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Tuesday, May 4 was not a normal day on the Saint Leo Campus. Many Mamacítas from every nationality came to strut their stuff on the dance floor in front of a male counterpart.
“Salsa Magic” was an event that showcased Latin dance, hosted by Student Activities and sororities Lambda Pi Chi, Sigma Lambda Gamma, and Sigma Lambda Beta. “Salsa Magic” is also a program by the National Association for Campus Activities (NAAC) brought to over 150,000 schools across the United States and is deemed one of the, “most successful College Diversity acts in the history of NACA,” according to The College Agency.
The event was hosted by the married Latin Dance duo, Kat “La Gata” Aguilar and Lee “El Gringuito” Smith.
“I have been dancing for a little over 15 or 16 years now, and I started by taking a two credit World Dance class at George Mason University back in 2000. It has really changed my life,” explained Smith.
Aguilar, like Lee, has been dancing for about 12 years professionally but started when she was young, influenced by her Peruvian and Salvadorian parents.
“Professionally, I started dancing when I was 15 or 16. I went to a dance studio and, at that same dance studio when I was 18, I got to become an instructor,” stated Aguiler.
The magic duo has, “produced some of the largest Latin dance diversity events in the world.” Lee explained. One of the events, called “DCBX,” is held every August in Washington D.C. and “gets over 7000” people.
During the dance sessions on campus, four teams comprised of Saint Leo students got the chance to compete for a chance to go to “DCBX.” One group got eliminated during the
first round where everyone had to dance to the Gente de Zona ft. Mark Anthony’s “La Gozadera (Good time/party).” Smith gave the final three teams a ticket and opportunity to compete at the “DCBX” this August. Participants seemed thrilled that the dances they had perfected in just two hours were good enough for them to earn a trip to D.C. The rest of the patrons also seemed ecstatic will the results of their hard learning.
A diverse student body came out the event to either perfect their already existing skills or to learn how to dance to Latin music. During the dance section, there were many awkward positions faced and many a fall taken, but the laughs made it worthwhile. No one was perfect, but everyone had a great time.
