Members of Chicago based Grammy-nominated Mexican folk band Sones de Mexico dancer Lorena Iñiguez (left) and string instrumentalist Victor Pichardo (right) perform an Aztec ceremonial dance and song during Festival Latino Saturday afternoon in Dunn Meadow. Besides several music and dance performances, the event featured booths of local organizations and fraternities, food stations and sumo wrestling suit matches. Ted Somerville • IDS
The 10th annual Festival Latino brought more than 150 people to Dunn Meadow on Saturday to dance, eat and ... sumo wrestle?
“Let’s go! I’m ready,” shouted sophomore Josh Blackwood, encouraging his opponent, freshman Jessica Figueroa, to hit him with her best shot. Blackwood and Figueroa, both dressed in giant sumo wrestler costumes, waddled toward one another, ready to battle.
“We’re here to have fun,” said Blackwood, who was at the festival with his fraternity brothers, representing Lambda Upsilon Lambda. His fraternity was one of many campus and community organizations that attended the festival to promote awareness for the Latino community and help celebrate the first week of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15.
Blackwood said while the sumo wrestling was just for fun, he was also there to spread awareness of his Latino culture, which he feels many people in Bloomington don’t quite understand.
“Some do, but I know some don’t,” he said. “Diversity is the most important thing, especially on a campus like this.”
The festival, which is organized by La Casa, began with a musical performance by Grammy Award-nominee Sones de Mexico, a six-person band from Chicago.
As the drums beat steadily, Lorena Iniguez, a member of Sones De Mexico, emerged dressed in a white gown and stomped her feet and turned in circles as the fan of pheasant feathers on her head swayed with her.
Vocalist and IU graduate Juan Dies, a member of Sones de Mexico, played songs to entertain and educate the children at the event, many of whom were sprawled out on blankets with their parents or dancing joyously to the traditional Mexican music.
Women of Mass Percussion, a 10-person drum ensemble, also played at the festival, and had the crowd dancing and playing instruments.
“I came to learn more about the Latino culture. It’s very educational,” said freshman Grant Myers.
More than 20 tables were set up throughout Dunn Meadow for the organizations present, which included La Casa, Delta Alpha Rho, Bloomington Hospital, Latinos Unidos and the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department.
The Mathers Museum had a tent set up for arts and crafts, and Latinos Unidos had an interactive game where the player had to correctly identify the location of a Latin American country to win a prize.
“We wanted to incorporate some of the Latin American countries in so people know it’s not just Mexico,” said senior Melissa Paul-Blanc of Latinos Unidos.
Junior Heydi Correa, president of the co-ed fraternity Delta Alpha Rho, said they were there to show the Latino community is a strong one.
“Sometimes we’re not very seen, so we’re getting out there,” she said.
Senior Carlos Jara of Sigma Lambda Beta agreed with Correa.
“When it comes to diversity, I think IU is very biased,” Jara said. “IU doesn’t reach out to Latino students.”
On the opposite side of Dunn Meadow, Blackwood, now stripped of his sumo wrestling gear, was getting pied in the face. He said he was having a great time and hoped people of all ethnicities enjoyed the event.
“This isn’t just for Latinos,” he said. “No matter who you are or where you come from, we’re all one. Just come out and have a good time.”
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