MILWAUKEE — Latino and African music and cultures are closely linked, and a program in Milwaukee is helping educate kids and adults about that link.

What You Need To Know

  • Kids and teenagers from different schools in the area gather at Escuela Verde in the evening to learn Afro-Latino percussion and dance as part of Bembé Drum & Dance

  • Latino and African music and cultures are closely linked

  • Bembé is run by women. They mainly teach kids, but also organize drum classes and workshops for adults

The beat of the drums and twirl of colorful skirts create an energy you can feel inside Escuela Verde on Milwaukee’s south side. Kids and teenagers from different schools in the area gather here in the evening to learn Afro-Latino percussion and dance as part of Bembé Drum & Dance.

They perform at events and host community concerts. High school student Victoria Ayala loves it.

“I’m proud to be Puerto Rican, and this is a part of my identity,” said Ayala. “It’s my roots, and where my ancestry comes from.”

Aslan Castaneda, 12, started drumming in the program when he was six years old.

“It makes me feel like I can do something else, and it doesn’t just have to be what I learn at school,” said Castaneda.

It’s introduced a passion he wants to pursue.

“I think I really want to become a drum teacher or a drummer,” said Castaneda.

Bembé is run by women. They mainly teach kids, but also organize drum classes and workshops for adults.

Bony Benavides, from Colombia, teaches the drumming classes. Imani Jalil, who is Puerto Rican, shares the traditions of dance.

“Dance for me is life,” said Jalil. “It is a form of expression and really a celebration of all the beautiful cultures that exist within our communities.”

Their musical teachings provide a journey through Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central and South America. For them, it’s the growth of their students that’s most gratifying to watch.

“It’s being able to watch their technical skills improve over time, and watch their performance skills improve over time,” said Jalil. “I think it’s just really beautiful to witness that journey.”

The kids have fun, but they also get the opportunity to explore their cultural identities.

“It’s part of your heart and soul, to have that connection,” said Ayala. “There’s a relationship of drumming and dancing.”

Correction: The previous version of this story misspelled Bony Benavides's name. This has been corrected. (Oct. 10, 2023)

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