On Thursday nights, the recreation room at the Carr Center is a maelstrom of flying arms and legs and swinging hips. Following a Latin beat, John Fernandez and Christyvette Santana lead 20-30 people in the salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and samba. Fernandez, a senior, and club vice president Kelly Alfaro ’06, started the Latin dance club in 2004. Instruction is free and open to all. Many of the students in the room are also members of the Latin dance team, which performs on campus and at local events. Fernandez choreographs the team’s routines.

"Freshman year, people would ask me to show them the dances, because they knew I could do them. We started getting together and I was surprised how much fun we had. I have the rhythm down and the movements just come to me naturally."

"The samba is a warm-up routine that we usually start off with. Traditional samba is more of a couple pairing, and dancing very smoothly. This is more of a modern type samba, very upbeat and in your face."

John Fernandez ’06, Dorchester, Mass., Economics and Business

"I learned to dance merengue as soon as I learned to walk. I learned bachata more recently in high school when I began to frequent Spanish clubs in my area. My favorite dance is salsa because it’s upbeat and the spins are exciting. My favorite music artists are Aventura, a Dominican bachata band, and I still love Juan Luis Guerra y 440, even if it is the music my parents listened to."

Christyvette Santana ’07, Nashua, N.H., Biology