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Afro-Caribbean Colombian
Power. All-Female Percussive
Collective. NYC
Power. All-Female Percussive
Collective. NYC
OVERVIEW — RHYTHM, LINEAGE & COLLECTIVE POWER
Cumbia with muscle. Tradition in motion.
La Manga is New York City’s first all-female percussive collective dedicated to the Colombian cumbia tradition. Rooted in Afro-Caribbean Colombian lineages and energized by contemporary expression, their sound fuses cumbia, tambora, chandé, and rap, driven by the ancestral pulse of
tambor alegre, tambora, llamador, and maracas.
Founded by Colombian percussionist and songwriter Daniela Serna, the project draws on over two decades of study with cultural elders across Colombia, including Palenque, San Jacinto, Ovejas, Puerto Escondido, and San Martín de Loba. Her mentors include Petrona Martínez, Emilsen Pacheco, Carmelo Torres, and Sixto Silgado “Paito.”
La Manga emerges from the strength of women’s collectives — from Daniela’s work with La Perla (the first all-female Bogotá group to win the Festival de Gaitas) and LADAMA (featured on NPR Tiny Desk, TED, and the Latin American Music Awards), to a New York–based collective model built on shared leadership, mutual support, and rhythmic authority.
Each La Manga performance — known as a MANGAZO — is a visceral, dance-driven celebration that transforms ancestral rhythm into a living, communal experience.
La Manga is New York City’s first all-female percussive collective dedicated to the Colombian cumbia tradition. Rooted in Afro-Caribbean Colombian lineages and energized by contemporary expression, their sound fuses cumbia, tambora, chandé, and rap, driven by the ancestral pulse of
tambor alegre, tambora, llamador, and maracas.
Founded by Colombian percussionist and songwriter Daniela Serna, the project draws on over two decades of study with cultural elders across Colombia, including Palenque, San Jacinto, Ovejas, Puerto Escondido, and San Martín de Loba. Her mentors include Petrona Martínez, Emilsen Pacheco, Carmelo Torres, and Sixto Silgado “Paito.”
La Manga emerges from the strength of women’s collectives — from Daniela’s work with La Perla (the first all-female Bogotá group to win the Festival de Gaitas) and LADAMA (featured on NPR Tiny Desk, TED, and the Latin American Music Awards), to a New York–based collective model built on shared leadership, mutual support, and rhythmic authority.
Each La Manga performance — known as a MANGAZO — is a visceral, dance-driven celebration that transforms ancestral rhythm into a living, communal experience.
LIVE PERFORMANCE, PRESS & MAJOR STAGES
From ritual to world-class venues
La Manga’s concerts are immersive and physical, led by percussion, powerful vocals, and collective movement. Rhythm is not accompaniment — it is the narrative, the engine, and the invitation.
The group has been featured in The New York Times and has performed at major cultural institutions and venues including Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Sony Hall, Joe’s Pub, Nublu, MoMA PS1, City Winery, Queens Theatre, Bronx Music Heritage Center, Museum of the City of New York, DROM, Public Records, Bar Lunático, and more.
International and regional touring includes performances in Puerto Rico,
as well as tours through Washington D.C., Baltimore, and New York State.
La Manga’s concerts are immersive and physical, led by percussion, powerful vocals, and collective movement. Rhythm is not accompaniment — it is the narrative, the engine, and the invitation.
The group has been featured in The New York Times and has performed at major cultural institutions and venues including Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Sony Hall, Joe’s Pub, Nublu, MoMA PS1, City Winery, Queens Theatre, Bronx Music Heritage Center, Museum of the City of New York, DROM, Public Records, Bar Lunático, and more.
International and regional touring includes performances in Puerto Rico,
as well as tours through Washington D.C., Baltimore, and New York State.
COLLABORATIONS, TOUR SUCCESS & 2026 OUTLOOK
Expanding the circle
La Manga has shared stages with leading artists across the global, Latin, and world-music scenes.
Selected collaborators and shared stages include:
The Klezmatics (collaboration and recording), Arturo O’Farrill, Vieux Farka Touré, Flor de Toloache, Yasser Tejeda, Samir Langus, Las Mariquitas, Ramón Chicharron, and Pascuala Ilabaca.
▪ The Klezmatics Collaboration
La Manga is actively collaborating and recording new music with the Grammy-winning Klezmatics for their upcoming album We Were Made for These Times. The project brings Afro-Caribbean Colombian percussion into dialogue with radical klezmer, Yiddish song, and socially engaged global music, positioning La Manga within one of the most ambitious cross-cultural recording projects of the
current moment.
La Manga has shared stages with leading artists across the global, Latin, and world-music scenes.
Selected collaborators and shared stages include:
The Klezmatics (collaboration and recording), Arturo O’Farrill, Vieux Farka Touré, Flor de Toloache, Yasser Tejeda, Samir Langus, Las Mariquitas, Ramón Chicharron, and Pascuala Ilabaca.
▪ The Klezmatics Collaboration
La Manga is actively collaborating and recording new music with the Grammy-winning Klezmatics for their upcoming album We Were Made for These Times. The project brings Afro-Caribbean Colombian percussion into dialogue with radical klezmer, Yiddish song, and socially engaged global music, positioning La Manga within one of the most ambitious cross-cultural recording projects of the
current moment.
2026 Plans
Following a run of high-profile performances and growing international recognition, La Manga is entering an expanded touring and recording phase in 2026, including:
- continued collaboration and releases connected to We Were Made for
- These Times
- expanded U.S. touring and festival appearances
- new original material rooted in ancestral rhythm and collective creation.
