Playing two instruments simultaneously is no challenge for UCLA alumnus Manny Contreras. He usually stands between two instruments: a drum set on his left and a set of timbales, or Cuban drums, on his right. Also playing alongside him is a guitarist, a bassist, a piano player and two singers.
These musicians, along with four others, create a 10-person Cuban salsa group called Jarana, which will have its debut performance Saturday at the Latin American Student Association’s 14th annual Festival Latino. Jarana performs a more contemporary and progressive genre of Cuban salsa called timba.
“It’s more raw with the beats which makes people want to dance. Timba is more hyped than Puerto Rican salsa, which most of us know,” Contreras said.
The festival, which celebrates Latino culture on campus, will have 16 booths with activities ranging from arts and crafts to different Latino cuisine such as Jamaican horchata, tamarindo, Jarritos and paletas. There will also be performances such as mariachi and spoken word, and the UCLA salsa dance club will provide free dance lessons.
Third-year psychology student Yahaira Navarro, Latin American Student Association’s internal vice president and Festival Latino’s director, said Saturday’s event will take place in Bruin Plaza as opposed to Wilson Plaza, where the event was held in previous years, in order to increase accessibility and accommodate bigger crowds.
“We’re trying to make it more interactive than past years. People can see performances on stage, and it’s better for younger people to interact. It’ll just be a different dynamic than last year,” Navarro said.
Contreras, who is also the music director of Jarana and used to be involved with Latin American Student Association, said that Jarana has a different sound because timba uses a variety of genres.
“Cuban salsa, in terms of its beats, is very complex. It has elements of American jazz, and you can even hear elements of Puerto Rican timba. It’s a huge melting pot,” Contreras said.
Erica Azila, a second-year psychology student who will perform with her traditional Mexican folklore dance group, Grupo Folklórico de UCLA, said she is excited to showcase Latino culture in the form of dance. In traditional Mexican folklore dance, the girls don colorful dresses with large skirts while the boys wear cowboy boots and hats ““ either way, it’s a lot of footwork for both genders.
“I feel that as a minority group at UCLA, we have to bring our cultural roots and celebrate them and show people that we’re proud to be Latino. (We are) able to showcase our culture and give awareness not only to UCLA, but other communities,” Azila said.
Contreras said that he likes that Festival Latino can showcase Latino music, like timba, which most UCLA students don’t know about but has cultural significance to a small community in Los Angeles.
“No one knows what timba is. The timba community is really small but precious to a lot of people. There’s a beautiful culture behind it. L.A.’s Cuban community is small, so we’re here to expose a new side of it to UCLA,” Contreras said.