“Dah, dah, dah, and one, two, three.” The International Commons was filled with students, all of them looking at Dave Larsen, a local dance instructor. With his hands on his hips, he counted the rhythm of the salsa dance he was teaching.
The space, which was usually empty, now had people of all ages spread across the tables, floor, and sides of the room. For Cuban Night, organized by WWPV, the radio station on campus, and Juntes, a MOVE program that works with migrant issues in Vermont.
On this night, all the focus is on Cuban culture, with a band, food, and dance lessons. Amidst the celebration, pamphlets for Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program and pledges. Amidst ICE crackdowns and a nation-wide pivot to migrant issues, Evelyn Mercier, Co-Manager of WWPV said she finds it even more important to have events like this to bring visibility for the community.
“It’s really important for predominantly white institutions to have opportunities for people to not only just experience the culture, but also give back and learn about the culture. If we’re just dancing to their music and eating their food, we’re not doing anything unless we’re actually supporting that,” Mercier said.
Cuban Night, with support from the Student Government Association’s Beloved Community Fund, was able to have Los Sonoros, a local Cuban band, and Santiago’s, a Cuban Restaurant in Burlington catered.
Tony Basanta, a DJ who runs a Cuban show every Sunday on the radio station, had pitched Cuban Night countless times to previous station managers- but Evelyn Mercier and Jack Duda were the ones to execute it.
Dave Larsen, a friend of Tony Basanta, offered to teach the dance lessons for free. His passion for Cuban dancing comes from the community aspect of it. He finds joy in teaching the average person who might not even consider dancing to learn the steps and become confident.
“Everyone here has a sort of a really quiet demeanor. You say, oh, I couldn’t possibly do that. But later in the evening, while you’re, you know, brushing your teeth, you gotta move, and, you know, salsa salsa. And that’s the way it is. It’s family. That’s the culture of it. It’s all family” Larsen said.
The night of community, music, and dancing ended with empty catering containers and the Los Sonoros playing, while students, in their newfound dance skills, took to the dance floor.
