Music pulsated and bodies awkwardly moved to the beat in the Plant Hall Music Room.
Some stood to the side timidly, looking on at the more experienced dancers who showed off their skills.
Little did they know that only minutes later, they would be thrown into a whirlwind of Latin dance (whether they liked it or not) and would be dancing with the confidence of Fred Astaire in no time.
The purpose of the dance was to get The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, a relatively new group, known and recognized by students on campus. Often confused with other Hispanic based organizations, like HOLA (Hispanic Organization for Latin Americans), leaders from HSF were ready to be recognized as their own entity.
“I wanted HSF to be known in the school because most people don’t know we exist. We aren’t restricted to just Latino culture, so we can celebrate everyone’s culture as one,” Ivelisse Ruiz Lugo, HSF president, explained.
People began the night by mingling, but soon took advantage of the salsa, merengue and bachata lessons provided by Sigma Lambda Gamma and Sigma Lambda Beta, who donated some of their time to help out with the event.
Crowd members looked on and mimicked the movements of those setting the example until they gained the confidence to dance on their own and finally with a partner.
Students quickly picked up the moves and within no time were thrown into a dance competition where a group of the top five dancers were selected by judges from HSF and ISO.
Those top five then competed in a dance-off for prizes for the top three based off of audience applause.
Also a Best Sitting Down Award was given to the couple of people too stubborn to dance the entire time.
Although there were a few sitters and head bobbers, most students seemed to love the dance.
“We are going to do another one next semester,” said Lugo, “We had people from all over the place so now students know about HSF! “
The overall consensus was that the dance was a blast. Students came out sweating, laughing and showing off their moves.
Even Lugo took notice of this fact. “People have stopped me and said that they want another one!
Another girl said she hasn’t seen other organizations put on such a good event,” Lugo said.
With a Diversity Dance Part II in the works, students would be unwise to pass up such a wonderful chance to meet others through dance, music and fun.