And join in, they did. At the conclusion of the final dance, the group motioned to the hundreds of students packing the stands to join them at the center of the gym as they danced and clapped in a large circle. Before long, nearly half the crowd joined in for a beautiful, inspiring moment of unity and celebration. Hurtado said it was a fun experience seeing her classmates run down the bleachers to join in at the end.
“We didn’t really expect everyone to join in like they did,” she shared. “We thought people might judge us and not want to join, but our school is less judgemental than others, so it turned out to be really hype.”
One of the group’s advisors (and dance instructor with Grupo de Baile), Victoria Fox-Ramon, was there supporting the students and shared, “It’s really awesome to see students want to celebrate their culture with other peers who aren’t a part of their culture and in other settings other than in their home.”
Fox-Ramon added that it made her feel proud to see several of her students growing into strong, confident leaders right before her eyes, and to see their peers coming together in such an impactful way to support them.
“This event was such a great manifestation of what Battle Creek Central represents when it comes to multiculturalism,” she said. “There is such a rich, diverse culture here. They all love each other, support each other, and celebrate each other, and it was beautiful to witness.”
