LeAna López is a first-generation Nuyorican, born and raised in Spanish Harlem. Her journey as a practitioner of Puerto Rican Bomba y Plena began at the age of 7, where she was part of Los Pleneros de La 21’s Children’s Workshop. Today, LeAna is one of the lead instructors for LP21’s community workshops where she serves as the Community Programs Manager. LeAna has a bachelor’s from Hunter College in Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies and a Master’s in Special Education from Brooklyn College. She has stepped into the classroom in a new capacity, and is now a full-time teaching artist, where she is committed to the education, preservation and transmission of Puerto Rican Bomba y Plena. LeAna is also a teaching artist with City Lore and has recently been awarded the Community Collections Grant from the Library of Congress. She will collaborate with LP21 artists to document the evolving practices and perspectives of Bomba and Plena in the Diaspora.