Spanish Club and Geneseo Late Knight organized an event which took place on Saturday Oct. 20 in the Union Ballroom. The event served to honor National Hispanic Heritage month and to teach students various Latin American dances (Josie Kwan/assoc. photo editor).
Students gathered in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom on the evening of Saturday Oct. 20 to celebrate a night of Spanish heritage through “Salsa con Salsa.”
Popular upbeat music by artists including Shakira and Enrique Iglesias echoed in the background as students danced to the music. To accompany the salsa dancing, coordinators set up chips and salsa as well as arts and crafts to keep attendees entertained.
This event, organized by the Spanish Club and funded by Geneseo Late Knight, was the second Salsa con Salsa at Geneseo. This cultural night’s main purpose was to encourage students to learn Latin American dances and to become more familiar with and embrace the different culture.
Spanish Club president senior Erin Maud explained the event’s purpose in celebrating Latino ancestry.
“The last ‘Salsa con Salsa’ event was two years ago run by a different Spanish Club president,” Maud said. “We wanted to recreate the event with GLK and encourage people to Latin dance and bring awareness to the culture and love for the event.”Agreeing with Maud, English major junior and GLK event staff member Rachel Balfoort spoke about the need to unite students to recognize this ancestry. Balfoort said that the purpose of the event was to encourage students to come together and celebrate Spanish heritage.
The club’s organization of the event connected to National Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America,” according to a description written under the Hispanic Heritage Month’s website.
With the intention of bringing students together, the cultural event instilled anticipation in students like international relations major freshman Kate Welch.
“It looks like it’s going to be a really fun time,” Welch said. “All the people who have been setting it up already look like they’re having a lot of fun and I’m excited to get involved [in the event].”
With the successful turnout as well as the eager participants, each student enjoyed this night of Latino enculturation through dances and culturally-oriented foods and activities.