Los Pleneros de la 21: Christmas in El Barrio Adds Second Show at Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College is pleased to announce the addition of a second performance of its holiday concert
Christmas in El Barrio, featuring the GRAMMY®-nominated musicians of
Los Pleneros de la 21, on Sunday, December 10, 2017 at 6pm. Drawing from Afro-Puerto Rican traditions in music and dance, including the percussion driven bomba and plena, Christmas in El Barrio celebrates community, family, and cultural identity. Tickets for this family-friendly holiday event are $25 (with ½ price tickets available for children 12 and under) and can be purchased in advance at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the Brooklyn Center box office at 718-951-4500. Day-of-show tickets should be purchased at Kumble Theater on the downtown Brooklyn campus of LIU, located at 1 University Plaza, or by calling the Kumble Theater box office at 718-488-1624.

About Los Pleneros de la 21
Founded in 1983 by National Heritage Fellow, Juan Gutiérrez, Los Pleneros de la 21 (LP21) is an East Harlem traditional performing music group and nonprofit organization created to foster awareness & appreciation of bomba and plena, two Puerto Rican cultural expressions. The ensemble, comprised of an intergenerational group of top musicians, performers, and arts educators, have since inception toured to over 200 cities worldwide, bringing bomba and
plena to tens of thousands of people from all walks of life.

The unique LP21 sound combines the raw percussion elements of bomba and
plena music with contemporary and urban genres like jazz, salsa, son, and even hip hop, creating an infectious rhythm and the highest caliber of musical creativity. For LP21 musical styles, dynamic and highly engaging performance style has brought the group countless critical acclaim and accolades, including a GRAMMY® nomination for their Para Todos Ustedes album and a National Endowment Fellow Award.

For over 3 decades, Los Pleneros de la 21 has crossed numerous boundaries and broken several performing barriers for the traditional and Latino music genres. They are the first and only bomba and plena ensemble to have toured in the former USSR, and the first to showcase their sounds at Carnegie Hall. They have brought their infectious music worldwide to countries including Australia, Germany, Canada, Cuba, and Thailand.

For their efforts, accomplishments and their cemented dedication to community work, the LP21 familia are regarded by many as mentors. They have fostered the passion and talents of future generations of cultural leaders of Puerto Rican art forms. Internationally, they are regarded as the "Bomba and Plena Ambassadors to the World."

The LP21 familia of musicians includes Juan Gutierrez, Camilo Molina Gaetan, Julia Gutierrez-Rivera, Nelson Matthew Gonzalez, Nicholas Laboy, Zaccai Curtis, Alex Apolo Ayala, Ivan Renta, Hommy Ramos, Flaco Navaja, Karenly Nieves, and Gabo Lugo.

As part of its season at Kumble Theater, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts will also present the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Lunar New Year Celebration (February 11, 2018), Daniel Beaty's solo theatrical tour-de-force
Emergency(February 17-18, 2018), an evening of solo works with NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron (February 24, 2018), Brooklyn-based jazz vocalist
Alicia Olatuja (March 10, 2018), and Step Afrika! (April 28, 2018). The company plans to announce additional performances in the fall in conjunction with the opening of the new Leonard and Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. Visit BrooklynCenter.org for a complete season lineup.

Multibuy discounts (three or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices. Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances at Brooklyn College. A 50% discount for children ages 12 and under is offered for select performances. Discounts are also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, active/retired military personnel, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show.

Los Pleneros de la 21: Christmas in El Barrio
Sunday, December 10, 2017 at 3pm & 6pm
Kumble Theater at LIU-Brooklyn, 1 University Plaza, Brooklyn
Tickets: $25 adults, $12.50 children 12 and under
Online orders:
BrooklynCenter.org
Box Office: 718-951-4500
Groups of 10 or more: 718-951-4600 x3331

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, Brooklyn Center for the PerformingArts at Brooklyn College presents outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Each season, Brooklyn Center welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400 seat Whitman Theatre, including up to 45,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools who attend their SchoolTime series, one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the borough. For the 2017-18 season, the company will present at the Kumble Theater on the downtown Brooklyn campus of LIU, while Whitman Theatre undergoes a 12-month closure for structural repairs. Brooklyn Center will announce additional performances for the spring of 2018 in conjunction with the opening of the new Leonard and Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are supported, in part, by public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Brooklyn Center's 2017-18 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Major support for the 2017-18 season is provided by: Brooklyn College, Con Edison, TD Bank, National Grid, The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Jazz Touring Network, the Alice Lawrence Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the TD Charitable Foundation. Additional support provided by CNG Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn Media Group, and WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM. The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Brooklyn is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center's 2017-18 season.

Brooklyn Center's presentation of Alicia Olatuja is made possible through the Jazz Touring Network program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges generous support from New York State Assembly members Annette Robinson and Helene Weinstein; New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams; New York City Council Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer; New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Tom Finkelpearl.

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