Righetti’s Latinos Unidos Club recently held a “Day of the Dead” rally to promote cultural awareness and diversity on campus.
The noon event (November 7) featured traditional music, song and dance. The two folklórico dances performed were "El jarabe tapatío" from Jalisco and "La danza de los viejitos" from Michoacán. One of the two songs that Marimba performed was a Spanish rock song called "Devuélveme a mi chica" by Hombres G, that has been a hit since the eighties when it was first released.
During “La danza de los viejitos”, students dressed as old men with their faces covered by a mask that represented a smiling old man. The students dramatized the aches and pains of getting old by falling and stumbling and being stooped over. It is designed to be a humorous act/dance.
An altar to commemorate the dead was set up in the Greek Theater. The drum line also participated in the program.
Club President Edgar Rodriquez described the celebration as cultural outreach for the large Latino population in Santa Maria including youth.
“Latinos Unidos wanted to reach out to their classmates and administration by celebrating a cultural holiday honoring those that have died,’’ Rodriguez said.
Advisor Patricia Villalobos believes the rally helped acknowledge the rich cultural diversity in our schools and community.
“It was great to see our entire student body and staff come together to the cultural diversity of our Latino students,’’ Villalobos said.
