It was caliente. The night was hot and passionate. Something one expects in a smallish salón on a scorching Dominican night. Was the performance typically latino? Maybe. But it was also enlighteningly, and entertainingly, entusiasmado.
Last Saturday night in the Den, as part of the Latin Arts Weekend, Grupo Fantasia, a New England based Latin band, played merengue and salsa music.
Funded by CAMD and Student Activities, with Alianza Latina serving a directive role, Latin Weekend is an annual event aimed to embrace the Latin culture and celebrate “youth from every quarter.”
Formed in 1993 when the original members met each other at church, the band named itself Grupo Fantasia because “[they] wanted something bright [and] cheerful,” according to the band leader and percussionist Angel Wagner.
During their performance, the band’s vocals, saxophone, bass, güira, tambora and piano all came together and created enthusiastic music.
The güira, an instrument of metal cylinder riddled with even holes that are brushed over to produce sounds, dominated the sonic music.
The tambora, a Dominican two-headed drum, created a gyrating rhythm.
The two instruments are the dominant components to the merengue, a type of Dominican music.
Merengue is fast with fervor and immensely pleasurable.
The sensual music of merengue also has the 2/4 beat that compels “movements of the hips.”
The audience danced meregue and salsa in pairs.
A visiting student from Middlesex School Ryan Owusu said, “It was fun how [Andover] made it. The salsa [and merengue] introduction was good. It let people try to learn something new.”
Several members in the audience seemed as if they were competent merengueros. Many of these merengueros had attended the dance lessons offered the night before as part of the Latin Weekend.
“Compared to previous years, the attendance [to the program] has risen,” said Heather Menar ’12, the co-organizer of Latin Arts Weekend and co-head of Alianza Latina with Andrea Maria Vargas ’13.
The weekend events such as the performance by Grupo Fantasia, however, only promoted certain segments of Latin culture.
For example, the diversity of Latin culture was undermined.
Menar said, “Latin America is diverse in the sense that each individual is diverse within themselves… each family, even of the same country, can have different ancestral origins.”
Many people hold the stereotype that Latinos are passionate and outgoing people.
Menar said, “Even ‘positive’ stereotypes hold an individual to an assumption that might not apply to [him or her].”
“We [Latinos] move our hips to the overwhelming sounds of African drumming, the Spanish guitar and other elements of various cultures. Music is a tremendous part of our culture. In my opinion, that is where the stereotype might come from,” continued Menar.
Grupo Fantasia’s performance was typically Latino, but only if “typically Latino” means being diverse within oneself, moving the hips to the drums of life.
