Una obsesion de salsa

As the salsa band Rica Obsesion hit the stage at Marty’s with their upbeat dance songs Friday, Sept. 11, Luther students took to the dance floor whether or not they knew how to salsa.

The concert was co-sponsored by the Student Activities Council’s Diversity Committee and the Diversity Center.

“Salsa dances have always been popular at Luther and have been extremely well attended,” SAC Diversity co-chair, Chad Sonka (‘12), said.

Sonka said this popularity among students, particularly first-years, is also the reason for the forthcoming visit of yet another salsa band called Orquesta Alto Maizon Oct. 25.

“The goal behind having salsa dances and other events like it is to expose students at Luther to a different culture that they might not get exposed to if they don’t live, say, in a big city,” Sonka said. “We want to bring different cultures, ideas and people to Luther College campus to show the students and to educate them.”

Students involved in the Hispanic Organization for Latinos and Allies also thought the Rica Obsesion show was a hit.

“The show was a great success, way better than any other salsa dances we have had in the past years,” Maritza Navarro (‘11), president of HOLA, said. “350 swipes were recorded at the show. We have never heard this many students attend a salsa dance before.”

The eight-man band proved to be a one-of-a-kind salsa combo.
“Most of the songs were original to the band, but they also incorporated their versions of recent popular songs like reggaeton with salsa,” HOLA’s Secretary Marie Maguina (‘11) said. “They did some merengues and performed a cha cha song on request in their own unique style.”

The show was not without hitches. The artists arrived more than an hour late for their sound check, causing a delay in the start of the show, and left an hour earlier than they were supposed to according to the posters around campus. The show was scheduled to end at 11:30 p.m., but wrapped up by 10:30 p.m. instead.

Nevertheless, the event turned out to be more successful than expected by the organizers.

“In the beginning, people were not coming in that much, but 15 minutes into the beginning, a lot of people showed up,” Navarro said. “Lots of people were dancing, singing and asking for more songs.”

Marty’s was packed, and the dance floor was crowded with people doing salsa as well as innovating their own dance steps to the rhythmic melodies of the music.

Sonka suggested that such events can help college students figure out who they are as people or discover that they have a passion for something they might not have been aware of before.

“I would encourage people to come to all SAC events and other events on campus, forget about homework for a little while and experience something that they don’t get to see often,” Sonka said.