Dominican Student Organization showcases history and culture

Dancers at Domnican Night, Friday, Nov. 6. (Daing Nasir / Western Herald)

By Daing S. Nasir
Western Herald

The Dominican Student Organization (DSO) celebrated with the Western Michigan University community during Dominican Night at WMU’s Trimpe Building.

The night started off with a profile of the Dominican Republic and what the tropical island in the Caribbean entails in a presentation by emcees Edwin Balbuena and Monica Penzo.

According to DSO secretary Laura Pacheco, the event was a celebration of Dominican culture and a way to share traditional delicacies, joyous music and the good spirit of the Dominican people.

A colorful tapestry of Spanish, French, Haitian, and African influences, the Dominican Republic is a land that is enriched with culture and storied history.
Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the land now known as the Dominican Republic was named La Isla Española, which then became La Hispaniola.

A few years later, the city of Santo Domingo became the Spanish capital of the New World; because of its location in the trade winds, it was the gateway to the Caribbean.

France gained a foothold on the western end of the island, which became prosperous, and by 1795 Spain ceded the entire island to France.

Santo Domingo still sits as the capital. The island is 18,700 square miles; ten million people currently populate the nation.

According to Penzo, the Dominican Republic has become the Caribbean’s largest tourist destination with exotic beaches and the country’s year–round golf courses, and other attractions.

DSO kicked off Dominican Night with a singing ensemble lead by Cristina Ricardo and Frank Brito with a song entitled Tu, originally sung by Juan Luis Guerra and Compadre Pedro Juan, which is a classical merengue song of the Dominican Republic.

DJ Tropicz provided Latin music for the dance floor. Guest were also given the opportunity to taste Dominican delicacies during an extensive dinner.

Halfway through the night, audience members were dragged on to the stage by dancers for a crash course on merengue dancing.

“With all the dancing and music, I thought that the event tonight was great,” said Laurel McCarty, a senior studying secondary education and Spanish, said. “The delicious food also complimented the night.”

Attendees were given the chance to see and appreciate the art that has come out of the DR.

Audiences at the event were presented with a slideshow on Dominican artists, such as Grammy Award-winning singer Juan Luis Guerra, Miss Universe 2003 Amelia Vega, and renowned fashion designer Dominican-born Oscar de la Renta.

“Tonight has been very interactive and informational,” said Sophomore Jessica Turner, an exercise science major.

“The atmosphere is not new to me and being around the Dominicans reminds me of being with some of the family that I have back home in Detroit.”

According to Emma Hernandez, a student from Venezuela, the event was a good representation of the warmth of the Dominican people.

“In a way it made the people feel like they were in the Dominican Republic,” she said. “The DSO are indeed the best when it comes to putting up an event.”
According to DSO President Geraldo Peralta, the event came at a time to showcase to the people how spontaneous they were in entertaining their guest.

“I am absolutely happy that this event can actually be a sample to our attendees so that they can see on how we approach life,” Peralta said.

“We don’t plan, we just do it and improvise from there… just like the impromptu performance that our audiences have seen and enjoyed tonight. There is a communal feeling of togetherness and team work between DSO members, which makes this event a total success.”

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Nov 9 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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