Decked out in glittery skirts and tops, dance group Samba 1 entertained the audience with upbeat music and catchy moves Tuesday night at Festival LatiNU.
“I invite you all to join them and hype it up with them,” yelled announcer Tatiana Cabral-Schnurr, as dancers moved into the audience and picked students to join them on the dance floor.
About 300 people joined the festivities at the second-annual festival, which kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with traditional food, dance and music in the Louis Room of Norris University Center.
The three-hour festival featured live entertainment and free Pan-American and Spanish food. The stage was set up at the front of the room, with tables and chairs scattered all around, where attendees casually mingled while enjoying the food and music.
Not only Hispanic students attended the event, which pleased some attendees.
“I think one of the purposes of college is for students to experience things they haven’t experienced before, and organizing events like this is important to facilitate that learning,” said Jeremy Wingerter, assistant director of Campus Activities Office, one of the event’s co-sponsors.
The traditional dishes catered by Chicago restaurants Las Tablas and Sabor Latino included lechon, a pork dish; platano-maduro, fried plantain; pizada colombiana, which comprises pork, chicken, yuca and platano, and the well-known dessert flan, a type of custard.
Along with the food, attendees also experienced traditional dance and music from Latin-American countries.
The Samuel del Real Orchestra provided music throughout the night, intertwined with dance performances from Samba 1 and the Tierra Colombiana Folkloric Dance Co.
Tierra Colombiana presented a repertoire of four traditional Colombian dances. Gabriel Rodriguez, the group’s executive director, explained how the first dance demonstrated the transition of young girls from puberty to adulthood. Dancers sashayed across the floor dressed in white, flowy dresses with white flowers in their hair.
The second number was more upbeat: Dancers wore straw hats and carried candles to represent slaves celebrating for a good day of work.
The various dances are performed in the native countries on streets in carnivals and in places such as clubs, said Cabral-Schnurr, cultural vice president of Alianza.
“A lot of these dances come from festivals that happen in each particular country,” she said.
Attendees of the festival responded positively to the evening of food and fun.
“It went very well and people had a really good time,” said Alianza President Edith Rivera, a Communication junior. “I think this is a great way to open up Hispanic Heritage month and bring the community together.”
Cabral-Schnurr, a Communication senior, said she is glad students were exposed to the heritage of fellow students.
“I always love it when we all come out and get to experience a bit of each other’s national cultures,” Cabral-Schnurr said. “It’s a nice way to start the year with a little flavor.”
