what is plena

Plena is a genre of music and dance that originated in Puerto Rico. It is a result of the mixing of the culturally diverse popular class, where their workplace, neighborhood, and life experiences met to create an expressive, satirical style of music. It became a way for the working class to gain empowerment through parody. Plena blends Latin American and African musical traditions into a uniquely Puerto Rican style. The musics beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, also known as panderos. The music is accompanied by a scrape gourd, the guiro. Panderetas resemble tambourines but without the jingles. These are handheld drums with stretched animal skins, usually goat skin, covering a round wooden frame. Three different sizes of pandereta are used in plena. Plena music is generally folkloric in nature and is played throughout Puerto Rico, especially during special occasions such as the Christmas season, and as the musical backdrop for civic protests, due to its traditional use as a vehicle for political commentary. Plena has only one basic rhythm, in contrast to bomba´s sixteen rhythms. Plena lyrics are narrative and convey a story about events, address topical themes, often comment on political protest movements, and offer satirical commentaries. Plena has been transformed into a uniquely Puerto Rican expression by the influences of Jíbaro, native Taino, and European musical traditions, in addition to the contributions of freed slaves from English-speaking Caribbean Islands who traveled to Puerto Rico seeking work.