Groove in Community: 2026 Latin Rhythms Social
By: Matthew Medeiros
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Percussion, songs from all over Latin America, and joyful cheers rang out across Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community (CHCRC) on September 25 at the sixth annual Latin Rhythms Social. Founded by Dean Mari Castañeda as a celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, the event offered the opportunity to come together in community for delicious food, crafts, and relaxation amongst the backdrop of vibrant music and dancing.
“It’s my favorite part of Latinx Heritage Month,” explained Dean Castañeda. “To come together, celebrate, listen to amazing music, and dance-but also come together to celebrate and recognize the important contribution that Latinx communities have made to the US and beyond. That’s really important to me.”
The Latin Rhythms Social kicked off as music echoed across Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community and community members filtered outdoors to check out the event.
Each corner of the concourse outside Roots Café featured different attractions. One table offered colorful grab bags of candy from all across Latin America, some of which included fruit-flavored hard candies from Argentina, tamarind candy from Mexico, fruit chews from Colombia, chocolates from Brazil, chili lollipops from Mexico, coconut and pineapple snack bars from Puerto Rico, and fruit candy from Chile.
A large food spread took up another corner of the space, including chicken empanadas, spinach and queso empanadas, guacamole, queso, pico de gallo, and tortilla chips. In another area, CHC staff offered supplies for craft activities.
The largest attraction by far was the music and dancing. Peace and Rhythm, a DJ collective based in Western MA, kept the music pumping with a mix of classic and contemporary Latinx music and added percussion as they moved records on and off their turntables all afternoon.
“I love that we can present the different rhythms: the salsa, cumbia, merengue, bachata, and more rhythms from around Latin America to the students here today,” explained Justin Cohen, aka DJ Studebaker Hawk of Peace and Rhythm.
“We just want to spread the love,” he added.
Cohen and his partner in Peace and Rhythm, Pablo Iglesias (aka DJ Bongohead), spoke over the PA through the afternoon to share short tidbits about the types of songs they were playing.
The types of music ranged all across the Latinx diaspora, encompassing many genres and artists as diverse as Bad Bunny to a salsa cover of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”, and even a cumbia rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”.
The event gained momentum a half hour into the programming when Dean Castañeda arrived and spoke over the microphone to encourage attendees to come dance.
With that announcement, education major Jeshua Calleja and architecture major Brithanny Quinonez, two dance instructors from the student organization Contagio Latino took the mic to explain dance moves and demonstrate them together.
Over the course of several songs, the two led dancers through moves ranging from simple steps to more complicated spins inspired by bachata.
“My favorite style of dance is samba. The connection to musicality and the style is something that I enjoy a lot,” explained Caden, a chemistry major, after trying out several of the different dances that were featured.
Throughout the remaining afternoon students relaxed among the yellow fall foliage in CHCRC, enjoying food and the other attractions of the event.
As the event was wrapping up, the Dean and a line of dancers lined up and danced through the concourse to the sounds of Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine’s song “Conga”. The union of so many people from across the university and different backgrounds was a perfect symbol of the community fostered by Honors events like the Latin Rhythms Social.
“The community that dances together, stays together,” said Dean Castañeda. "You can’t just always be in the lab, class, or in the studio. We really have to get together and be in community.”
Featuring
Jack Bertling
Matthew Medeiros
Ha Nguyen
