Lydia Perez – Born in San Juan, Capital of Puerto Rico, she grew up in the town of “La Central” or “Hoyo Mula de Canóvanas”. She graduated from the Inter-American University, Magna Cum Laude, in June of 1989, with a Bachelor's in Business Administration. Four months later, she and her husband decided to move to Attleboro, Massachusetts. A year later, her husband bought a house in Warwick, Rhode Island. She has been living in Rhode Island for 32 years. Lydia lives with Wendell Rivera-Davila, her husband (retired from the Armed Forces), and her two daughters Yidell and Dorothy Rivera, all of them members of Lydia's nationally acclaimed group, Yoruba2. Lydia is a highly accomplished and dynamic performer. She presents traditional music, workshops and productions from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In 1994, she and her husband founded Puertorriqueños Unidos, Inc., a non profit organization. In 2004, Puertorriqueños Unidos, Inc. changed it's name to the Puerto Rican Insti...

June 4, 2025 Dear Friends, Welcome to The Little SanSe 2025. This is a family event featuring traditions and folk arts. Some of you were recommended by leaders of our community. We would like to thank you for your support. Here is some information that we want to share: Free Events open to the public. Please no alcohol. This is a Family Event for family and children. Wednesday, June 25: Intensive Vejigante Foam Mask Making Workshop with Kenneth Meléndez, Artisan directly from Puerto Rico: 12:00 noon- 4:00pm. 6:30pm – 8:30 p.m. (Plena Music + Vejigante demonstration) Thursday, June 26: Vejigante Mask Exhibition by students from: Legacy High School in Pawtucket The Heart Tree community Master: Yiyi Rivera 1:00 – 4:00pm 1. Leather Restoration Workshop with Master Lisandro Guevara 1:00 pm – 4:00pm 2. Bomba Workshop: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, with Master Oscar Noel Carrasco Escalera Friday, June 27: Vejigante Masks Exhibition, presented by students from Pawtucket-Legacy Hig...

LA SANSE also known as Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián in Puerto Rico is the largest festival in Puerto Rico. The festival takes place on the third weekend of January. In Rhode Island, We will celebrate La SanSe in Rhode Island with a small demonstration on March 22 at the Brain festival at Hope Artistic Village and on Saturday, June 28, 2025 celebrating San Juan Bautista, capital of Puerto Rico, welcoming all the summer festivals in Rhode Island.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM for Pawtucket School Grade 4th to 9th and family

Dear Friends, Today is the day! PUERTO RICAN INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS (PRIAA) is excited to participate in 401Gives Weekend March 31-ApriL 1. please join us for our 401 GIVES (PRIAA) Click HERE. Can you help us to countinuing our indefinity project of LOVE. We are an only Cultural Center for culture exchange. We are Puerto Rican champion in Rhode Island.We invite you to being one of us. to give TODAY?   WHAT CAN YOU DO? Participate! Gifts of all sizes–$5 and up–will support PRIAA and make us eligible for prizes throughout the weekend! Click here to give on Friday, 3/31. Give early! Giving starts at 6:00AM EST on Friday, 3/31 and goes through Monday, 4/3 at 6PM. Early donations give us a better chance at prizes and publicity! Are you an early bird? Please consider giving as early as 6:00 AM. Spread the word! Please share our 401Gives communications and social media posts with FIVE of your friends. The more we spread the word about the work we do with and for all Rhode Island...

THIS IS WHAT WE DO IN... We're ONE WEEK away from #401gives and that means time to donate to PUERTO RICAN INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS AND ADVOCACY, INC. PRIAA. PRIAA needs your help this year, and every donation helps us qualify for matching prizes. Mark your calendars, set a reminder for APRIL 1, 2023 401 GIVES, and visit to learn how your donations will be used in the Cultural Heritage Center, our Caribean Arts Venue for you. See what we are doing... DONATE HERE...

Interesado favor de contactarse 401 935-1631 E-mail: priaayoruba@gmail.com PRIAA-ri.org

This project fosters the sharing of traditional (folk) artistic skills through the apprenticeship learning model of regular, intensive, one-on-one teaching by a master artist from either RI, MA, or CT with apprentices from one of the other states, as a way of knitting together members of the same community or group across state lines. Teaching and learning traditional arts help to sustain cultural expressions that are central to a community, while also strengthening festivals, arts activities, and events of which the master and apprentice artists will perform or demonstrate their results of cooperative learning to public audiences. The Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program at the Connecticut Historical Society manages the program in collaboration with the Folk Arts Program at the Massachusetts Cultural Council, with independent Folklorist Winifred Lambrecht. Primary funding for the program comes from the National Endowment for the Arts. Master Artisan from Massachusetts: Mr. Ca...

The Puerto Rican Institute for Arts and Advocacy, Inc. is requesting 15 families from the City of Pawtucket who are interested in taking classes on the History of Saints of Puerto Rico, Percussion, Bomba dance and Plena with Vejigante as a cultural exchange. The membership of these families will be free, thanks to the generosity of the City of Pawtucket as a pilot program that we have updated to foster and promote the Puerto Rican Culture in their City of Pawtucket. These 15 families will have the opportunity to learn through our learning programs for the Year 2023. Good gift from the Three Wise Men for the year 2023. First come, first served. The programming covers one semester of free learning. Beginning in the month of February until June. You will be given precise information in the process of your membership. Thank you for being part of this beautiful project that will exalt our Culture with our bateyes and parrandas. Every Wednesday, Bomba classes in the Community, at ...