A dance company visited campus to teach students Afro-Cuban dances for Hispanic Heritage Month at an event on Wednesday.

Kenneth Gilliard, the college’s student success and retention adviser, collaborated with the Rueda de Casino Baltimore and AACC’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access and Leadership and the Hispanic Heritage Month committee to host Baile Con Sabor, an event that had students practicing son, rumba and casino dances to celebrate the month.

“It’s important to experience [and] to see different cultures,” Gilliard said. “[There’s] not just one cookie-cutter way to do everything.”

According to Gilliard, this is the first time that he reached out to Rueda de Casino Baltimore as a part of an Hispanic Heritage Month event.

“I didn’t give them a [creative] limit,” Gilliard said. “I wanted to … give them flexibility.”

Linnea Holt, a Rueda de Casino Baltimore dancer, said she was “honored” to share the dances and music with everyone.

“The students … they’re wonderful,” Holt said. “This is such a beautiful campus.”

Diane Wittner, another Rueda de Casino Baltimore dancer, agreed, saying it’s “a great thing” for young people.

“It’s really important to have joy in your life and there’s nothing better than Cuban dance,” Wittner said. 

Alyssa Glass, a second-year biology student, said she came to the event to support Hispanic Heritage Month.

Glass said the dancing was fun after she “got into the groove.”

Minerva Stephensbailey, the Student Government Association’s vice president of public relations, agreed, saying she hopes this becomes a trend.

“It was really awkward at first because I had to touch everybody’s hands,” Stephensbailey said. “But after … it was very encouraging … [and] it was fun.”

Stephensbailey added: “I think it brings a good liveliness to the campus culture.”

Fatuuma Shareef, a first-year psychology student, said she had never done anything like it before.

“It was good getting out of my comfort zone,” Shareef said.