United in Dance, in partnership with the Hispanic Student Association, hosted a Latin Fair on April 21. Students from different backgrounds came to explore the Latin world through food, performances, music and games.
Briana Marquez, a junior and member of United in Dance, said the event brought a lot of students together.
“The Latin Fair is our way to show off different cultures of the Hispanic community,” Marquez said. “We want to spread awareness and share our roots, culture and our community along with our style of living.”
This is the first year both groups are putting on the fair. Staff dressed in traditional attire while also serving and running multiple booths.
Naomi Chavez, a senior at UNK, said events like this make her feel at home.
“I heard about this event from a friend, and I’ve also seen posters for it all over campus,” Chavez said. “It’s nice that UNK is providing this event, especially with what’s currently going on in the world. Having all this cultural stuff is nice, especially since it’s stuff I’m used to.”
During the event, staff of both United in Dance and the Hispanic Student Association performed a traditional dance.
Sayuli Contreras, president and founder of United in Dance, said that putting on this event was a way for them to give back to the community that has helped them over the years.
“The Latin Fair is a way for us to represent a lot of countries in Latin America,” Contreras said. “The idea was to bring a piece of each country and show it off on campus so other people could see and interact with it, along with being able to express our culture and showing that we are a proud community, and that it’s important to us to have that on campus.”
Briseida Flores Cardenas, a member of both United in Dance and the Hispanic Student Association, said it’s important for students to be able to showcase their cultures in a positive way.
“You get to see both sides of how it comes together while getting to work with two different groups,” Cardenas said. “We should all come together, especially in these times.”
Photos by Jenju Peters and Gabby Roche / Antelope Staff
