Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Mi Familia hosted Salsabor in Talley Ballroom on Monday night in an effort to showcase Latino culture.
Andrew Pita, a junior in electrical engineering and president of SHPE, said the event was “not to introduce, but to celebrate our culture.” Pita said the Latino community is growing rapidly in North Carolina and at N.C. State, and wants to help non-Latinos embrace the new culture.
“A lot of kids are interested in our culture,” Pita said. “This is a chance for them to learn our culture through music, dance and food.”
Edwin Estrada, a sophomore in electrical engineering and president of Mi Familia, said Latinos are “not all the same,” and there is a lot of diversity within the Latino culture. Mi Familia is a student organization that promotes the “richness of the international Latino and Hispanic community/culture,” according to the group’s Web site.
Estrada said one of his goals for Salsabor was, “to break down stereotypes by letting [non-Latino] N.C. State students meet Latino N.C. State students.”
The event began with food, empanadas with rice and beans, followed with a musical performance by Mi Familia members and a dance demonstration by La Raza del Mil Colores, the NCSU Latino dance team. La Raza then gave the attendees brief lessons in the dances Bachata, Salsa and Meringue.
Salsabor is a play on the Spanish words salsa and sabor, meaning spice and flavor. The event was advertised as “where spice and flavor meet.”
“It was a great time to express our culture though song and dance,” Brenda Haitema, a sophomore in polymer and color chemistry, who performed in the dance demonstration said. “The food was good.”
Brett Locklear, the adviser for Mi Familia, said this year was the fifth Salsabor and also the fifth anniversary of Mi Familia.
“This is one of the best programs they’ve had,” he said. “It continues to grow.”
Locklear said music and song are a fabric that keeps the Latino community together and that programs like Salsabor give students the opportunity “to not only experience [Latino culture], but to participate.”
Pita said the organizers for the event sold 80 tickets for food and more attendees showed for the rest of the event. He said the event was not intended to make a profit, and the organizers broke even with their costs.
“It’s just good to see all that hard work pay off,” he said.
Pita and Estrada said Salsabor is only a preview of their big annual cultural show, Somos, held in the spring which will include many more performances of music and dance.
“This is just a sample of what’s to come,” Pita said.
Estrada said Mi Familia is always looking for more members and that the group is open to anyone.
“We’re here and if you want to experience Latino culture you should definitely come to our activities,” Estrada said. “[Mi Familia] is open to anybody who has any kind of interest in the Latino culture.”
