Rigodón con Son is a music ensemble formed in Dayton in 2003 by a group of Puerto Rican colleagues and friends who play folk songs and dance music from their homeland including seis, bomba and plena, and music from other Caribbean islands including bachata, merengue and  guaracha. They have participated at several regional festivals, appeared on television, and once had an original song included in a motion picture soundtrack. They have also done a few educational outreach programs in area schools.

Rigodon con Son is formed by José Casanova, Pedro Pérez, Lewis Rosado, José Ubiñas, and Eric Lamboy. All of them grew up in Puerto Rico. They are all professionals in other, non-musical fields and practice music to entertain audiences in the area and to preserve their homeland traditions. They are all employed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, which is where they met. The instrument lineup of the quintet is conga, güiro, guitar, bass, and the national instrument of Puerto Rico: the 10-string cuatro. Four of them also sing lead and chorus parts.

Rigodón con Son has played festivals in Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati, including Dayton’s Puerto Rican and Caribbean Organization’s (PACO) Hispanic Heritage Festival and Cinco de Mayo events and CityFolk’s 2006 and 2010’s annual festival. They have also performed at the Columbus Latino Festival, Cincy Cinco Festival, and the Cincinnati-Kentucky Latino Festival.

In the media, the group appeared on “Hometown Showcase,” a live TV interview program featuring local talent on Dayton’s local access channel DATV. Also, an original composition of the group entitled “Baquiné” (A Child’s Wake) was included in the soundtrack of the motion picture “At the Speed of Light,” a film by Ed Radtke.

The group promotes Puerto Rican music, heritage and culture in the local community. They have conducted some lecture and music workshops for students at two area schools, West Carrollton H.S. and Oakwood H.S.