Leadership
Jannira Román-Laguer, LCSW
Founder and Director
She leads the vision, programs, and general direction of SanArte Cultura, integrating mental health, cultural preservation, and expressive arts as healing tools.
Jannira Román Laguer, LCSW, consultant and facilitator at SanArte Cultura, is a clinical social worker with doctoral studies at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago and a clinical director in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. A specialist in military trauma and certified in EMDR, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Seeking Safety, and Clinical Hypnosis, she has worked with veterans, facilitated workshops for mental health professionals, and founded the first therapeutic group in Puerto Rico for women survivors of military sexual trauma. She integrates Bomba and movement into her therapeutic practices as healing tools, fusing ancestral knowledge with contemporary techniques. A singer, dancer, and bearer of cultural heritage, her work honors the connection between body, identity, and ancestral memory, accompanying others in processes of transformation and resilience.
Victor Velaz
Musical Director
He oversees all musical components of SanArte Cultura, including Bomba percussion, rhythmic education, and ensemble development.
Víctor Manuel Vélez Flores, artist, composer, musician, artisan, and cultural manager, has dedicated his life to preserving and promoting Puerto Rican heritage. With over 200 original works of poetry and music, he has represented Puerto Rican culture in more than 15 countries, bringing bomba and plena to international stages. For 21 years, he was a member of the group Plena Libre, which received four Latin and Grammy nominations, and he has collaborated with groups such as Los Pleneros de la 21, Tamboricua, and Restauración Cultural. As a master craftsman, his barrels are used in the United States and Europe, and as a cultural educator, he has shared his knowledge in workshops and lectures around the world. His career has established him as a leading figure in Afro-Puerto Rican music, embodying both tradition and innovation.
Jeanitza Avilés
Artistic Director
She directs the creative and movement aspects of our programs, merging the Bomba tradition with expressive arts and healing.
Jeanitza Avilés Calderón, a consultant with SanArte Cultura, is an educator, dancer, and cultural advocate with over 30 years of experience teaching and practicing Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena. She holds a Master of Fine Arts Education degree specializing in dance and began her training at age eight under the guidance of Modesto Cepeda. She has been a member of groups such as Agüeybaná, Paracumbé, Tamboricua, Hermanos Cepeda, Restauración Cultural, Bomba Evolución, and Proyecto AfroLegado, among many others, and has performed in countries including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Italy, France, and the United States. Versatile in genres such as jazz, salsa, and Afro-Brazilian dance, she has created educational projects that combine culture, technology, and research, in addition to developing a methodology for teaching Bomba dance in a structured and culturally informed way. Her work, featured in documentaries and on international stages, solidifies her as a living legacy of our traditions.
