In search of a creative outlet, Trilian Krug walked into a Reggaeton dance class with confidence – despite her minimal dance experience. The first-year audio arts major noted the welcoming environment of “Movimiento Martes” classes, which made it easy for her to socialize throughout the class.
The event, meaning “Movement Tuesdays,” is put on by Latino Alliance, the Mi Gente Renegades and Student Diversity and Inclusion every Tuesday from Sept. 24-Oct. 15. in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The four classes are from 6:30-7:30 p.m., free-of-cost and open for students to register through the Engage app. Each class teaches a different style of Latin dance: Salsa, Reggaeton, Bachata and Cumbia by professional dancers.
Krug said even though she found the Reggaeton dance style tricky to keep up with, the experience and people she met left her excited to audition for the Mi Gente dance team.
“I was so happy,” she said. “It’s like I found a whole different community of people that just want to express themselves through dance.”
After the event’s first run last year, at the Student Diversity and Inclusion office, the successful turnout inspired the team to put it on again in a bigger event space, said AnaKaren Pinto, education and events coordinator in Student Diversity and Inclusion.
“Based on last year’s first go around with the event, we saw that we had really good attendance, specifically partnering with Latino Alliance,” she said. “It was something that the students really enjoyed and connected with, so we knew that we had good attendance and we knew that we needed a decent space size.”
The classes this year are being taught at the Conaway Center, at 1104 S. Wabash Ave., and at the Haus, at 623 S. Wabash Ave.
Additional differences were made to the event the second time around, such as replacing last year’s Merengue class with Reggaeton, a dance and music style originating in Panama and Puerto Rico from the 90’s that has grown in popularity since. Stefanie Valle Aguilera, junior fine arts major and vice president of Latino Alliance, said the change was a good choice, adding a “refreshing” variety into the mix of styles the events offered.
Quinn Wells, a first-year music major, attended the first class of the month, where they taught Salsa, a Cuban dance from the 90’s with African and Spanish influences. With 12 years of Mexican folk dancing under her belt, she wanted to learn from the differences the Salsa style has from her experience.
“Salsa is one step, and then you do different variations of that,” she said. “Whereas from the folk dance that I’ve done, there’s a lot of different steps, and a lot of different things.”
Lorena Castro, senior fashion major and president of the Mi Gente Renegades, Columbia’s dance team, found it important to showcase how styles of Latin dancing differ from country to country throughout the month that celebrates the heritage of all sides of Latin America.
“A lot of them have different requirements, step wise as well as count wise,” she said. “And more importantly, they originate from various places. It’s another way of amplifying Latino voices and communities, them being from various places, but also the way that they come together in these events.”
Wells came into the event space looking to experience a different kind of Latin dance than what she was used to, and a fun way to meet people of all dance levels.
“I think it’s super cool that it’s open to beginners too,” she said. “It’s nothing too hard, we weren’t going super fast and people were open to asking questions. It’s a very welcoming environment.”
Wells said dancing is one of the best ways to promote Hispanic Heritage Month and share its many cultures. Mario Jimenez, senior photography major and president of Latino Alliance, also finds the event to be a great way to grow the community, and said he hopes to see every student try to come to learn and enjoy the lessons.
“I think it’s valuable,” he said. “In terms of knowing how to dance, knowing the significance or the culture of where these dances derive from.”
Valle Aguilera emphasized that the event is open to everyone willing to celebrate not only the different styles of Latin Dance, but also the community that forms from recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month.
“When you go to a Movimiento Martes, you can even feel energy, and everyone, no matter what culture,” she said. “If you’re Latino or not, you always have fun dancing, and it’s an interesting way to share the culture.”
Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco
Resumen en Español
En honor del mes de la Herencia Hispana, Latino Alliance, La Oficina de Diversidad e Inclusión Estudiantil y los Mi Gente Renegados están organizando su evento “Movimiento Martes.” Por segundo año consecutivo, están dando clases de baile latino del 24 de Septiembre al 15 de Octubre. Cada semana, bailarines profesionales enseñan estilos diferentes a los asistentes como la Salsa, Reggaeton, Bachata, y Cumbia. El evento está abierto a estudiantes de cualquier nivel de baile, creando un ambiente cómodo para los de menos experiencia como Trilian Krug, estudiante de primer año de artes de audio, que tomó la clase de Reggaeton. Ella dijo que aunque el estilo fue difícil para ella, disfrutó la experiencia.
“Estaba tan feliz,” Krug dijo. “Encontré una comunidad nueva de personas que solo quieren expresarse por el baile.”
Resumen por Sofía Oyarzún
Copia editada por Manuel Nocera
