By: Madeleine Miyashiro
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Latin American Club (LAC) put on its annual show
to celebrate its culture through story, dance and music. Ainsly Acevedo, LAC Night writer
and director, emphasized how important it was this year for LAC to not only recognize
different cultures, but to tell a universal story of the perseverance it takes to leave home
and build something new.
Behind the Story
Acevedo’s play, titled “Hijo,” showcased the journey of fictional character Samuel, a U.S.
exchange student from Mexico.
Before the actors took to the stage, a video on the screen showed Samuel receiving his U.S.
student visa. He is thrilled by the opportunity to study medicine in the U.S. but hesitant to
leave home. From there, the story follows Samuel’s experiences, struggles, and
celebrations as he pursues his dream of becoming a doctor.
Acevedo, a junior history major, explained that her older brother’s experience of leaving
home inspired her to write the story. Although the main character is Mexican, Acevedo
clarified that the story isn’t inherently Mexican but Latin American.
“This is a piece of my story, but this isn’t just my story,” she said. “It’s so many other
people’s stories.”
For Acevedo, it was important that LAC Night honor the resilience of Hispanic people. She
wrote in a post on LAC’s Instagram page, explaining that the story was meant to showcase
the kind of grit that “keeps working, keeps fighting, keeps learning and doesn’t stop.”
Diego Luna, a senior accounting major who portrayed Samuel onstage, explained what the
story aimed to showcase.
“Really what we’re trying to highlight is the grit and the ability to continue forward,” Luna
said. “That is a hallmark of our culture.”
Samuel displayed this grit when faced with the difficult decision of whether to stay in the
U.S. or return home. Andres, Samuel’s friend, convinces him to stay because his parents
gave him permission to have a whole new life. The last scene in the play shows Samuel at
his White Coat Ceremony, with his parents in attendance to see him graduate.
Luna said that Samuel’s experience is universal across the cultures represented at LAC
night. Emmanuel Rivero, a sophomore business administration major, said the part of the
program that pulled him in most was the story.
“I can relate to the pressure [from] your family,” said Rivero, “especially with school and
trying to manage both of those things. It really resonated with me.”
Aliyah Cox, a senior music education major, shared how the night connected with her.
“Compared to other nights, this one felt very close to the heart, and I felt a lot of people
could relate to the story,” Cox said.
George Rosardo, a sophomore psychobiology major, said he related to Samuel himself.
“I also saw myself in him, because I hope to be the first person in my family to make it to
the medical field,” Rosardo said.
Dance
Despite stricter enforcement of dance policies for culture nights, as previously reported by
the Accent, dance remained an important aspect of this year’s LAC night.
Acevedo said that the new regulations did not discourage her because she wanted to bring
the same quality often seen in dance to her story and music.
“[The choreographers] have just done so well, despite the challenges that have been
presented with these new rules from administration,” said Acevedo. “They have been a very
good example of the grit that I’ve been writing about, and despite the adversity, despite the
challenge, they have picked themselves up and said, ‘Okay, let’s rework things. Let’s
brainstorm. Let’s continue forward because this night will happen no matter what.’”
For some audience members, the dances were the most anticipated aspects of the night.
Melanie Gonzalez-Jimenez, a sophomore accounting major, said she was most excited for
the dances.
“I find that dancing is such a great way of representing culture,” Gonzalez-Jimenez said.
“So, I’m very excited.”
Sayana Gonzalez, a junior elementary education major, said that dance is not just an
expression but a foundation of her heritage; removing dance, she said, would take away a
key aspect of her culture.
“Dance shows principles of family and how we love to live life to the very fullest,” Gonzalez
said. “It shows different things that we really value in the Latino Hispanic community.”
Gianelli Banuchi, a junior public relations major and leading actress in LAC Night, shared
her perspective.
“I think [dance] is such a beautiful thing, because it’s our way of sharing our culture with
the world,” Banuchi said.
Music
According to Acevedo, the play was originally called “Niño,” inspired by a song by Milo J, an
Argentinian singer and rapper. Acevedo said that lyrics from “Niño” were quoted throughout
the night.
Many of the program’s songs were chosen because of their role in the story, according to
Acevedo. For instance, “HUMBE” by Fantasmas was featured when Samuel had to decide
whether to return to Mexico or stay in America.
“People know it, and they know the pain of it in the way [that] the lyrics are very beautiful
and very reminiscent,” Acevedo said. “It relates a lot to the story that I have.”
LAC Night also featured a live band of saxophones, trombones, trumpets, piano, bass and
drums. Before the show began, the band played familiar songs, such as “Vivir Mi Vida,” by
Marc Anthony, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” by Selena and “Chiquitita (Spanish Version),” by ABBA.
According to Rosardo, the band’s director, the pre-show setlist featured 12 songs, all
carefully selected to represent the cultures at LAC night.
“As a group, we chose [these songs] because they were songs that we felt represented our
culture well, and they were songs that we’ve grown up listening to and that we’ve
connected with our entire lives,” Rosardo said.
Lisett Blandón, a previous graduate of SAU, shared how the music made her feel.
“A lot of these songs that they’ve played are by Selena,” Blandón said. “They are songs that
I grew up listening to. They represent a lot of my childhood.”
Rosardo said that although Acevedo gave his band full creative freedom for the pre-show,
she had a specific vision for the outro. She requested the song “BAILE INOLVIDABLE” by
Bad Bunny to be played, explaining that it encapsulated their music style.
For many students, the live band and selection of songs were more an expression of their
culture than a source of entertainment. Felipe Da Silva, a junior finance major and
keyboardist for LAC night, said music blends cultures together.
“Music is a universal language,” said Da Silva. “It’s one of the few ways that you’re able to
simultaneously blend with other cultures just by listening to something. And I think it’s very
beautiful how everybody [can] come together and play so many different cultures with the
same instruments. It just shows how much of a vessel of culture music can be.”
Luna expressed the importance of music.
“Music provides a medium for [everyone] to be able to articulate themselves in a way that
words won’t allow them to do,” he said.
Real Stories
For Banuchi, every aspect of the program showcased the story of Latin American culture.
“Each song tells a story, each dance tells a story and our play is telling a story,” she said.
“So I think that it’s very important to educate people and show people why we are so proud
of being who we are.”
According to Luna, the story of Samuel hits close to home for many Southern students.
“[Acevedo] really wanted to write a story that’s representative of what a lot of students on
campus have to go through,” he said. “So, this really isn’t fiction. This is actually based on
real students that are close to all of us. And for a lot of us, it’s our own story.”
