Mu Sigma Upsilon partnered with Tumbao \u2014 Lehigh\u2019s Latin dance team \u2014 for a cultural dance swap featuring\u00a0 traditional African and Latin dance on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mu Sigma Upsilon is the first multicultural sorority in the nation, and the \u2018Mu\u2019 stands for multicultural. Lehigh\u2019s Yemaya chapter was founded in 2012. The groups gathered in the Umoja dance studio and took turns teaching their respective dance styles.<\/p>\n
Tumbao dance captain, Indira Alvarado, \u201826, led the group through a blend of salsa and reggaeton to a remix of Daddy Yankee\u2019s \u201cLo Que Pas\u00f3, Pas\u00f3\u201d and Joe Arroyo\u2019s \u201cRebelli\u00f3n.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alvarado said dance has always been an important part of her family and upbringing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Growing up, she took classes in a variety of dance styles, including ballet, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop. She began Latin dance classes in salsa, merengue and bachata when she was 13.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving those classes when I was a little bit older helped solidify the stuff I bring now to Tumbao,\u201d Alvarado said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said the team enjoys combining traditional and modern dance, which they also express through their costuming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tumbao\u2019s style is colorful and last semester, the team performed at Fusion in a 1990s-inspired sweat set and jersey costume.\u00a0<\/p>\n
T\u2019Anna Gooden, \u201829, said she loved Tumabo\u2019s performance at Fusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were really well put together and had a good stage presence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Gooden said she isn\u2019t a member of either group, but attended the event because her friend, Kaylin Velasquez, \u201828, was teaching. She said she also wanted to learn more about Tumbao and Mu Sigma Upsilon\u2019s Yemaya chapter.<\/p>\n
Gooden has a background in contemporary, hip-hop and commercial dance but had never tried Latin dance before the event. She said the speed of the music made the salsa more difficult, but after practicing slowly, she began to understand the rhythm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the way that (Alvarado) taught without any counts was very helpful,\u201d Gooden said. \u201cIt helped me tap into that natural flow (Tumbao) has with salsa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Velasquez said shifting from a precise dance style to a more fluid one was difficult at first but enjoyable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t got that flow in me,\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cWhen (Alvarado) told us to body roll, I said \u2018Oh?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gooden said she eventually memorized the steps, and by the end of the session, she performed the routine at full speed alongside Velasquez.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Velasquez said the experience allowed her to tap into her Puerto Rican identity and that she\u2019s open to joining Tumbao next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Velasquez choreographed a traditional African step dance for Yemaya to teach the class. Traditional African step dances typically include clapping, body slapping, vocalizations and stomping, along with sharp and precise movements. Often, there\u2019s no music.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was cool to dance without any music playing, because we\u2019re so used to (dancing) based off of that,\u201d Alvarado said. \u201cI\u2019m someone who\u2019s very inclined by the lyrics and the beats and the music.\u201d<\/p>\n