The BYU-Hawaii Latino Club combined with the BYU-Hawaii Salsa Orchestra to bring club members, students, and faculty a night full of live music and dancing Saturday, March 21, at the Aloha Ballroom. Those in attendance had the chance to listen and test their dancing skills with a variety of classic Latino music genres including: merengue, salsa, cha-cha-cha, and tango. The Salsa Orchestra dazzled the crowd with classic Latin songs like Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida” and even salsa renditions of Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 songs: “Blame it on the Boogie” and “I Want You Back.” “Taking a night off from the grind of school and letting my feet and body freely express themselves through Marc Anthony’s ‘Vivir Mi Vida’ was exactly what the doctor ordered,” said junior business major Casey Akana, from Seattle, Washington. Latino culture is famous for its variety of music and dance and the Latino Club has been known to have Latin dancing nights throughout the semester but never to live music like this. “The idea came from Josh Mason, a member of the band, who had the idea and talked to the director,” said Beatriz Gonzalez, a Latino Club presidency member and senior TESOL major from West Jordan, Utah. “We wanted everyone to enjoy a live concert and dance because it makes dancing that much more fun.” Though only the more experienced dancers were dancing when the concert began, after a while the music was too contagious and everyone began partnering up and moving to the rhythm. “We had a great turn out and everyone seemed to be having a good time. People who I’ve never seen dance where dancing and having a great time,” said Gonzalez.“It was an epic night,” said Trinity Waddell, a junior pre-medical biology major and trumpet player in the Salsa Orchestra from Dayton, Texas. “I hope this happens more often. There is nothing better than dancing to live Latin music with a pretty lady.” Gonzalez said, “We are not sure if we will make this a regular event, but with the results we had it’s a definite possibility.”Uploaded March 25, 2015
Writer: Matthew Roberts
