Dance Party & Poetry Celebrating Latine Heritage
October 7th @ Backyard Tap, 6:30-9:30pm
Grab your favorite dancing shoes and come dance with us! We're having a dance party! Maybe learn a little cumbia, some bachata, a little salsa, maybe some quebradita and more. We'll have a DJ and a dance instructor. If you're anything like us, all you need is a beat to get your feet moving. To give those feet a little rest, we'll have Latine poets sharing their talent with us. Mark your calendars and join us! **Backyard Tap is 21 years and older after 7pm**
Gloria García Díaz
Gloria García Díaz is a bilingual Mexican writer, essayist, and poet who has lived with her family in Fort Collins, Colorado for over a decade. She has translated her collaborator, Laura Resau’s, children‘s novel, Star in the Forest, into the Spanish Estrella en el bosque (Scholastic en español, 2016). She has also translated the picture book Happy Mamas (Mamis felices) by Kathleen Pelley (CWLA Press, 2016). Lately, she finished translating V as Victory (V de La Victoria) by Teresa Funke. In her free time, Gloria enjoys collaborating with local writers and promoting literacy, diversity, bilingualism, and Mexican traditions.
Alexa Ericson
Alexa is a traditional birth keeper, poet, and mother to two. She is passionate about empowering women to birth at home in their innate power and helps families live more holistic and ancestral lives. She also spends time with her husband Ryan running Well Fed Farmstead and providing organically grown veggies to the community. She is excited to publish her poetry book "Motherhood Disenchanted" in the upcoming spring, which is an ode to mothers everywhere who feel the overwhelm and isolation that so often comes with motherhood. An avid tea drinker, you can find Alexa with a good book and a cuppa, or on a hike with her family.
World Line Dance Fusion
Nicole Córdova, 0riginally from Greeley, CO, started her dancing journey in a Ballet Folklórico dance group at the age of 7. She started a professional Ballet Folklórico dance company called Maravilla. Maravilla performed all over Colorado at various community events. In 2021, Nicole wanted to create a way to share her love of dancing and to spread the joy of dance with others and created World Line Dance Fusion. The mission of World Line Dance Fusion is to introduce anyone and everyone to line dancing from all over the world including Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue, African, Soul, R&B, Funk, Hip-Hop, Tejano, Cha Cha, and more! She hopes to inspire others one dance step at a time!
Latine Heritage Month Celebration
September 17th @ Foote Lagoon, 1-5pm
Latine (Hispanic) Heritage Month is our flagship celebration and we're excited to share this kick-off event with our community. We've partnered with the Loveland Public Library to host four hours of dance, music and spoken word. Food trucks and vendor/community resource booths will also be part of the celebration for all to enjoy.
Dr. Manuel Del Real
Dr. Manuel Del Real is the Executive Director of HSI Initiatives and Inclusion at MSU Denver. His dissertation was an exploratory case study of five chapters of a Latino fraternity in the Midwest region of the U.S. He is also working on a documentary film based on his dissertation. He will be our celebration host and educating us on Latine heritage throughout the event!
Grupo Tlaloc Danza Azteca
Based out of Denver Colorado, GRUPO TLALOC Danza Azteca is a traditional Mexica/Azteca group embodied of Chicano/Mexicano families and students of all ages dedicated to preserving and nourishing the ancient knowledge of their ancestors. They have pledged to uphold and walk a spiritual way of life and have committed themselves to help educate the public’s view of the Aztec culture. Tlaloc means; He who fertilizes the Earth. Liquor of the Earth. He is the rain, which makes things grow.
Mariachi Sangre Mexicana
Mariachi Sangre Mexicana is a Denver based group that has been in existence for over 10 years. They offer a wide catalog of Mexican music and strive to provide the best possible performance of their music. Their hard work has made them one of the most recommended Mariachi groups in the area.
Franklin Cruz
Franklin Cruz is a queer latin dancer, poet born in Idaho, raised Texan and polished in Denver. Born from an immigrant family his work has placed him in science museums, environmental spaces, as an emcee and poet for dance & poetry competitions and conferences. He aims for specificity over simplicity, encompassing self love , conservation, immigration and culture. (Instagram @fcruz_unido)
Grupo de Danza Quetzalcoatl
This local dance group has been performing in Fort Collins for the past 20 years. They perform traditional folklorico dances from Mexico, along with Latin and tropical rhythms. The instructor, Joaquin Rivalcoba-Jimenez, attended the National School of Dance in Mexico City and has been performing since he was five years old
Manabi Latin Band
Manabí Latin Band is rated the most versatile Latin band in Colorado formed in 2011. We strive for authenticity with a current line up of top notch musicians from all over Latin America including Colombia, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Mexico and USA. We are currently touring the estate delivering a repertoire of high energy songs in the most popular styles in Latin dance music going from salsa, merengue, cumbia, bachata and vocals to make you swoon.