Festival of Nations (FON) prides itself in its ability to showcase cultures from across the world, welcoming new additions each year. This year, Latinx FON, one of the new cultures, led by juniors Alexa Herrera and Diana Perez, will feature performances highlighting Latin American traditions.
Alexa and Diana created Latinx FON to showcase the diverse yet underrepresented traditions of Latinx culture. “At the end of last year’s FON season, we decided we wanted to create Latinx FON to show the different forms of dancing from our culture that were not previously recognized,” said Alexa.
Latinx FON will include a variety of traditional dances from multiple countries within Latin America, including Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Uruguay. The leaders plan to incorporate dances such as the web, zapateado, candombe, and a traditional skirt dance. Regarding the planning process, Alexa said, “Diana and I worked to research other cultures of Latin America that we would be able to incorporate in a well-planned out manner. Our FON will not only represent our own country’s culture, Mexico, but also showcase a variety of dances from [other Latin American] countries.”
The leaders’ primary goal for Latinx FON this year is to create a welcoming learning environment. Diana said, “We both have had long journeys in the process of learning these dance styles and so we understand the struggles that can be faced in learning them. We hope there is a clear no-judgment zone when learning.”
Members of Latinx FON express excitement for the upcoming show. Sophomore Stephanie Martinez said, “I am very excited to see my culture incorporated into an annual event at THHS [and] to see my group, Hispanics and Latinos, come together and people [of different backgrounds] willing to see and experience the dances that the leaders will teach us.”
Junior Fatima Hameed reflected on her experience with Latinx FON thus far and said, “The Latinx FON leaders are really approachable and understanding. During auditions, I could tell that they were very enthusiastic about their dance and were really excited to share their culture.”
The leaders look forward to the show in March, striving to create a memorable experience for both their members and their audience. Alexa said, “We hope people can be comfortable at Latinx FON and help us put on a great performance this year.”
