On Oct. 11, 21 students from two AP Spanish classes took a trip down to South Omaha to experience a taste of Latino culture. This is the first time teacher Mrs. Katie Wittrig organized an all-day excursion for her students, and it was a completely different plan than first expected.
“I got an email about the dance and it was actually a last-minute add-on,” Wittrig said.
The students attended a special showcase of La Baile Folklórico, which is a show of various Latin American dance styles from the Americas and Spain ranging from flamenco ballet to the samba and paso doble. All of the routines were performed by Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, a group of professional Latin American dancers from Miami Beach, FL. Dressed in vibrant colors and alluring material from head to toe, the dancers performed in over 15 numbers with dance styles from Spain, Mexico and Brazil
“My favorite dance was one from Spain,” senior Hailee Anderson said. “They were wearing these bright costumes and they did a lot of acrobatic tricks. It was very fun and upbeat.”
The event at Metropolitan Community College’s South Campus was an engaging and interactive experience, and students were even brought on stage to participate in learning the art of flamenco dancing.
“It was a good experience to get first hand lessons from the dancers because they’re experts,” Anderson said. “And of course, it was very fun.”
After the event concluded the trip was far from over. Wittrig and her students made a pit stop to La Michoacana, a market in South Omaha that sells unique hispanic food. Students were able to put their Spanish knowledge to the test.
“The staff there is bilingual, so of course it is a wonderful chance to speak Spanish by ordering different foods,” Wittrig said. “La Michoacana is a great restaurant that I recommend everyone to go to.”
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The goal of the AP Spanish trip was to bring light to the uniqueness of Hispanic and Latin American culture, and students now have an even higher piqued interest in exploring more.
“It’s a really good class to get involved in another culture and be filled in on different aspects,” Anderson said. “And going on this trip also makes me glad I took AP Spanish.”
