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Plena

Despite the fact that plena is often associated with Christmas time and parrandas, this genre is heard throughout the island year-round. The beat of the plena is played in a 2/4 time with differently sized and tuned hand-held drums called panderos. Just like the corrido in Mexico, the narrative of the songs details the struggles and burdens of the coastal regions of Puerto Rico.

Unlike the bomba, the steps become secondary to the lyrics and melody in the plena. And, although you can dance solo, plena is usually choreographed in pairs to a more blistering pace than bomba, with couples facing each other.