Salsabration! celebrates culture with Latin American distinction
One.
Two.
Cha, cha, cha.
Hosted by the Latino Student Union, the third annual Salsabration! will celebrate the cultural diversity and uniqueness of various Latin American countries tonight at the Logan LDS Institute at 6 p.m.
“This is the third year that we’ve done this and it has been a success every time,” said Noemi Rubio, president of LSU.
LSU, made up of 20-25 members, wants to focus Salsabration! on the language, the food and the dance of the featured countries, Rubio said.
“This club is so diverse,” Edison Suashavas, club member and sophomore majoring in animal science, said. “It portrays all of these Latin nations and we all get to learn from others’ food, culture and music.”
Starting at 6 p.m., a dinner will be served including distinctive fare from the featured countries.
Dinner will be followed by a dancing show featuring seven dances including the duranguense, the cumbia, the cha-cha, the salsa and the merengue. Each dance represents the musical climate and historical background of their respective countries.
According to a recent broadcast on National Public Radio, the duranguense originated in northern Mexico in the states of Durango and Chihuahua, and is very popular throughout the United States.
The merengue is a ballroom dance which has its roots in the Dominican Republic. Many students enjoy the dances, no matter their origin.
“I’m from Ecuador, but I love the merengue, even though it’s from the Dominican Republic,” Suashavas said.
After the show, the floor will open up for dancing. In addition to the other festivities, there will also be a jalapeño eating contest and piñatas for the kids.
The popularity of Salsabration! has increased from year to year.
“The first year we held this, we only made about 80 tickets because we thought it would be hard to sell them all,” Rubio said. “We were so wrong. The first three days, we sold out and made 20 more.”
Students participating in the event are excited for others to understand their culture. Many of them still have strong connections to their heritage and culture.
“For many of us, we come from families whose parents have immigrated to America and we still have a lot of pride in own native culture,” Rubio said. “We want others to share in that as well.”
Salsabration! costs $10 for general admission, $7 for students and $5 for children 12 and under. Dance-only admission costs $2. Tickets are available in room 309 in the Taggart Student Center. For information or questions, call 797-1733.
-nebutler@cc.usu.edu