Community Flourishes Through Salsa Night on Campus
The Odehmenan Health Equity Center wraps semester programming through signature community event centering movement and healing.
Article Part 1
More than 200 guests from across the University and surrounding Chicago neighborhoods joined in an evening of learning and dancing during the Odehmenan Health Equity Center’s December 5 Signature Community Event Flourishing through Movement Liberation: Salsa Night at the Odeh Center
The evening began with an introduction by Ricardo Jiménez, Director of Public Health Initiatives at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, followed by a lecture-performance led by Omar Torres-Kortright, executive director of the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center and Joaquín García II, musical director.
Following the history of salsa lecture, the evening included an opportunity for guests to connect over a warm meal of Latin street-food from Omarcitos. The evening then transitioned into a salsa dancing tutorial led by Rebecca Medina of Latin Rhythms Academy of Dance & Performance. With a few basic steps under their belts, everyone was then invited to an open dance with a live eight-member salsa ensemble.
Article part 2
This collaborative event was made possible through engagement with local organizations and partners including the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, the UIC University Library and the UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy. Guests from the event included UIC students, faculty and staff, along with many community members of all ages – ranging from older couples dancing salsa together to small children learning salsa steps for the first time. 26th Ward Alderperson Jessie Fuentes also joined in the evening’s festivities.
The Odeh Center director, Adriana Black, is often quoted saying, “If there is one thing you take away from being in the center, it is our true goal to provide an opportunity for everyone to leave the center in a better space than when they entered it.” That was most definitely the case for the salsa night participants.
Throughout the fall semester, the Odeh Center has spotlighted its five core commitments: trust, health equity, community care, cultural humility, and flourishing, through the Reclaiming our Stories program series. The goal of this programming was to re-center and renew the Odeh Center’s five core commitments through various strategic avenues and storytelling that bring them to life through the eyes and voices of students, faculty, staff, and community partners.
More Photos from Salsa Night
See more photos from Salsa Night at the Odeh Center, as well as recordings of other past events on the Odeh Center Program Archive page.