Latin America Club says their performance is designed to challenge stereotypes about the Latin American identity
The Latin America Club’s stage was a burst of energy and colors. “We love colors. The places we grew up in, the houses, the streets—they’re all beautiful, bright colors,” explained club president Ismael Larriva, a freshman in biology from Ecuador. Weaving the footwork of traditional folk dances like Chacarera with the contemporary rhythms of Bad Bunny, the club reflected both the region’s rich heritage and its modern identity in a flurry of passion and movement.
The club presidency said they tried to bring the entire spectrum of Latin American culture to the stage to showcase the region’s diversity and history. Latin America includes a wide range of ethnicities and traditions of over 30 countries—something the presidency and choreographers said is often misunderstood by others. “Latinos don’t look one specific way,” said Anela
Salgado, a junior in fine arts from Hawaii and one of the choreographers. “We’re all mixed, from everywhere.” Sofie Benjamin, a senior in psychology from Provo and Salgado’s co-choreographer, said they also wanted to challenge the one-dimensional portrayals of the Latin American identity in mainstream media.
“There’s so much out there that is skewed or just flat-out racist. We want people to understand that our experience is not what’s always shown,” she explained. She said including a tribute of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show in their piece is part of this effort.The artist’s performance is seen by many in the community as a critical moment for Latin American representation on a mainstream American stage, she explained.
“We’re unapologetically being ourselves. With the dances we decided on, we’re not hiding anything,” expressed Larriva. What made the performance more special, he added, is that the group is composed of members from different parts of the world. Joiro Hamada, a freshman in computer science from Mexico and the vice president, expressed the same appreciation: “Just thinking about how diverse our group is makes me feel more humble. It’s like—oh, you want to learn about my culture? That’s so awesome.”
