Uniting cultures through dance

Erika Schwartz, Staff Writer

In an effort to culturally unite Wayne State College, Latinos Uniting welcomed approximately 40 students to “Latin Dance Night” last Wednesday evening.

The club taught two different dances throughout the night. The instructors taught the bachata first, which is a romantic partner dance that complemented the Valentine’s Day themed decor at the event. The cumbia, which is a livelier and less romantic dance than the bachata and does not require a partner, was also taught.

As the evening progressed, the attending students began to be more comfortable with the dance moves. The dancers were required to switch partners every song, so it was easy for everyone to meet different people while learning about a different culture.

“The goal of this event was to promote Latino heritage by teaching some fun dances of our culture,” Latinos Uniting President Marco Flores said. “Learning new cultures can be fun, especially if you dance and have fun learning it.”

Although dancing, Valentine’s Day and romance may not be for everyone, Latinos Uniting plans to continue to spread its members’ cultures throughout Wayne State College and exhibit how different and similar everyone’s cultures and heritages are.

“We try to sprinkle every one of our members’ cultures and traditions into our campus events so that everyone has a taste of a different country,” Flores said.

Students who are interested in joining Latinos Uniting may attend the weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in room 18 in the Kanter Student Center.