here to ask there. That interest seeing it is important, the interest in learning is always important.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, I love that you emphasized this because in truth there are many times that we do not have access to, to the necessary resources to learn our, our own history and that is why we have to, we have to ask and move forward and continue searching for resources, from the people and, and I wanted to ask you that you have a lot of knowledge and you have shared a lot with me that even I with my own research, research in school articles had not learned about the tiñon, what you told me about the clothing, where or from whom did you acquire this information?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, look, most of the things that I know are from people who have been dancing for a long time. Maribella Burgos, Lydia Perez who is the person, me, the tiñón, all that information I can send you the video and all I told her I want you to make me a video of how you dress, she has been dancing for years, many years, they are older people, you understand what I mean, I don’t go and ask anyone or if they are not older, they are not that old, then people who are educated, who come from family. Always you, the Ayala brothers are the Ayala brothers, the Cepedas are the Cepedas, you, Alduen, you know, you know that if they have that last name they carry the background and, not always, but they do. Well, the Bomba does have its regions, it has its communities and just as it has its communities, it has its families, who are the ones who have carried Bomba for centuries and centuries and centuries and centuries and for the generations that are us.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes. Does your experience with Bomba’s clothing or with Bomba influence your identity as a Puerto Rican?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, my clothing does it influence my identity as Puerto Rican? Yes it influences, yes it influences. It will always influence. When I put on, yes, when I put on my clothes to go dance Bomba like that, I casually feel a certain way and feel like I represent, but it’s not the same when I put on my full costume, it’s a totally different feeling. You feel wow, you understand me, I, I look, I look as they looked before, I look like the dancers that I see when they are going to perform who carry with them that, that pride that I am Puerto Rican and this is what I represent in clothes, in clothes. There is representation in everything, when speaking, the dialogue, the dancing, the charisma, the language, the clothes we wear, how we walk, everything, all of that is what makes us Boricua, makes us Puerto Rican , and, and the clothes moreover, how we dress, what we wear, in the moment of dancing always, it always makes us and connects us with who we are, because we are doing what makes us us, which is dancing the Bomba or the Plena or Salsa, or whatever we are dancing, but everything is an art, for me everything is art. Art is not only those who paint, for me art is you, you are an artist, if you dance, you sing, you, you sew, you knit, all those things are, they are works of art that carry with you.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, it represents them.

Daniella Hernandez

It represents.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And do your other identities influence how you feel about Bomba or Bomba’s clothing?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, other identities. I can tell you that there are many times that I, and that was once I moved here. When I was on the island, I never, never had that curiosity. Once I arrived here, I began to grow and became interested in learning about other cultures, other identities, because before I thought, okay, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, this, that, but there are, there are many things, many traditions that are traditions of us, but all communities, all communities, all identities, all regions of the world, all countries of the world carry with them something that makes them them, they have all their traditions, but most of them before being the United States, before being Canada, before being whatever, they were all indigenous lands and the Tainos were indigenous. So it is always important, things like the Bomba that you, you can listen to Bomba and you can listen to an African rhythm, my God, a few days ago I went to see a group from Belize, the drum there are things that sound the same but there are, and, and they danced very similarly, they even saw me dancing, I didn’t know what I was dancing, because I had never heard that rhythm and those people who identified themselves from that, from that community came up to me and told me, you carry it in your blood because you, you don’t dance for the sake of dancing, you dance because you say something when you dance and those things make me feel, you understand me, in some way. They make me feel special because you see the connection between all the lands. All the lands, before being what we are, were all indigenous. And then that’s where, well, I carry the costume with me, the headwrap, the skirt, express the dance movement, dance and say something with my body through the Bomba, I carry it with me because I don’t want to get confused, I don’t want to, I don’t want to say, ah, this is similar to what we dance here in Belize or in Peru, yes it is similar but, but it is mine, this is mine, you understand me, this is my culture.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes, this is Puerto Rican.

Daniella Hernandez

Exactly, you have yours, we all have ours and I love it. For me, the most important thing and the most fulfilling thing for me lately is to recognize and study other cultures and learn and know the background of where people come from, but I do remain key in that there is always something different and for me, in my case, the Bomba is what distinguishes us.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Exactly and there is nothing wrong with being different, on the contrary, you have to, how do you say, embrace that diversity because that is what makes us beautiful, that’s true, I love it a lot, that you shared that and my last question for you is, do you think that your participation in the Bomba and your use of clothing influences your daily style, that is, what you wear day by day or do you think it is as if separately?

