The Spanish Club here at Frederick Community College hosted a Latin dance class on Feb. 5. Students could stop by the midday dance session before or after class. Twelve students joined in, just enough for partners to get set up and have a good time dancing.
This event was supervised by Professor Laura Cordova, adviser to the Spanish Club. There were three main club members taking part in this event: club president Harry Lopez, club vice president Sarah Zamudio, and club member Taylor, who taught the dancing.
“If you say ‘I
don’t know how to dance’, well then you’re perfect! We will teach you,” said
Professor Cordova. The club advised that participants can be from any culture to
enjoy Latin dance. Their events are for people of all backgrounds and languages
to come enjoy themselves while learning about Latin culture.
When the dancing started, you could feel the excitement in the room as the Spanish music started to play. One piece of advice that the club members had was to “start out strong and get an interest going.” Music and dance are huge in Latin culture, and judging from the smiles in the room you could tell that everyone was having fun.
Taylor started off by showing students, and then helping them individually, how to do each movement, leaving no student behind. Some of the dances the students did were merengue, bachata, and salsa, the crowd favorite. They danced to songs like “El Negro Chevere”, “Porque”, “Adventura”, “Te Invito”, and “Kuriki Taka.”
I decided to join in with a friend, and was amazed how Latin dance took him out of his comfort zone. My friend would have never done something like this if it were not for me being there. In the end, I am pretty sure he enjoyed it more than I did.
While learning the dances, I picked up on a few tips taught by Taylor and Sarah. “While doing merengue, you want to move your feet and arms as if you are marching, keeping your arms light,” Taylor said. “While doing bachata, you want to move your feet side to side and continue moving the arms as well.”
The Spanish Club’s mission is that you do not need to speak Spanish in order to enjoy Latin culture, the culture is for everyone. “We are here to promote Latin culture. The purpose is for people to come who are not fully aware of it already,” said Harry, another student at FCC. There are Spanish Club events three to four times a semester, with around 10 to 25 student participants. More are always welcome.
The Spanish Club
has five active members, and the club is always looking for more. The club meets
Mondays at 11 a.m. in the student center, room H102A, and they will continue to
have more events to promote Latin culture. More information about these events
can be found on the FCC website as well as the News Blast, an events list sent
via email to students and staff.
