Mark Sawasky, world renowned percussionist, and NOVA Music student, gives audience members a chance to try his world instruments during the kickoff of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at Annandale campus. Photo by Kama Storie.

As students made their way up the stairs toward the CF plaza and cafeteria at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College on Sept. 21, one could hear loud music playing and singing but quickly realize it wasn’t in English. What they would have been hearing might have been a live Mariachi band, a salsa or bachata singer, or a Reggaeton duo, all of which were played that afternoon as part of the Hispanic Heritage Festival put on by the Hispanic Student Union.

Ivonne Alonzo, vice president of the HSU spoke of the importance to have different types of music in hopes of making other students aware that the Hispanic culture and its people are not “simple people that are all about Reggaeton.”

Reggaeton is a type of music characterized by a fusion of Latin rhythms and hip-hop or rap. It quickly spread worldwide due to its contagious beats along with its risque dance style commonly known as “perreo” which means “doggie” referring to the explicit sexual overtones. Richard Bautista, the advisor to the HSU, also expressed the importance of telling others about the diversity of the Hispanic community and noted that this was a way to show and tell.

The festival kept the students’ attention by interacting with them. Two students from the the club came on stage to give salsa and bachata dance lessons, and many of the boys and girls standing around didn’t have to be asked twice to join in and start learning the moves. A Zumba instructor was also present to give a high-energy aerobics lesson that incorporated music in Spanish with fast-pace rhythms.

HSU hosted other events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. A special speaker and poet was featured and a workshop about music and instruments of Central America and Latin America was held.

Mark Sawasky, world renowned percussionist, and NOVA Music student, demonstrates world percussion instruments during the kickoff of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at Annandale campus. Sawasky is sitting on a Peruvian drum called a Cahon. He holds a Brazillian instrument called a Berimbau, and he taps the beat with his foot on an auxilliary percussion wooden block. This brilliant musician has studied with teachers from around the world, and has toured all 50 states with his band, Immigrant Sun. You can find Sawasky's music on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Facebook. Photo by Kama Storie.

By: Ana Guerra

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