Daniella Hernandez

Yes, no, it totally, totally goes hand in hand. What I wore 3 years ago as a girl, a teenager, well, well, it was totally different from what I wear now. At first, I just put on my headwrap for when I go to the Bomba, because that’s where I’m only going to see them, that’s where they’re only going to appear. You will see other people with headwraps, we are in that community now, not now, now if I want to wear my headwrap I put it on and people ask and on the contrary I take it as an opportunity to be able to educate that little bit, that grain of sand, that little bit, well look, if I put on my turban because well, these are my roots. The clothing has totally influenced a lot.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Awesome. Well, those were all the questions of, right, the questionnaire, the interview. Thanks for opening up. If you want, we can start looking at your photos to talk a little about them.

Daniella Hernandez

Okay, well, my first time wearing it, my complete wardrobe with my headwrap, my apron, my petticoat, my lace, all that for me was the most beautiful thing I had ever worn in my life. I felt like a princess, forget about a Disney costume, I felt like a princess, especially what I liked the most and the most well, it was the wow factor, it was in the colors of the island, so my clothing was in white, red and blue. And, well, I also had lace tied on my feet, I felt magnificent, I danced barefoot, everything felt perfect, it was like a feeling that this is what I have to wear now from now on, forget it. (See Figure 1)

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And everyone, was that a group?

Daniella Hernandez

Yes, this was the group, the Belelé group, that I danced with, and that even, that also had an influence because that group was for children, but I was one of the oldest and well seeing the little children dressed in their traditional clothing, that marks you and makes you feel totally different than when you go to an open batey and well, no, you don’t see it. Likewise, I remember that my best, best moments and one of the best experiences was dancing in, in the Ayala brothers’ batey. I started in Loíza, I never dared because I was always respecting, respecting the elders, those who know and they are the ones who know, I don’t dare, I don’t dare, and once I did, I felt spectacular and I didn’t I was wearing none, I wasn’t wearing a skirt, I was wearing shorts. Of course, I was wearing my, my headwrap. I made a belt of the same color as the headwrap, I wore my African fabrics, but I didn’t wear a skirt, I didn’t wear anything specific, I did wear fringes purely by coincidence, but on the contrary, I never, never felt bad or good because I wasn’t wearing my complete costume, instead I felt spectacular because I was living the experience of dancing, that’s what it was, it was something of feeling. (See Figure 2)

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

And more in that place.

Daniella Hernandez

Exactly, for other things, well, my Bomba graduation, when I graduated from some workshops that I took, well, my, my skirt was one color for everyone, but everyone was dressed in black, we had leggings, no, not really, the wardrobe didn’t influence, but it always did, the skirt makes me feel, it makes me feel different, it makes me feel more elegant, it makes me feel complete when it comes to dancing. At least the skirt and the headwraps are always what I carry with me everywhere when I go dancing. I can even go to a common place, where there will be people in their shorts, in their short shirts or in their casual clothes, and I will always be the only one with my African fabrics and my shirts, because well, surrounding myself, even if I’m not going to dance, listening to it and feeling, well, that way, me dressing that way, adds to me and makes me feel good as a dancer and as a Puerto Rican and as a person. But yes, I’ll send you the photo. (See Figure 3)

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Ah, well yes we do that because thank you for the time, thank you for opening up, thank you for sharing even, I mean, all your feelings, your knowledge. Thank you for, right, because by dancing, practicing, giving workshops, doing this, you are being part of the people who keep this tradition alive and that is very important. So before I finish recording, would you like to share something else?

Daniella Hernandez

Well, I am totally grateful for the opportunity. Totally proud of what you’re doing, especially because I know what it’s like to be in college and well, to be in the United States and want to feel close and, and I feel that what you’re doing, the research related to clothing and our culture, really, it is something very impressive, something that I would never have thought of, I suppose, being from the community and that everyone whatever age, or where they are from, try to bring a little bit of the culture, of their culture and where you come from, be it through dance, be it through music, be it through whatever, but recognize that there is something that makes them, in this case us, well, the Bomba, the Plena, the Salsa.

Amanda Ortiz Pellot

Yes represent the culture. Super.