The atmosphere got “muy caliente” on the third floor of the new Student Union when the Spanish club hosted their annual Latin Dance Night fundraiser. Over 120 students, faculty and guests gathered to enjoy Latino music, culture and international food on March 17.

Latin Dance Night is the club’s biggest fundraising event of the year. Funds raised during the event go towards the Spanish Club Study Abroad Scholarship, which is offered to students attending the study abroad trip to Valencia, Spain during the summer. The number of scholarships given each year depends on the amount of funds raised for that particular year.

This year’s Latin Dance Night raised $970. After subtracting the cost of supplies needed for the night, the club made a profit of $640. Compared to last year’s turnout, this year’s attendance was substantially greater and doubled since last year.  

The main attraction of the night was dancing. Senior communication major Jennifer Clesi and senior biology major Philip Mendoza entertained guests by performing several Latin-styled dances. This is their third and fourth years, respectively, volunteering to teach dance at Latin Dance Night. They each took turns teaching guests step-by-step line, couple and group dances.

“I find it so much fun to teach others what I know. I like helping people get out of their comfort zone and have fun,” said Clesi.

At least two dozen people got out of their seats to dance. One guest volunteered to play a bongo to the beat of the music. A variety of music was played at the dance.

“Music is one of the most important parts of our identity, it shows where we actually come from. Our music has a combination of not only native music, but it has African and Spaniard influences,” said Spanish Club Advisor Mariela Sanchez.

Mendoza lamented that there was not enough time to teach all the different dances.

“I wish we had a little more time to teach everyone the dances. I just want to get the culture of dancing out to everyone and let them get out and enjoy themselves,” said Mendoza.

Everyone had different reasons for attending the dance. Senior business major Joseph Ramsey “came to get an insight into the culture” while sophomore chemistry major Binit Sharma attended because he was “interested in Latin dance because [he is] from a different country.” Junior English education major Honore Conish “thought it would be a good experience to see a different culture in a festive light.”

During the event, students had the opportunity to participate in several different raffles and enjoy plenty of food. Gift cards to Mi Patio, Sarita’s, La Carretas and several piñatas were donated to the club to be used to raffle off. Guest’s palates were filled with multi-cultural food all thanks to local restaurants such as Adobe, La Caretta, Trey Yuen and Cate Street Seafood that made food donations to the club.

Many left the event excited for next year’s Latin Dance Night.

“There are not many opportunities to get together and dance, and it’s a unique opportunity,” said junior physics major Erica Dardar. 

With sore feet, full bellies, and smiles on their faces, guests left the building with many new memories.