Latino student group at SRU offers showcase
SLIPPERY ROCK — They call it “Día de los Muertos” — the Day of the Dead — but it's really a celebration of life.
Día de los Muertos is observed Nov. 1 throughout Latin America, although it began in Mexico where indigenous Aztec rituals were blended with the Catholicism brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores.
It will also be celebrated this week at Slippery Rock University where a Latino student group will perform its sixth annual Day of the Dead Showcase Tuesday at the Robert M. Smith Student Center's ballroom on the SRU campus.
Christine Pease-Hernandez, an assistant professor of communication and adviser of the group Student Organization of Latinos, Hispanics and Allies, or SOL, said tradition holds the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness.
Instead, she said, Día de los Muertos highlights the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties and all the activities the dead enjoyed in life.
“Día de los Muertos recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience,” Pease-Hernandez said.
Ignacio Cisneros Jr., president of SOL, said, “The Day of the Dead Showcase is a cultural event here at Slippery Rock University celebrating the lives of loved ones who have passed on.
“We are collaborating with different organizations on campus to put on a performance consisting of various models, dancers and twirlers as well, to kind of showcase the Hispanic culture across campus in a way that is entertaining and exciting for the student body,” he said.
Carla Cintron, a senior biology major from Grove City and vice president of SOL, called the upcoming showcase a blend of a fashion show, dancing, modeling and short performances.
“It's an event that brings awareness of an important Hispanic celebration through story and dance in an artistic manner,” Pease-Hernandez said.
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