The National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) will join a distinguished group of other iconic New York institutions on the roster of performance groups at this year’s reimagined Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The NPRDP has tapped Danza Fiesta: Baile y Teatro Puertorriqueño, one of New York City’s pre-eminent Puerto Rican folkloric dance groups, which has performed the grand opening of the National Puerto Rican Day Paradecelebrations for six of the last seven years.
NPRDP and Danza Fiesta will showcase Puerto Rico’s vibrant African heritage by presenting the traditional folkloric dance,Bomba, a uniquely Afro-Puerto Rican musical and dance genre that was brought over by West African slaves that worked on the island’s sugar plantations in the 17th century. Bomba flourished wherever the West African slaves and their descendants lived and worked, where they would dance Bomba while on the sugar plantations or in the town squares, during the evenings or on the weekends. Today, Bomba continues to thrive in Puerto Rico and in Puerto Rican communities throughout the U.S. and across the globe. Aside from being celebrated as a cultural art form that is emblematic of Puerto Rican culture, Bomba has been recently used and displayed as a form of peaceful and artistic protest, most recently during the demonstrations earlier this year to call for racial and social justice, equity and equality.
“We are thrilled to showcase Bomba and Puerto Rican culture at this beloved event that officially kicks off the holiday season in the U.S.,” says NPRDP Board Chair, Louis Maldonado. “We are beyond excited to represent Puerto Rican culture and celebrate our contributions to American culture and iconography, while helping to uplift the hearts of the Macy’s parade’s 50 million viewers.”
Danza Fiesta will perform a number that is inspired by an annual celebration in honor of Saint James, which hails from Loíza, Puerto Rico and features the island’s Taíno Indian, African and Spanish roots in a vibrant display of dance and music. The NPRDP felt it was important to showcase Bomba as part of this year’s Macy’s celebration to show the diversity of Puerto Rican culture in one of America’s most widely viewed events.
The 94th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature the traditional giant character balloons, vibrant floats and exciting performances by iconic NYC ensembles, including the Radio City Rockettes®, the New York City Ballet, the Broadway cast of Hamilton and the Big Apple Circus. Other participating New York parade organizations include the Coney Island USA Mermaid Parade, the NYC Heritage of Pride March, the West Indian American Day Carnival Association and the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Reinvented to prioritize safety during times of COVID-19, all performances will follow strict safety protocols, and no spectators will be permitted along the parade route. The celebration will air on NBC and Telemundo, from 9 a.m. to noon, in all time zones.
About the National Puerto Rican Day Parade
Now in its 64th year, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP)is America’s largest celebration of cultural pride in the nation. Programs and events preserve Puerto Rican culture through special tributes to national symbols, historical figures and campaigns to raise awareness on important issues impacting the community. The organization’s hallmark program is the NPRDP Scholarship Program, which serves to advance educational achievement in the Puerto Rican community. The Parade’s TV broadcast is a top-rated program and has been nominated for an Emmy® for three consecutive years. For more information, visit nprdpinc.org.