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The smell of empanadas filled Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium at Syracuse University, drawing a line of people that stretched out of the auditorium doors. Students, both from the Latine community and outside it, enjoyed a night of live music, food and dancing at Calentón Music Fest.

“This is for the Latinx students, but anyone is welcome,” Princess Ovin, who tabled at the event for the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, said.

On Saturday, University Union hosted the second annual Calentón Music Fest, which highlighted Latine musicians, dancers and cultural organizations across campus. The night held three performances by DJ Exxtra, Raíces Dance Troupe and DannyLux for UU’s first time hosting the event. SU’s Student Association and Las Naranjas also planned the festival.

Tables for Latine campus cultural organizations, like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, La L.U.C.H.A. and Mexican Student Association, or Mexsa, lined the auditorium. The tabling aimed to spread awareness and get people involved, Ovin said.

Mexsa offered attendees traditional and contemporary Mexican candies and snacks. The familiar refreshments offered a source of comfort for Mexican American students at SU, Maria Madero, Mexsa president, said.

Gabriela Padilla Marrero, the co-chair of Raíces, said UU planned Calentón with equal participation from Latine campus groups. Performing at Calentón and participating in Raíces was a blessing to Padilla Marrero, who has been in the troupe since her freshman year.

DJ Exxtra, the night’s first act, started his set at 6:30 p.m. as people trickled in. By 7 p.m., the dance floor was filled with students dancing to reggaeton tracks like “CALLAÍTA” by Bad Bunny and “Un Beso” by Aventura.

“Hey cameraman, I wanna see you dance too,” DJ Exxtra said.

Isabella Flores | Staff Photographer

La L.U.C.H.A. and Mexican Student Association tabled at University Union’s second annual Calentón Music Fest. Traditional Mexican candies and snacks filled the table, evoking nostalgia for many Mexican American students.

After DJ Exxtra, Raíces performed their high-energy set to a compilation of upbeat, bass-boosted backing tracks. Raíces danced at the inaugural Calentón last year, and in planning their performance for this year’s Calentón, the executive board of Raíces worked to heighten the performance’s energy.

“We sat down, took dances from previous years, and then recycled them and made them better,” Hannah Cohen-De La Rosa, co-chair of Raíces, said.

The atmosphere at Calentón stayed energetic throughout all the evening’s performances, even until the last performer. DannyLux brought a more mellow presence to the stage, opting for slower indie beats with Spanish lyrics and Latine music styles woven in. The spotlight illuminated DannyLux as he pulled out his guitar and broke into “Amor.”

His calmer performance and setlist didn’t quell the crowd’s enthusiasm, with a few devoted fans singing along to his music and others swaying to the beat. Freshman Andy Rivera repeatedly described DannyLux’s performance as “fire” as he headed out of the auditorium.

Jenesis Sencion, another freshman, came to support her friends in Raíces. Sencion, who is involved with DelSol Magazine, said Calentón was an excellent way to represent the community and remind students where they came from.

“I can have a good time,” Sencion said. “It’s Saturday night, what else do I have to do?”

Madero said Calentón was an opportunity to share cultures. The existence of a cultural event organized by the Latine community for the Latine community, but also the SU community at large, made Madero happy.

“I feel like that’s what a lot of students look for, especially at a PWI,” Madero said. “Freshmen and other students find comfort in little things.”

Other events on campus like Block Party and Juice Jam play music that isn’t familiar to Padilla Marrero, who is from Puerto Rico. UU took the time to put something together that represents what the Latine community actually likes, Padilla Marrero said. For her, that’s satisfactory.

“This event makes us feel like we’re really a part of the community and we matter here,” Padilla Marerro said. “So I think it’s wonderful.”

Published on October 20, 2024 at 2:53 pm