Home > Student Life > LCSA hosts 19th annual fiesta at UMD
LCSA hosts 19th annual fiesta at UMD
BY KENDRA RICHARDS
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/30
MICHAEL NOVITZKI / STATESMAN
The music and dance ensemble called A Touch of Spain performed Spanish music on Saturday at LCSA’s 19th annual fiesta celebration.
Food, entertainment, piñatas, dancing—it was all in the Kirby Ballroom last Saturday where the Latino/Chicano Student Association (LCSA) had their annual fiesta. “This is our 19th annual fiesta,” said Susana Pelayo-Woodward, director of the Hispanic/Latino/Chicana Learning Resource Center. “I will confess, I have been to all 19.” Woodward said that the fiesta’s emphasis hasn’t changed since its first debut. “We want to share our culture—our food and music—with the larger community,” said Woodward.
The students of the LCSA agreed with this emphasis, making education their primary purpose. “We want to represent our countries and get students involved in cultural events,” said Mariana Osorio, member of the LCSA. “Latinos are the smallest group in the university, and we want people to know more about us, our culture and our background.”
On each table at the fiesta was a sheet of paper filled with fun facts about a different country in Latin America to help educate the audience. Woodward said that the organization also puts on films and other events throughout the year to educate the public about Latin America, but the fiesta is their end-of-the-year celebration of their culture. The fiesta began Saturday by treating its guests with Latin American dishes.
“The food was great,” said John Schultz, a member of the Duluth community who attended the event. “It reflected their culture and let us, quite literally, get a taste of what it’s like.”
The entertainment began with an Aztec dance group from Mexico called Katzal Coalticue. “It is the only traditional Aztec Dance Kalpulli—or learning community—in the state of Minnesota,” said Steve Solis, master of ceremonies for the fiesta. The group performed ancient tribal dances and explained the symbolism and meaning behind the clothing and culture of the dance. “These are dances that have been put on for thousands of years by the indigenous peoples of Mexico, and we are proud to take on the tradition,” said one of the dancers after their first dance.
Following this was a music and dance ensemble called A Touch of Spain. They played Spanish music incorporating flute, bass, percussion and guitar, while their two flamenco dancers performed. “I loved the dancing,” said Maria Saldi, a member of the Duluth community who attended the event. “Their dresses were so pretty, and the music made me want to jump in with them.”
After the ensemble was done, a fashion show was put on by the LCSA and community members. “Women and children from Latin America wear clothes from their actual hometown,” said Woodward. With each outfit, the LCSA described its cultural value and practicality in respect to its wearers’ country. Six different countries were represented in the fashion show, and each had its own unique dress for its own cultural reason. “The fashion show was really neat,” said Barbara Tariz, a member of the Duluth community who attended the event. “Their clothes were so colorful and beautiful, and it was great to see some real Latin American people in real Latin American dress from places they are actually from.”
The children also got involved and took a swing at a piñata while the last band, Los Incas, performed for the adults. “Los Incas is a group made up of young Saraguro Indians from Ecuador, who began their musical activities in the late 1980s in order to promote and extend the knowledge and appreciation of Latin American music,” said Solis.
While the children were still busy with the piñata, the adults got to finish off the night by dancing. The band that played while the audience was eating, Grupo Caribe, came back on stage to provide some music for the dance. The LCSA even provided Latin American dance instructors. “We have dance instructors so people who think they can’t dance can feel more comfortable,” said Woodward. “Everybody can dance.”
The LCSA students come up with a different theme every year, and this year it was “Many Countries, One people.” Woodward said that this reflected their hope to include as much of the community as possible, bringing in many backgrounds to this celebration of culture.
