Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Passion Latina: Salsa, reggaeton, and more set to take over campus

Passion Latina is the newest student group to hit the extracurricular scene on Suffolk University’s campus.

A Latin dance group open to practicing all kinds of dance and music, Passion Latina is currently focusing on merengue, reggaeton, salsa, and bachata. The group eventually would like to add other genres such as vallenato, cumbia, and samba to that list.

Suffolk student Claudergine Aspilaire is the founder and president of the fledgling group.  Aspilaire has been enthusiastic about dancing from a young age, and in high school could not find an available dance group. Her influence to dance came from her first dance instructor, Viviane Gauthier.

“What inspired me the most about Viviane Gauthier was her passion and devotion to dancing, [especially] the fact that she is 96 now and still dancing,” Aspilaire said “She definitely gave me a strong base to evolve in the dancing world. Not only in Latin but ballet and Haitian folklore. She shaped the best dancers in Haiti and helped shape the dancer that I am today.”

When she became a college student, she was inspired to start a Latin dance group on campus at the Nuestra Cultura, an event organized each year by the Suffolk University Hispanic Association as a celebration of Latin culture.  She decided to start her own group when she discovered that there was no actual extracurricular group that primarily focused on Latin dancing.

Passion Latina, a group in its infancy, has many goals for the year.  Eventually, they would like to perform all over Boston with other groups.  Their first performance of the school year, and second ever, will be Oct. 25 at the C. Walsh Theatre, during the Nuestra Cultura celebration. They debuted their dancing skills earlier this year at the Spring Showcase. “Passion Latina is working really hard with rehearsals to get all the choreographies done in a timely manner,” Aspilaire said of the groups’ preparation for their next performance.

Students interested in joining Passion Latina should be passionate about dancing and they will be given a warm welcome when they decide to audition for the group. Their first auditions, held earlier this week, are closed. Passion Latina will be holding more auditions during the spring semester, and will looking for as many performers as they can get.

The auditions were filled with students that all seemed to be very happy and enthusiastic about dancing for a school group.

“Follow your dreams because that is what I’m doing,” Aspilaire said about what she would like to communicate to the Suffolk student population.

Through the medium of dance, students can practice a hobby, channel their stress, or meet new people.  Leaving a mark on Suffolk history, is not only an achievement for the members of Passion Latina, but also can potentially positively affect generations of students into the future.

Students interested in contacting the group can e-mail

[email protected]. Passion Latina meets every Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Fenton 134A and again on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio in the North End.

 

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Passion Latina: Salsa, reggaeton, and more set to take over campus