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SPC celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with El Ballet Folklorico
by
Rachel Henyan, feature editor
October is a month of festivities, including Hispanic Heritage Month, which
is celebrated at South Plains College with the help of El Ballet Folklorico
Nuestra Herencia.
Congress originally recognized National Hispanic Heritage week on September
17, 1968. However they later amended it to National Hispanic Heritage month
on August 17, 1968.
El
Ballet performed traditional dances for students while the HSO served free
nachos to those who were interested. They performed Saguini and Tortuga from
the state of Oaxaca, Colas, Gualamaya and Indita from the state of Veracruz,
Caballito and Cuimon from the Veracruz Huesteca region, Jususita en
Chihuahua from the state of Chihuahua, and Guolalajora, La Negro and El
Toreo from the state of Jalisco.
This
is the forth year that HSO has invited El Ballet to perform at SPC.
“It’s kind of hard,” dancer Mikayla Castillo said. “It took a while to learn
the first step.”
Mikayla and her sister Alyssa, along with their friend and fellow dancer,
all agree. “My favorite dress is the Jalisco.”
El
Ballet is directed by Debbie Rodriguez at the Helen Underwood Center for the
Arts at 511 Ave. K in Lubbock. Everyone, regardless of race or physical
disability, is welcome to join El Ballet. Also, it is only $10 per month,
per family.
They
hold fundraisers to help pay for the costumes, which can be purchased by the
families or borrowed from El Ballet. There is a Tuesday class for ages 10
and up that begins at 6 p.m. that usually lasts two hours. There is also a
class on Thursdays for children younger than 10 that begins at 5:30 pm and
usually lasts one-and-a-half hours.
To
help younger children learn rhythm, Rodriguez has them beat on drums, clap
or stomp their feet to the beat of a song or play follow the leader. They
learn simple steps and every song has eight beats or less.
“It
usually takes about a month for them to learn the dances,” Rodriguez said.
HSO
meets every Thursday at 12:15 in the Oil Room, which is located in the
Student Center. The organization “promotes education and cultural awareness,
and services the community” Multicultural Service Coordinator Gracie
Quinonez said.
The
HSO website can be found at
http://www.southplainscollege.edu/website/index.html.
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