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Rumba Latina: A glamorous night of art, food and culture

MCs Gerard Colome (left) and Orquidia Paulino (right). (Jessica Kergo/Connector)

Jessica Kergo
Connector Staff

At 10 minutes of seven this past Saturday night, Latin American Student Association, LASA, students and the numerous other affiliated student organizations congregated in and around Moloney Hall at University Crossing as they eagerly prepared for the upcoming festivities of their event, “Rumba Latina.” The walls of Moloney Hall glowed, alternating between bright red and turquoise blue. The tables were decorated with elegant black table cloths topped with shimmering gold confetti and white rose centerpieces. A stage claimed the center of attention in the front of the room. Excitement filled the air along with the Latin American music playing before the start of the event.

At last, the visitors were welcomed by Masters of Ceremony and LASA members Orquiddia Paulino and Gerard Colome to the fifteenth annual Rumba Latina. Before the night began, enthusiastic guests were engaged with some Bachata/Merengue 101, a quick introduction to two important dances to the Latin culture. To kick off the night of performances was Freshman Javi Colon, an electrical engineering major, who captivated viewers with his beautiful cover of Mark Anthony’s “Flor Pálida,” dancing along and contributing to the cheerful atmosphere.

To switch gears from happy to serious was sophomore criminal justice major Joe Bordeleau, who moved the audience with his powerful spoken word poetry regarding important universal issues of the past and present. As he finished his act, Bordeleau reminded his audience to discuss and reflect on the heavy, yet significant, topics.

Before dinner finally arrived, guests were treated with an upbeat dance by the Lowell High School dance team captain to Shawn Mendes’ “Something Big.” While the crowd awaited their food, LASA member Miquel Arias played popular Hispanic music by artists like Enrique Iglesias on his acoustic guitar. He continued to provide music entertainment throughout dinnertime.

Tickets were handed out to indicate when it was a table’s turn to line up for food. When their turn came, hungry guests lined up at the row of appetizing selections that were set up in front of Moloney Hall. As promised, the food options were plentiful. Provided by local restaurants from Lowell, the meal featured rice, beans, burritos, beef, chicken, pork, plantains and pizza; for dessert, they had beautifully decorated cupcakes, brownies, chocolate cake and cheesecake. The meal was delicious and authentic, and definitely lived up to its expectations.

The guest number increased tremendously as the night progressed. Eventually the hosts even had to add chairs to accommodate for the additional partygoers. The new arrivals came just in time for the second half of performances. A freshman from Emerson College, Elmer Martinez, took the stage after dinner was over. He informed the audience with personal accounts about his childhood and Hispanic culture through his beautiful free verse poetry. Laura Cabrera, a senior in the university’s continuing education program, was next to wow the crowd with her beautiful original RnB and freestyle songs. Three competitions were also held throughout the night. The much anticipated Merengue Dance Competition, the Bachata Competition and, the final competitive event, the “Best Dressed Competition” were all judged based on the audience’s opinion.

The second to last performance was by MC Gerard Colome, who brought everyone in the room to their feet and displayed his talent for rapping as the crowd joined in. During his performance he spoke favorably upon the program’s goal of promoting cultural diversity. Last but not least, LASA’s very own dance team danced to various Latino and hip-hop songs. They were the perfect final performance to lead into the last part of the event, where every guest was invited to stay and dance for the last hour.

Freshman Caitlin Baranow and junior Shantelle Castle of Kappa Delta Phi Nas, a co-sponsor of the event, reflected on their first ever Rumba Latina. “It was a lot of fun. It was different from other club’s events,” says Baranow.

“It was really interesting and it gave us a perspective on a culture that we’re not often exposed to,” said Shantelle. While the ultimate goal of Rumba Latina was to bring students together and showcase the Latin culture, the event accomplished that and so much more. Rumba Latina successfully captured the cultural diversity and pride of the UMass Lowell community and will continue to do so in years to come.

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