PREVIEW Big Salsa Night Tonight, 8 p.m. ““ midnight
Ackerman Grand Ballroom, FREE
UCLA students walk a lot. Now it’s time to dance.
Tonight in Ackerman Grand Ballroom, the Ballroom Dance Club and
International Folk Dance Club are hosting their sixth annual Big
Salsa Night and 19th annual New Student Welcome.
UCLA students, staff, faculty and alumni are all invited to
partake in the club’s first event of the year.
“Dance brings people together in a unique way, and to have
this opportunity with different people across campus is what
it’s all about,” said Cynthia Harper, dance instructor
for the club.
For the first hour, starting at 8 p.m., step-by-step salsa
lessons will be taught. Participants will have the opportunity to
learn the dance from two guest instructors.
Partners will be frequently switched throughout the hour, so
participants are welcome to come alone or with a group of
friends.
“You really don’t need to bring a partner,”
said Claire Moore-Cantwell, a second-year astrophysics and
linguistics student and co-president of BDC/IFDC.
“If you just learn the dance with just one person, you
accommodate to each others’ weaknesses. When you switch
partners, you get better.”
Los Angeles-style salsa is the focus of this year, mainly
because of its rise in popularity, but also because of its overall
appeal to many.
“It’s a very popular style of dancing right
now,” Harper said. “Your shoulder starts to go, and
your hips start to swing ““ you just can’t help but to
move to it.”
After the salsa lessons from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be
open dance from 9 p.m. until midnight.
During the open dance period, noted musician Francisco Aguabella
and his professional Latin Jazz Ensemble will perform live to
accompany the dancers.
Aguabella has performed at this event for years. In addition to
being a world-renowned drummer, he’s also part of the UCLA
family.
“He’s been playing for us for years,” said
Mary Collins, a second-year music history student and co-president
of BDC/IFDC. “And it’s really cool that he’s
affiliated with UCLA and not some random performer.”
Aguabella, an adjunct assistant professor in the ethnomusicology
department at UCLA, has toured all over the country and abroad.
He and his band have a Cuban sound that focuses on percussion
with touches of the cha-cha, jazz and salsa.
Salsa Night provides an opportunity for people to connect with
both Cuban/Latin music and ethnology. It aims to teach lessons in
dance, culture and community.
“It’s a good multicultural experience,”
Moore-Cantwell said. “(You can) experience of all kinds of
dance, and experience all different kinds of culture.”
The purpose for the event is also to interact and gain new
relationships with the people of UCLA. Whether for a new student or
a fourth-year, BDC/IFDC hopes to create unity on campus.
“I’m hoping that (people) meet new friends and feel
that UCLA is a very welcoming place for them,” said James
Zimmer, founding president of BDC/IFDC. “A lot about what you
learn in college is about your social interactions with people, and
they’re going to experience this (here), along with this
wonderful combination of Cuban culture and rhythm.”
Bringing new experiences to UCLA and presenting ideas of music,
culture and fun to the start of a new year is the goal for the
evening.
“Dancing is not the connection with you and your partner;
it also connects you with the music as well,” Harper said.
“The point is to learn some dancing and hear some music
(you’ve) never heard before, and try steps that are
new.”