Big Stone Gap, VA – Kadencia is an ensemble that plays bomba and plena, music and dance styles native to Puerto Rico, in their traditional percussive form. Founded in Puerto Rico by singer-songwriter Maurice Sanabria-Ortiz and percussionist Roberto Candelario, Kadencia was reborn in late 2018, with the help of percussionists Maurice “Tito” Sanabria and Santos Ramirez. They now call Richmond, Virginia their home base and have quickly made an impact performing their heavy-hitting original music. Using bomba, plena, and salsa, they share their Puerto Rican culture, educate audiences on the Island’s native musical expressions, and make audiences move in ways they never knew possible.
“Kadencia, to us, is a musical term but it’s also used to refer to dancing. Dancing has its own cadence, its own movement,” Mr. Sanabria-Ortiz said in a recent interview. “We’re all about making people move, making people groove, enjoy themselves and learn something in the process.”
Kadencia’s music and sounds pay homage to and follow the traditions of plena from Western Puerto Rico, with narrative lyrics that vividly describe Puerto Rican society and culture utilizing long-rooted storytelling traditions. Kadencia has opened and headlined performances at events such as the Que Pasa? Festival, Richmond’s Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival, Viva RVA Hispanic Music Festival, the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Chesterfield County’s Festival de Música, and the Richmond Folk Festival. After playing extensively in Central Virginia, Kadencia is excited to bring their high-energy bomba and plena to Big Stone Gap.
Kadencia will perform on Saturday, August 26th at 7 p.m. in the Goodloe Center on the Mountain Empire Community College campus. Tickets are $15 at the door. Children and students are free to attend. This performance is brought to you by the Pro-Art Association and Mountain Empire Community College in conjunction with Pro-Art’s 47th season and the W. Campbell Edmonds Concert Series. For more information and to make reservations please visit proartva.org.
Tickets to the 47th Pro-Art season are on sale now! Explore the complete schedule of events, purchase season tickets, and make reservations at proartva.org. Individual shows over the course of the season range in price up to $20, while a season ticket to 30 performances can be purchased for $40—less than $2 per show! Season tickets are valid for all performances of the 47th season and can be purchased online, in person at any show, or by calling (276) 376-4520. If you’d like to receive show announcements or a season brochure, please subscribe to Pro-Art’s email or mailing list at proartva.org or call the office at (276) 376-4520.
Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, therefore individuals with mobility issues or general questions are encouraged to call (276) 376-4520 or email the Pro-Art office at pro-art@uvawise.edu. For evolving conditions related to weather cancellations, or similar unforeseen circumstances, patrons are encouraged to check proartva.org for up-to-date information.
Pro-Art is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Mountain Empire Community College, the Columbus Phipps Foundation, and the Lee County Community Foundation.
