Students flooded Lower Right of Paresky Commons on Saturday night for Andover’s first dance of the year, Latin Arts Dance. Hosted by Andover’s LatinX Affinity group, Allianza Latina, the dance aimed to celebrate the spirit of Hispanic Heritage month through up-beat music by Latin artists.
This non-affinity event welcomed all students to celebrate Latin culture despite their own background. Charlize Sow ’28 noted that she felt welcome to dance, sing along to the music, and simply get to know new people.
“One of the biggest positives was the inclusivity of the event. I feel like everyone seemed to be dancing with each other and that created a sense of community where no one was left out. It felt pretty easy to join and even if you didn’t know anyone, and that’s something I feel like I personally appreciated. It really had the potential to bring people together, which is great,” said Sow.
Alianza’s Outreach Coordinator, Hillary Tufiño ’26, emphasized the club’s desire to unite the Andover community. By celebrating with a public event, Tufiño hoped to invite the community into a space that is normally an affinity space.
“Because it is Hispanic Heritage Month, we really wanted all of our events to focus on community building but also get people excited about the spirit of Hispanic people on campus… For the dance, one of the most important components was just getting together and celebrating Latin culture, but also inviting other people into our space. Since we’re an affinity group, there’s not as many opportunities for people to join us in our events, which is really sad because we always have a blast,” said Tufiño.
Many students were excited to hear about this dance, hoping for a break amidst the upcoming stress of midterms. Tori Dahl ’26 commented on her anticipation of the event as an opportunity to spend time with others.
“The dance was just a good way to wind down after a really busy week. I was hoping there would be something fun to do this weekend and this was perfect for that… I went with a couple of friends, and we were able to just let loose and have fun,” said Dahl.
Despite the positive energy of the Latin Arts dance, some attendees felt as though the event did not live up to its full potential. Students such as Sow express disappointment with the choice of location.
“It feels like the space the dance was held in was a bit too big for the number of people there… This made the event feel more disconnected… I feel like it should’ve been held in the den or a more intimate space because it would have made the dance more energetic,” said Sow.
Although the Latin Arts Dance left room for improvement in terms of student engagement, it overall raised awareness about Hispanic Heritage Month, and provided a unique space for celebration and connection.
