On Friday March 11, just as dusk fell over the upper school campus, dozens of Spanish students partnered up in the warm yellow glow of the gym. Many had filled up on guacamole at dinner, but now salsa was in the air. Spanish teacher Abel Olivas took the microphone and explained the rules of the contest: dancers would be gradually eliminated from the floor until only the spiciest and most skilled bailarines remained. The music started, and the dancers began to step, turn and twirl to the layered rhythms of Spanish music.

Such was the scene at the cultural night hosted by the Spanish National Honor Society, where students were treated to an evening of traditional Valencian food, Spanish musical arrangements and, of course, the annual salsa competition.

Parents, teachers and students began the night by partaking in four varieties of paella prepared by Spanish teacher Diana Moss with assistance from her students.

“Events like this show our students that some of the best times you can have learning a language aren’t necessarily in a classroom,” Moss said. “The Hispanic culture is so lively and full of fiesta.”

Sumi Wadhwa (10) delivered a stunning rendition of “El Majo Discreto”, a piece from Spanish opera.

“The first lyrics say ‘well, they think that my mouth will be ugly, but at least I’m not superficial and only go for love that is of the physical quality,’ so it’s a very fun and lighthearted song, but it’s also talking about how the woman also looks for a genuine person,” said Sumi, referring to the difficult solo soprano piece set by composer Enrique Granados.

Maya Valluru (11) and Rachel Renteria (12) followed up the act with a reading of “Arte Poética” by Jorge Luis Borges and a piano-accompanied performance of “Lantern,” respectively. Sushant Thyagaraj (10) sang “¿Dónde estás corazon?” (Where are they, heart?), after which Evan Lohn (12), Rishi Narain (12), and Shekar Ramaswamy (11) performed a comedic dance to “Salsa Tequila”, a parody of non-Spanish speakers’ view of the language.

After the perfromances, students and faculty squared off in the salsa contest. Olivas, one of the event organizers and conductors of the salsa contest, teaches students the basic rhythms and steps of salsa in his classes.

“I taught the students to dance salsa in class, so it’s really fun to watch them competing in the contest,” Mr. Olivas said. “They’re learning, they’re reading, but coming out here to live it and breathe it makes them even more appreciative of the culture.”

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on March 23, 2016.