Latin dance crew Sube Ritmo hosted a series of dance workshops inviting NC State students to learn and get involved in Latin dance and culture. The workshops were focused on teaching different Latin dance styles, such as salsa, bachata and merengue, and encouraged students to attend Sube Ritmo’s upcoming Latin dance night Dec. 6.
Through these workshops and social events, the Latin dance crew’s goals are to bring the NC State community together by sharing moments filled with culture, dynamism and fun.
“[The workshops] are a lot of fun, and everyone gets to participate,” said Catarina Pottle, a freshman studying exploratory studies and a participant of the workshop. “Sube Ritmo is a great group of people.”
An interesting and important aspect of the Latin dance crew is its multicultural approach. Sube Ritmo welcomes members of any cultural background, and the group currently has members from Latin America, the Caribbean, France, Vietnam, India and the United States.
“Sube Ritmo is not an exclusively Latino organization, so we have a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and talents,” said Angelica Rodriguez, co-director of Sube Ritmo and a senior studying biological sciences. “Our members range from white, to Indian, Mexican, Brazilian and more. They also contribute different talents such as tap dancing, beat boxing, hip-hop and even belly dance. All in all, it’s a very diverse team.”
The three workshops were held in Talley Student Union and the Honors Commons on Nov. 11, 16 and Monday. Several students came to share and dance Latin styles as well as to enjoy and learn some Latin cultural aspects through the dances. Some of the students who participated in the workshops already had some experience with Latin dances, while others were new and came learn more about the Latin culture.
“Being the only Latin dance crew in NC State, we spend most of the time learning and practicing choreographies,” said Ed Talavera, a sophomore studying graphic design and a member of Sube Ritmo. “Our goal as a Latin dance crew is to perform different dances from the Hispanic culture.”
The team not only enjoys sharing aspects of Latin culture, but also contributes to the community by participating in the annual event, NC State’s Best Dance Crews.
On Sunday evening at 7 p.m., the seventh annual Best Dance Crews featured five competing NC State teams. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the winning team’s choice of charity. This year, the dance team Just Cuz Crew won, and Sube Ritmo was runner-up. Just Cuz Crew will be donating $300 to Project Heal.
“We dance here at NC State, as well as with other dance crews and schools nearby,” Talavera said. “We always have a great time dancing as a family and learning about the Hispanic culture.”
Sube Ritmo’s upcoming Latin dance night, Sube La Salsa, will be Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Washington Sankofa Room of Witherspoon Student Center. There will be a short lesson at the beginning of the evening, and the music will start at 7:30 p.m.
Rodriguez said that Sube La Salsa is Sube Ritmo’s first social, and the dance group wants it to be an evening of dance, socializing and fun.
“We would like for the social to be an event where the people who have been attending workshops and anybody else can put into practice what they’ve learned,” Rodriguez said. “We also want Sube to become more involved with the general public here at State and not just the Latino community. We want to give those who might be interested in joining the team an opportunity to learn more about us in a chill and fun atmosphere and interact with everybody on the team.”
Dec. 6 from 7-10 p.m.
Washington Sankofa Room in Witherspoon Student Center
$5 general admission
$2 with your student ID
