Get ready to travel the world without leaving Notre Dame! Culturella, the annual celebration of cultures and highlight of Unity Week, is hours away, and Avancemos is ready to bring the heat.
Avancemos is a club for all students with Hispanic backgrounds, and each Culturella, they use dance to share these different backgrounds with us.
This year, they are aiming to change it up with three different dances: reggaeton, salsa, and one final dance choreographed by the students themselves.
Reggaeton… think fast footwork, a lot of attitude, and a beat that’ll make you want to move!
A music genre that produced its own style of dance, reggaetón originated in the 1980s when Jamaican workers traveled to Panama to help build the Panama Canal and reggae was adapted to the Spanish-speaking culture.
It was in the 1990’s that this music made its way to Puerto Rico via Jamaican immigrants. This is why reggaetón is closely associated with Puerto Rico.
Of you listen closely to reggaeton music you will hear a fusion of reggae, Latin American, and Caribbean influences with hip-hop and electronic dance music (houseoftracks.com).
The dance style of reggaeton has similar influences, but everyone will agree that reggaeton dances are fun, carefree, and high energy. Other key characteristics of reggaeton dances include isolated body movements and fast intricate footwork (dancelifemap.com).
After taking us through Panama and Puerto Rico, Avancemos will transport us to Cuba, the birthplace of salsa.
Similarly, salsa is also a music genre as well as a type of dance.

Johnny Pacheco, a musician and record producer from the Dominican Republic popularized a New York version of Cuban dance music in the 1960’s, that he called “salsa” (literally, “hot sauce”).
The genre has its roots in colonial Cuba, so only the name is new (uspto.gov).
“Salsa is one of the social Latin American dances. Salsa combines motifs from Cuba (danson, rumba), the Caribbean (bomba, cumbia), South America (tango, samba) and North America (rock, jazz). This dance is more like a flirtation, it is quite intimate, sensual, and charming.” (hipsdontlie.com)
Salsa dance uses hip movements, rapid footwork, intricate partner work, and quick turns to fully embody and celebrate Cuban culture.
For their final dance, get ready for something totally original!
Avancemos co-president Paulina Bello ‘25 and publicist Natalia Gonzalez ‘25 are bringing their spirit team experience to the stage, choreographing a dance that’s sure to surprise and get the audience on its feet.
To make this year even more special, Avancemos publicist Camila Sanjur ‘27 said “both the [Avancemos] club and a Spanish class are working together” on this performance
Look for students from Mrs. Coffey’s Honors Spanish III class to join Avancemos on the gym floor for the final dance.
Avancemos Secretary Ella Watson ‘27 said, “this will be a great experience not only for us, but for the whole school and we look forward to bringing it to the school.”
So, get ready to feel the rhythm, move your feet, cheer on your classmates, and experience the vibrant Hispanic and Latino cultures that make our school so special.
We’ll see you there!