The beat of conga drums, trumpets and maracas resonated through the Union Cotillion Ballroom on Tuesday night as almost 70 University students learned the basic dance steps of salsa and meringue. “Salsa is like sex on a dance floor,” said Ellen Reese, business management and Spanish junior, who lead the dance instructions. Reese, a member of the University’s Spanish Club, has been dancing salsa for five years. “It’s the best thing you can do while you’re dancing in Latin America. It’s just a lot of fun, and everyone seems to enjoy it. You just have to start with the basics to learn, and on a basic level, it’s really easy.” The salsa and meringue dance lessons were part of the first Hispanic American Celebration sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Curtis Parker Jr., coordinator of Cross-Cultural Affairs within the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the celebration was the first attempt his office has made at sponsoring a program for Hispanic students. “It’s our initial step to get everybody informed of the Hispanic culture here at LSU,” Parker said. “I think everybody is aware of the growth of the Hispanic culture in the United States, and we are trying to be trailblazers to try to be ahead of the curve so everybody can be educated [about Hispanic cultures].” Parker said the Office of Multicultural Affairs puts on several programs throughout the year for underrepresented student populations at the University. The first Hispanic American Celebration also featured traditional Hispanic cuisine and several interactive displays about Hispanic Cultures. “It’s very interactive. So people can kind of pick up on famous Hispanics that did a lot of things in American culture,” Parker said. Barry Whittington Jr., general studies senior, helped organize the event. He said the displays featured information about several influential Hispanic-Americans and information about Hispanic countries around the world. “We always want people to have a good time,” Whittington said. “But at the same time, we want people to open their minds and think outside their comfort zone. After you learn about other cultures, you understand where they’re coming from.” Danny Breaux, University alumnus, and Alicia Sosa, political science and psychology senior, said they came to the celebration to learn salsa dance steps. They said they often go Avoyelles Cafe downtown on Friday nights to dance salsa. “We always drink over there, and I try to salsa,” Breaux said. “And it never really works out the way it’s supposed to. So we came for lessons. I never exactly knew the steps, and now I’m hearing the music and catching on. It was fun doing this over here at LSU.” Sosa said learning the steps was not difficult, and she plans to incorporate the dance steps she learned into her social life when she goes Latin dancing at Avoyelles. “I don’t really know what I’m doing most of the time,” Sosa said. “People expect me to know what I’m doing because I’m Spanish, but I don’t. I just needed someone to break it down for me.” LaChiquita McCray, English literature senior, said she tried the Hispanic food and enjoyed learning the dances.
“You always see this type of dancing in the movies,” McCray said. “And it’s very fun to get up and learn.”
—Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]