Vibrant dance music, free food, and community will shine a light on Hispanic culture during this year’s annual La Habana dance party event. 

Lucia Lozano Robledo, president of the Latinx-Hispanic Union, has joined El Centro and Chi Upsilon Sigma to host the event. 

“It gives visibility to a community at Elon University and the larger region of Alamance County,” Lozano said in an email. “Additionally, it promotes our Latinx and Hispanic programs, organizations and partners on campus.”

The dance party will include a variety of music such as bachata, salsa, raggaeton and merengue. It will also have energetic decorations, free Latino food and a photo booth. 

“It is a great event that brings the university together to celebrate a community and culture that is often underrepresented,” Lozano said. “It is important to me because it represents the celebration and visibility of my own culture.”

Lozano believes that La Habana contributes to the representation of Latino and Hispanic culture on campus and emphasizes the various organizations on campus that promote these identities such as El Centro or the Latinx-Hispanic Union. 

“It is a building legacy of Latinx and Hispanic presence of campus from students, faculty and staff,” Lozano said. “It gives visibility to the diverse representation of Latinx and Hispanic culture and identities.”

Ozelle Bower, senior, has attended La Habana two times and plans to go again this upcoming semester. She has loved her experiences at the event and grown to suggest her friends attend as well. 

“I’m a part of these organizations. It’s been just a good time watching it grow, see the exposure to Latin music, food and heritage," Bower said. 

Bower believes that events like La Habana are important to Hispanic Heritage Month and the representation of this at Elon University. 

“I really appreciate how it brings together the Elon Hispanic community, because it is a small community here at Elon,” Bower said. 

La Habana contribute to the integration of the various communities at Elon and helps to break the stereotypes surrounding Latino culture and ideology. 

“I think showing that there’s not just one stereotypical type of Latinx,” Bower said. “Not everyone is Mexican, no, we have Honduran students at this school, we have students who are Colombian. There’s so many and each has a unique aspect to their heritage. It’s not all the same I think that aspect.”

La Habana will take place Friday, Oct. 5, in Taphouse at 10 p.m. and will have free Latin-themed food.