The Idea
In 2014 Aiyana Sol Machado was introduced to Victor “Tico” Fuentes of Loiza, Puerto Rico. A historian, Master practitioner of Bomba (traditional Afro Puerto Rican drum, song and dance) and a cancer survivor. He attributes his ability to heal and maintain his wellness to Bomba. He says, Bomba saved his life.
Tico created a Bomba Aerobics sequence using basic Bomba movements. Identifying seventeen (17) bomba dance steps, he founded Bomba Aerobics de Tico Fuentes. Teaching predominantly across the island of Puerto Rico and the New Jersey area, near his medical team.
In June 2017 Tico was invited to Minnesota by El Arco Iris Center for the Arts (EAI), a program in which Aiyana was the Bomba dance instructor, to participate in the annual Ordway Children’s Flint Festival. To offer Bomba Aerobics workshops to the community.
Tico Fuentes offered his Bomba Aerobics Class on June 2, 2017 in St. Paul, Mn. At the end of the class, Aiyana stated to the group of participants that she intends to begin Bomba Aerobics locally and wondered if anyone was interested in developing a practice. Vanessa Marie Cintron, a parent of a student in EAI expressed interest along with a couple of others. Initially the idea was to have live drums. About a month following the Ordway Children’s Flint Festival, Aiyana was not getting follow through from some. However, Vanessa was committed & it became clear she and Aiyana shared a vision and desire to move into action. Rather than wait for others to “be ready”, they embarked on designing their interpretation of Bomba Aerobics.
With Vanessa’s 15 years of Fitness experience, she offered a formula to support the dance choreography Aiyana developed. With the two of them joining forces, they held their first Bomba Aerobics class on Monday July 10th @ 6:30 pm at Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center on the East side of Saint Paul.
Both Vanessa & Aiyana agreed it was important to pay homage to Tico and ask for permission to use aspects of Bomba Aerobics de Tico Fuentes. They shared their ideas and he gave his blessings to continue to move it forward.
From the beginning they wanted to trademark Bomba Aerobics and come up with a fun logo for t-shirts along with other marketing and branding ideas.. Many over time asked what distinguished them from Zumba, another dance fitness program rooted in Latin music. To be honest – they were trying to figure that out as well. They had a feeling and some ideas but it wasn’t quite succinct. They knew Community & Bomba philosophy was at the core.
Aiyana knew Bomba Aerobics was the ideal way to introduce Bomba to the general public to advance the Bomba community in MN and to build community.
Vanessa knew Bomba Aerobics was the movement and rhythms she could integrate into her talk therapy sessions.
They both had their respective practices that could embed the practice of Healing Movement Mental Health, and they did.
The Name
While looking into trademarking they learned within the first month, Aerobics could not be trademarked. So with the influence of students, community members & some of their own ideas….Bomba Aerobics became BombaFit. It was perfect – Aiyana was the Bomba and Vanessa was the Fit! After a year of building the practice – They were ready to meet with lawyers who Vanessa secured to help trademark. AND THEN. Bomba could not be trademarked. So they went back to the drawing board, and realized they had to come up with an original name.
One day after class, Vanessa & Aiyana started white boarding ideas (I think Maryanne was there?). Vanessa suggested listing the rhythms of Bomba. Aiyana began listing the rhythms: “Sica – Yuba- Holandes – Quembe – Seis Corrido.” Vanessa asked Aiyana to make the sounds that she made when teaching Bomba. With Aiyana making her sounds “prraca-tu-taca-ku-taka-tum-tum-prra” & Vanessa shouting out random words, Vanessa says “Healing Movement Mental Health.” Aiyana paused. Wrote it. That was it. It sounded and looked just right! Healing Movement Mental Health.
The Healing Movement Sisterhood
Over time Vanessa and Aiyana began to learn more about each other – Vanessa continued to express how she wanted to bring into her therapy practice working with women specifically.
Aiyana’s mother, Panya, became a regular participant of Healing Movement Mental Health. Panya is a yoga practitioner of over 45 years who has a practice specific for women of color.
Then there was Cassandra, another committed participant who caught Aiyana’s attention when she brought in all her bomba skirts one day and shared how she has used dance, specifically Bomba, as part of her therapy practice. WAIT WHAT!!??
Following a class, Aiyana pulled all three women together in a circle and said “the three of you need to work together – connect”.
On ??? Vanessa, Cassandra and Panya held their first Healing Movement workshop @ Indigneous Roots Cultural Arts Center……???? INSERT THE REST OF THE STORY
Arriving: “We are the ones we have been waiting for”
On March 27, 2020 – in the midst of the COVID19 Pandemic. Panya calls Aiyana to discuss the use of as the name of the work the three have developed and specifically as they were in the final stages of their website. Initially their organization was going to be called the Healing Movement, but with another organization already using that name in NYC, they were in a position to rethink their name. As they were back to the drawing board (must have felt like Deja Vu for Vanessa), they realized at the center of their work has always been Healing Movement Mental Health. was what brought them together, all four to be specific.
It was a no brainer, Aiyana immediately said “thats how Vanessa has talked about it ” She was in. Everyone was excited about the possibilities. Healing Movement Mental Health.
Timeline