The Latino Student Alliance (LSA) is hosting a quinceañera-themed formal tonight from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Jordan Hall of Science galleria.
LSA president Enrique Lorenzo said the dance is open to all Notre Dame students, and tickets are available for purchase both at the door of the event and at the La Fortune Student Center until 7 p.m. tonight.
“We’re really trying to pull the Latino community on campus together while at the same time introducing non-Latinos to the culture, which I think is part of the drive for the theme being quinceañera,” Lorenzo said.
Club treasurer Kaylee Calles and vice-president Daniela Nuñez said the quinceañera theme, which was decided upon in April, is essentially the equivalent of a sweet-16 party.
“It’s a very traditional thing within our culture to have a 15th birthday party, and that’s what a quinceañera is,” Calles said. “A girl is now considered a woman in society.”
Since the LSA hosted salsa night at Legends last Friday, Nuñez said this formal provides another opportunity to expose students to Spanish music as well as different styles of dancing and Latin American foods from Mexico, El Salvador and Venezuela.
“For Latinos it’ll remind them of what they’ve experienced in the past, but for non-Latinos it’ll be something new that they can take part of,” Lorenzo said.
Nuñez said the club decided to go all out with the quinceañera theme, including an announcement of the secret quinceañera identity at the formal and a father-daughter dance.
“There’s also the 'baile sorpresa' (surprise dance for the birthday girl) which is a choreographed dance with a certain number of couples,” Nuñez said.
This formal marks the first LSA dance, Lorenzo said, as the club is technically in its first year.
“[LSA] used to be La Alianza and MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan),” Nuñez said. “Then last semester both executive boards kind of saw that we were overlapping in terms of goals. Really you couldn’t distinguish between the two of them, and so that’s why we decided to converge and just have LSA.”
Planning is already underway for LSA events next semester, Nuñez said. Upcoming 2015 events include an all-class retreat, a Latin Expressions talent showcase and a dance at the Morris Inn.
