For those who missed out on the October 24 Cultural Festival held in the Snowden Auditorium of Wheatley, there’s no getting back an evening of myriad dance styles, foot-stomping music, and mouth-watering food. Sponsored by Casa Latina, a campus club devoted to creating a sense of community among UMB Latino students, this event was well-organized and entertaining, a definite change from last year’s, which seemed poorly prepared. In what is now the eighth year of this event, the slogan across the program read “Mi Casa Es Su Casa” or “my house is your house,” a common expression of greeting to visitors.
There was a definite atmosphere of welcome to this event as a big salute was given to both Latinos and non-Latinos. Casa Latina is well known for its events that feature outdoor music and a variety of spicy, gustatory delights. Usually, it’s odd if someone isn’t dancing.
Opening with “Hip Hop y Bachata,” four couples came out, with the women wearing tank tops and the men dressed in matching sports jerseys, to demonstrate the bachata, a Dominican style of dance, to the aforementioned hip hop. Performed by the Boston Latina Academy, this number was just what was needed to warm up a crowd already a little rowdy from having to wait nearly forty minutes, occupied with sampling the cuisine. Bachata involves a sort of slide and shuffle combined with a hip rotation in the same direction. However, as if that wasn’t enough, there was a sudden change of pace as the lights dimmed and the heat was turned up for a sexy tango performance by the members of Dance World.
The highlights of the event were not the former or the latter but Director Leonor Rodriguez’s “Ache Otan” a vivacious, percussionist exploration into the world of Afro-Cuban music. With a trio of drummers and quasi-backup singers, among which were UMB Professor Jacobs of the Sociology Department, Rodriguez strutted across the stage with a beaded gourd of her own, singing, dancing, and stomping her way into the crowd’s heart. Exhorting the audience to sing responses to her melodic words, she jolted them from their post-digestive stupor in time for a performance by the Boston Latin Academy of flamenco.
The second feature of the evening was “Salsa y Merengue” performed by Salsa Generation. Merengue refers to a fast-stepping dance done in 2/4 time, originally from the Dominican Republic, while salsa involves moving to music that combines American rock and jazz. Instead of the traditional couples’ version, the instructor stated that he would perform what he referred to as “team salsa.” Taking their lead from him, the dancers, with ages and experience ranging from nine years to adult and two weeks to expert, respectively, performed an un-choreographed routine with a caller, square dance-style, to direct the dancers. After demonstrating their style and how salsa and meringue were done, viewers were invited to participate onstage since Salsa World was filming a small video and needed people to act as extras.
The evening ended with a comedy skit, “Dominos Chistes,” a raffle, and desert offered behind the auditorium. In the raffles, two pairs of Miami vs. Celtics tickets, a gift basket, and two gift certificates to a restaurant were given away as prizes. With a large turnout and enthusiastic participation from the audience members, the Multicultural Festival, which is one of Casa Latina’s largest events, was a success. For more information about Casa Latina and upcoming events, visit www.casalatina.umb.edu.
