(NEXSTAR) -- The Sabrosas Latin Orchestra is a unique musical extravaganza that's been getting audiences up and dancing in California's Bay Area since 2018. The all-female salsa band performs regularly, with the hope of transporting people to the Caribbean, specifically Puerto Rico. The band, currently composed of 12 female musicians, perform songs that not only get toes tapping but also tell historical stories. "[The songs] talk about the history and the things that are happening in Puerto Rico," says vocalist Iliana Ortiz. "So by the lyrics, you learn history." In fact, some of the songs you might hear at a Sabrosas performance may sound lively and festive but they carry a deeper meaning. "[Hardship] is loaded in the melody. It's loaded in a rhythm," vocalist Mariela Contreras told Nexstar's Dominique Lavigne. "It sounds like a very happy song but in reality, it's talking about the struggles." The sounds of the island are so infectious, they've even captivated those who didn't grow up listening to salsa or even within Puerto Rican culture. Sabrosas music director Elizabeth Howard comes from a classical background but after getting bitten by the salsa bug, she joined the orchestra full-time. "I didn't know how I never heard the music before," says Howard. "I felt the music through to my toes and I didn't know how to dance it but my body wanted to move." Music has always been important to Puerto Ricans but in recent years, it's taken on new meaning for many. In recent years, government mismanagement, corruption and natural disasters have compounded Puerto Rico's economic decline — leaving music as one of the main ways for citizens to raise awareness about issues on the island. Fueled by salsa and by music in Spanish, in general, there's a renewed movement for Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. to reclaim the culture. "It's meant to live on, so people know the history," says Contreras. "So people sing the history, they dance the history."