Faculty of the Spanish Department Bring Students Together to Dance
By Rhea Wawrzyniak
Word Count: 725
Story #6
 By Rhea Wawrzyniak |
| April Larson, Spanish instructor; and Edem Kegey ,sophomore at BSU, pose for a picture after the Latin dance class on Wednesday. |
The sound of cumbia-semana line-dance music bounces off the walls and fills the gym. The room is warm and sticky from practicing the steps many times. The music plays until the song is over, then the gym is silent. There is some discussion, then April Larson, instructor of Spanish, presses play and the song replays to the point where steps are known without thinking.
This Latin dance class is available at BSU. One of their goals, says Larson is just enjoying dancing and the other goal is providing Latin dance for the people who want to do it. “There is just not a lot of dancing around here,” says Larson. “I would hope that eventually we could have a really well developed Latin club/dance club.”
Larson thinks this will give people a chance to get to know some music they might not be familiar with, and also give them some sort of cultural exploration.
“It is something that I look forward to on a Wednesday,” says Edem Kegey, BSU sophomore. “It gets me through the week.”
Larson says that attendance is poor now, but they hope to get more participants to get something bigger started. They want to start doing choreographed dances, and bring form and repetition to the classes.
Last year the Latin dance classes were in the dance studio, in the Gillett Recreation-Fitness Center, and many people participated. This semester they couldn't get in the dance studio because of other events, but, they hope that next semester it will be in the dance studio instead of Memorial 100. The dance studio is filled with mirrors and Larson says they are great to have.
Throughout the year, they are going to do many different types of Latin dances, including samba. There’s the traditional samba and modern ballroom samba, a partner dance, and when the music changes the moves do not.
 By Rhea Wawrzyniak |
| April Larson, Spanish instructor; and Edem Kegey ,sophomore at BSU, are figuring out how to do the cumbia-semana line dances they learned in partners. |
They also may do the mambo. In the mambo, the movements of your body move with the music; when the music changes so do you.
The salsa dance is another form of Latin dance they would like to incorporate throughout the year. The salsa is a partner dance that either can be improvised or choreographed.
Another Latin dance they would like to dip their toes in is the merengue. The merengue is also a partner dance and is performed in two-beats. In this dance the partners circle each other and also step in lines.
Lastly, they would like to experience reggaeton, which is a Latin reggae. Reggaeton is a blend of many different types of music, and is usually combined with rapping or singing.
Kegey doesn’t know what her favorite type of Latin dance is yet because she is still learning, but she likes to mix Latin dance and hip-hop together.
It is Kegey’s second time coming to the Latin dance classes and she is hooked. “It makes me feel like I am somewhat back at home again,” says Kegey. She is from the Cities, where there are clubs to dance at and have a good time. So, when comparing her hometown to Bemidji it is a lot different.
These free, weekly Latin dance classes are open to the public. Larson and Dr. Mriam Rivera-Hokanson, associate professor, instructs the classes. This is their third time meeting.
The Latin dance classes will go till the end of the school year. The class may not be on Wednesdays during the spring semester but it will for sure be available. The day it will be scheduled on depends on spring semesters schedule.
Anyone in the community can participate. That means any age, and any level of dancing skills is welcome. “We just want people to be relaxed and have fun,” says Larson.
 By Tom Hokanson |
| I am joining in on the cumbia-semana line dance with Dr. Mriam Rivera-Hokanson, April Larson, and Edem Kegey. |
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