Aguacero is an artistic, educational, and cultural project that focuses on the traditions and creative expressions of Puerto Rican Bomba music and dance
Aguacero literally means a sudden heavy rainstorm usually followed by a refreshing sky clearing and gust of sunshine. The spirit and practice of Bomba, like an aguacero, is intense, healing and promotes life and growth. Through song, music and dance, Aguacero embodies the life, energy, and continuity of water in nature.
Now led by its artistic director, Shefali Shah, Aguacero came together in 2006 as a collective of skilled Bay Area dancers, musicians, poets and songwriters practicing, studying, and performing Bomba and other Puerto Rican and Caribbean folkloric traditions. Aguacero carries out its vision to create and share new original works in Bomba and to affirm perspectives and expressions of the genre rooted in the teachings of our masters and ancestors.
Bomba is Puerto Rico’s oldest living music and dance tradition. Bomba originated in the sugar cane plantations of the island over 400 years ago where enslaved people from Africa and the Caribbean were brought to work under harsh conditions. Bomba became a common language, medicine to emotionally escape oppression, and a way to plan escapes from the plantations through song codes.
As a collective, Aguacero performed in numerous other festivals and Universities all over California including the San Jose, Oakland, and Alameda County Puerto Rican Day Festivals, and at UC Berkeley, Sonoma State, Humboldt State University. In 2016, Aguacero was featured at the BomPlenazo in New York City.
Aguacero is available for performances, lecture demonstrations, and educational workshops. For more information, contact (510) 681-1036 or bombaaguacero@gmail.com
Shefali Shah, Founder and Artistic Director
Shefali Shah is a dance instructor, singer, songwriter, choreographer, and education consultant. She is the co-director of the Bay Area Bomba y Plena Workshop at La Peña Cultural Center, where she teaches weekly adult and youth Bomba dance classes. She is the founder and artistic director of performance ensemble Aguacero, the youth ensemble Quenepas and is a principal dancer with La Mixta Criolla.
Shefali regularly presents at schools, universities, festivals, and events throughout California. For over 25 years Shefali has dedicated herself to the study, practice, and education of Puerto Rican Bomba music and dance. She trained extensively and performed with members of the legendary Cepeda Family at “Maestros de Bomba en la Bahía,” an event that she co-founded and co-produced, featuring master drummers and dancers from Puerto Rico. She has performed at the SF Ethnic Festival Dance, and with Aguacero at the Annual Cuba Caribe Festival (2013, 2015, 2016) , at the 2016 BomPlenazo in NYC, and West Wave Dance Festival. She co-produced “Maestros de Plena y Bomba en la Bahia,” featuring Los Pleneros de la 21 and Alma Moyo.
Shefali has performed with renowned artists such as Modesto Cepeda, Roman “Ito” Carrillo, Hector Lugo, and John Santos to name a few. In 2017 Shefali was Awarded the Alliance for California Traditional Arts Master Apprentice grant to mentor and teach apprentice Melody Gonzalez from Los Angeles California. Under her and Hector Lugo’s direction, the Quenepas Youth Ensemble opened for La Santa Cecilia at the Brava Theatre in San Francisco in 2011. In 2017, Quenepas’ Puerto Rico educational tour culminated in a performance at the world renown “Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian” where they opened for La Sonora Ponceña. Shefali, was one of four leaders of the 2019 9th annual “Encuentro de Tambores” in Cataño, Puerto Rico, dancing and singing with the Diaspora Delegation.
In December 2023, Shefali was invited as a guest artist to sing and dance at Tamboricua's 25th anniversary in Puerto Rico at the Coca Cola Music Hall. She has taught at universities in Northern and Southern California, New York and Puerto Rico. Through her teaching, music, dance and education, Shefali supports community healing and creativity to give way to cultural work that resists socio-political barriers and oppression.
Artistic experiences that have shaped Shefali as an artist
2011 - Co-led the Quenepas youth Ensemble performance at Brava Theatre in San Francisco. Quenepas opened for La Santa Cecilia.
2013, 2015, 2016 - Aguacero performed new work at the annual Cuba Caribe Festival.
2017 - Quenepas Youth Ensemble performed new work choreographed and produced by Shefali Shah and Hector Lugo at the annual Cuba Caribe Festival.
2016 - Aguacero performed at the annual BomPlenazo Festival in Hostos College in the Bronx
2017 - Co-led Quenepas Youth Ensemble for their tour in Puerto Rico. The tour culminated in a Performance at the world renown "Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian" where they opened for La Sonora Ponceña.
2017 - Awarded ACTA Master apprentice grant with apprentice Melody Gonzalez from Los Angeles California
2018 - Co-produced and co- directed “Yo Cantare: Women’s Voices in Puerto Rican Music and Art” alongside Hector Lugo. This show was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and La Peña Cultural Center as part of a four- part concert series exploring timeless archetypes of womanhood in music and dance.
2019 - Led and performed (with three other representatives from Diaspora) the Diaspora Delegation of the 9th Annual Encuentro de Tambores in Cataño, Puerto Rico.
2023 - Was invited as a guest artist to sing and dance at Tamboricua's 25th anniversary in Puerto Rico at the Coca Cola Music Hall.
