The stomping of feet, the vibrant laughs of students on the dance floor and carefully arranged delicacies all filled the room last Saturday, Oct. 28, when the Department of Foreign Languages hosted a Salsa night in Hege Library. This event was organized by part-time lecturer for foreign languages of Spanish at Guilford Viana Hara. It was held as a potential cultural event requirement for her students and allowed those in other Spanish classes at Guilford a fun way to learn more about Latinx culture. Speaking with the students who attended, an understanding of the event’s attractions was clear.

Hara held the event to provide her students with an enjoyable experience that would also enrich their education. When asked why they wanted to come to the salsa night, most students responded about how this opportunity to fulfill their requirement seemed more interesting to them than others.

“It was cultural event credit,” said Early College student Clare O’Connor. “Also it seemed like the most interesting cultural event I have seen so far. It was planned by my professor, so I felt like I should have gone.”

The event gave students something fun to do on a Saturday night. Besides being a class requirement, many students saw value in having these kinds of fun, interactive events at Guilford to help the community become more acquainted with other cultures.

One student spoke about how social, rather than political, interaction is important between two cultures.

“I see a lot of value in this event,” said Celene Warren. “It brings a different culture to Guilford. It’s important because it’s a collaborative event between the Black Student Union and the language department.”

The culture that was brought to Guilford is one of the things that really attracted students to the Salsa night.

When asked at the end of the night about how they felt about learning how to dance Salsa from a professional dancer, being able to enjoy themselves for a few hours at the event and becoming more acquainted with Latinx culture, students expressed that meeting people different than themselves at Guilford College made it more interesting.

“Yeah, it’s made me more acquainted with the culture,” said Teresa Shol, a psychology major at Guilford. “I think it’s because of the people from different backgrounds here.”

The variety of individuals at the event gave extra value to Guilford’s Salsa night, and although this was the first year the event was held, its popularity gives it prospect to return next year.

“I would come again,” said Malachi Prince. “I liked seeing people show themselves. It’s just a nice place to be.”

Guilford’s Department of Foreign Language hosted a lively gathering this past weekend and is sure to do so in following semesters. The value in these events originates in the environment created by people of different backgrounds coming together to appreciate and learn more about a culture.