Fiesta Ball becomes opportunity for practice

Two salsa teams took the dance floor at the Latin Dance Club’s Fiesta Ball last Friday to demonstrate a portion of their performances for upcoming professional workshops.

Explosión Salsera, OU’s professional team, and Chispa Salsera, OU’s amateur team, have each been preparing dances with multiple parts for an upcoming salsa congress.

Salsa congresses are workshops that specialize in Latin dancing, music and include performances by various student teams and professional dancers, Maritza Rodriguez, the co-founder and member of both salsa teams and a bioengineering graduate student said.

 The performances each team is working on will be observed by salsa dancers from around the world. 

According to the Houston Salsa Congress – the perspective congress OU’s teams will be attending – it is one of the largest salsa events in the Southwest and has professional performers coming from places such as Mexico and Canada.

At the Fiesta Ball, both teams were only able to perform a portion of their shows because they are still in the process of learning their routine. Regardless, their performances were a highlight for the ball due to the status of the teams.  

“Trying out for [the teams] is like trying out for a sports team,” Juan Carlos Silva, the public relations chair for Latin Dance Club and economics senior said. “Because I’m in charge of publicity [for LDC], I’m not on one, but I wish I was.”

The next event for Explosión Salsera and Chispa Salsera is the Houston Salsa Congress on January 17 through the 20 in Houston, TX. 

Asian food fair receives high attendance

Genghis Grill's display is the first stop on the food table. PHOTO: Miranda Sanchez  

Over 400 people attended the annual Asian food fair last Thursday that featured food from a variety sponsors and raised money for charity.

The Asian American Student Association, Oklahoma Undergraduate Indian Society and the Vietnamese Student Association, which are all a part of Asian American Student Life, put on the event with the help of several sponsors who provided the food.

“This has been one of the better turnouts so far out of the ones we’ve booked in the last two or three months,” David Haddaway, Genghis Grill’s marketing and catering director for the Oklahoma area said.

In addition to Genghis grill, Panda Express, Wong Key, Lee’s Sandwiches, Taste of India and several other restaurants contributed food.

Carlos Lopez, an accounting sophomore, chooses to
sample a variety of the food that was offered.
PHOTO: Miranda Sanchez

The food was free for everyone who attended, but the three organizations running the event encouraged donations from attendees.

All donations were collected and saved for AASL’s philanthropy, Christmas Headstart. At the end of November, AASL hosts a carnival for children of the Norman community, Oliver Li, the AASA president said.

“We’ll have Mr. Clause and Mrs. Clause – those are Mr. and Miss Asian OU – and then we’ll have gifts ready for them,” Li said.

Each of the three groups from AASL began recruiting sponsors for the food fair a month and a half prior to the event, Li said. Every year, he says they expect a large turnout and try to get good food.

“I heard there was free food and it was for a good cause,” Carlos Lopez, an accounting sophomore who attended and donated said. “I didn’t expect this many people, it’s pretty crazy.”

The next fundraising event is a date auction party on November 9 in the Red Room in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.