The Saint Mary’s College Spanish Club hosted a Latino Dance fundraiser Thursday evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Haggar Parlor. Spanish professors Jennifer Zachman, Ruth Solarte-Hensgen and Marelys Valencia taught various styles of Latino dance including cumbia, salsa, merengue and bachata.
Students who attended the event were asked to give a $3 donation at the door, and any student enrolled in a Spanish modern language class was eligible for extra credit. Junior Madison Sexton, the treasurer of the Spanish Club, said the fundraiser was held in order to fund more events in the future.
“We wanted to … get our name out there as a smaller club on campus and make it an event for not just Spanish speakers, but everyone,” Sexton said.
As a Spanish major, Sexton finds it important for herself and other students to learn more about and celebrate all types of cultures and languages, especially within the Spanish-speaking world.
“I think it's important to embrace other cultures and to understand more about the people you're living side by side with,” Sexton said. “And for me, Spanish is a beautiful language. I've been learning since I was in second grade, and I just kind of fell in love with understanding Spanish, being able to have an opportunity to explore other cultures in the Spanish-speaking world and being able to communicate with people in my community.”
During the event, the professors also took turns briefly explaining the culture and origins of the different styles of dance. Valencia, who is originally from Cuba, has taught Spanish for the past five years and enjoys introducing students to Latin American culture. She cited the College’s mission statement centered on learning and community as part of the reason to expose students to global culture, politics and daily life.
“For me, bringing a little piece of Latin America to this college is very relevant and pertinent. So our mission is really focused on internationalizing the exposure of our students and the campus itself,” Valencia said. “We cannot create global citizens, we cannot educate global citizens, if our students are not exposed to this sort of engagement with other functions as part of a way to create a culture of confidence, not only through language, but also through all different aspects of the culture of any society.”
Valencia taught salsa during the fundraiser and explained the rise of salsa in New York City as part of a musical movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Immigrants from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela and others had created a new sense of pride in their heritage through the creation of this Cuban-style based genre.
Over a dozen students attended the fundraiser with the intent of either learning new dance styles or brushing up their dance skills. Freshman Destiny Magana-Stokes stated she originally attended for the extra credit, but she was glad to have gotten a chance to practice her bachata and merengue dance moves.
“It is so fun, and I love learning new ways to dance cumbia. I think that it’s an awesome experience to have,” she said.
Magana-Stokes feels happy to support the Spanish Club, which consequently supports greater diversity on campus as well.
“I love that Saint Mary’s is trying to advocate for diversity, and being able to help the Spanish Club is essential to promote diversity on campus,” Magana-Stokes said.
