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A Cinco de Mayo kind of day

By Marivel Aguirre, La Prensa Reporter

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In the midst of all other Cinco de Mayo celebrations going on this weekend, Ohio Dominican University held its own fiesta Friday at 7:30 pm at the Mastich Theater.

The celebration included traditional dances from México, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and Spain as well as traditional Mexican music. Folclor Hispano performed the dances.

According to Folclor Hispano’s website, they began as a “community-based group in March of 1990, focusing on dances from different regions of México and presenting these at festivals and schools in the Columbus area.  Folclor Hispano later became an official student organization at Ohio State.”

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The group strives to maintain the authenticity of the dances and this is evident in their performance and their dress.

The first dance they performed was from the northern region of Mexico followed by Bolivian and Chilean dances. There was an intermission of sorts during which Música Latina, a group that participates in many Ohio State University events, sang three popular songs: “Mi Forma de Sentir”, “Cielito Lindo”, and “Me Importas Tu”.

The musical intermission was followed by a Colombian dance, a performance of El Jarabe Tapatío from the Jalisco region of México, a Spanish dance, and a dance from the Veracruz region of México.

Michael Salgado, a student and co-organizer of the event, said that they tried to showcase the beauty of the Latin American culture with these dances.

Cinco de Mayo is one of the most widely celebrated Mexican-American holidays in the United States even though it is not a federal holiday in México. Most Mexicans remember it only as the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla.

The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862 in the southeastern city of Puebla when Mexican troops successfully defended the city from French troops sent by Napoleon III.

Michael Salgado said that they wanted to celebrate this year’s Cinco de Mayo in a more traditional way by presenting authentic Mexican renditions, in dance and song.

For more information on Folclor Hispano, visit http://folclor.org.ohio-state.edu/