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New London – Swinging their traditional high skirts from side to side, the layers of yellow, pink, blue and red gave the illusion that the young dancers had colorful outstretched wings.
The dancers were a Colombian group from Groton, stomping on “Checurrulao” by Checo Acosta and a folk dance from the Pacific region of Colombia.
The father of one of the young dancers, Juan Carlos Garcia, said his daughter loved to dance and that it was important to share her culture to show how different cultures can be, that even in Colombia the culture varies. depending on the region.
Colombian dancers were one of many performers on Sunday for Taino Productions’ Hispanic heritage celebration event at Hygienic Park in New London.
Taino Productions, established in 2018, is a local organization that plans cultural events, connecting Hispanic and Latin cultures with the larger community. Willi Quinones, the founder of Taino, said he started the Hispanic Heritage event three years ago when he teamed up with a local photographer for a photo exhibition called “Aqui Estamos”, or We Are here.
The photos, scattered throughout the park on Sunday, are black-and-white portraits of locals holding the only thing that stands out with color, the flags of their countries.
“We have to preserve our roots and be proud,” said Jose Mateo, secretary of the Dominican Association of New London, hosting a table at the event in support. Mateo’s daughters are featured in the photo exhibition, holding the Dominican Republic flag in their hands.
Quinones, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said it was important for him to make the event “to continue educating the community as a whole but also so that our young people do not forget our heritage and our culture”.
Over the years, the Hispanic heritage celebration event has expanded to feature a diverse set of performances. Besides the Colombian group, this year’s performances included a Peruvian folk dance on “Alegria a la Selva” by the local dance school Yawar Llajta; an Argentinian folk dance called Chacarera and the group, Joe Diaz y El Grupo Boriken, performing indigenous Puerto Rican music.
Playing the role traditionally held by a man, Claudia Bouchard and her daughter Sarabeth of Waterford danced the Argentine Chacarera. Claudia said the basic idea of the dance is courtship between a man and a woman. Wearing a traditional dress with a blue and white belt on the waist, Sarabeth, 19, said she identified strongly with her culture and that her participation connected her with her mother and family in Argentina.
At Sunday’s event, Mayor Michael Passero and State Representative Anthony Nolan, D-New London, also recognized the owners of six local barber shops for their volunteering and offering free hairstyles during of the Back 2 School event on September 6.
For Quinones, bringing different Hispanic and Latin cultures together in the community is what he always envisioned for Taino events.
He said the biggest problem within the community as a whole was that not everyone felt comfortable attending events like the Sunday celebration, even if they didn’t identify with it. maybe not. Taino works to “fill the gaps” and bring communities together.
Taino is collaborating with Hygienic Park again this month for the return of their Salsa con Guayabera event, where attendees can take salsa dance lessons and listen to a live salsa orchestra. The event is scheduled for Friday October 8.
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