Top Atlanta Latin Band Performs at Reinhardt as Part of College's Hispanic Heritage Month

Reinhardt College is currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. As part of the celebration, Reinhardt brought the Serenata Band on campus and will host a Latin Dance Workshop on Oct. 30. One of the top Latin bands in metropolitan Atlanta, the Serenata Band, recently performed at Reinhardt as part of the College’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

“During the performance, people were moving to the music and several students were dancing with Latin style,” said Reinhardt Coordinator of Student Activities Rebecca M. Doebler, who is spearheading Hispanic Heritage Month. “This year at Reinhardt College, we decided to do more to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Since the Hispanic population is growing, not just in our region but throughout the United States, we thought it was important to introduce this colorful and vibrant culture to the Reinhardt community.”

On Oct. 30, the public is invited to join students, faculty, staff and guests in learning to move with Latin flare. Reinhardt Assistant Professor of Physical Education Dr. Ronald T. Akers will lead a Latin Dance Workshop from 6–8 p.m. in the Hoke O’Kelley Auditorium (within the Burgess Administration Building), and the event is open to the public free of charge. “Dr. Akers will teach salsa, the cha-cha, samba and merengue basics in individual, line dance and partner formats,” Doebler explained.

Already, the College has featured the movie Selena, a biographical drama starring Jennifer Lopez based on the life and times of Tejano/pop singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who died tragically in 1995 at age 23. The movie portrays the singer’s rise to the top of the Latin charts and her posthumous crossover to mainstream audiences.

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide and began on Sept. 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin-American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvadore, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico achieved independence on Sept. 16 and Chile on Sept. 18. Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated in the United States since 1974 when President Gerald Ford issued a Presidential Proclamation extending Hispanic Heritage Week into a month-long observation.

For more information, please visit www.reinhardt.edu/studentaffairs/departments/studentactivities/hispanicheritage.htm.