CSULB Salsa Club and CSUF Bachata Club face off in dance event

Cal State Long Beach Salsa club entertains the crowd with their performance in the Cal State Fullerton quad area. CSULB Salsa Club Vice President Eliana Wong (left) and Reon Allen (right) partner up in a salsa dance. Photo: Emily Urias.

The Cal State Long Beach Salsa Club and the Cal State Fullerton Bachata Club faced off in a dance event on Friday, April 18, at the Cal State Fullerton quad. While the event was titled “salsa vs. bachata,” the true goal was to create a fun, social space where the community could dance together.

“In the end, it's just to have fun, to bring the community of all sorts of clubs from different schools together,” said Eliana Wong, the vice president of the Salsa Club at Cal State Long Beach.

Samantha Flores (left) shows how fun dancing salsa is with Keenan Gordon (right). Photo: Emily Urias.

The president of the CSUF Sabor Latino Social Club, Diego Bucio, got the idea for the event when he started connecting with CSULB’s salsa club, leading to this collaboration.

“When I first started talking to the people over at Long Beach, they were a little more bachata-focused, and so their DJ was the guy who did the music. He loves bachata. I've always been more of a salsa guy. So I thought, what if we make an event off of it?” Bucio said.

The event took a month to plan, as Bucio had trouble finding a date, getting permission from the university and changing weather. The original date for the event was March 14, but due to rain, they postponed the event.

Regardless of the challenges he faced, Bucio is grateful for how the event turned out.

“You know, there were some scares. Other than that, it's definitely been difficult. But I wouldn't not do it. I love it. It's been so much fun,” Bucio said.

The event opened with stunning performances from the Cal State Fullerton Bachata Club. There was live music from Sangre Nueva, a salsa band based in Hollywood and a dessert food truck that sold ice cream, coffee and pastries.

Devin Sanchez, a high school teacher from San Pedro and CSULB alumni, attended the event because he is a fan of Sangre Nueva.

Juan Karlos kicked off the show with Sangre Nueva, commanding the stage and the crowd with his powerful vocals. Photo: Emily Urias.

“I’ve seen them perform before, and I saw on Instagram that they were playing at Fullerton. I invited a few of my friends to the event, but they couldn't make it, so I ended up coming alone. I’ve always loved to dance. If I see someone dancing alone, I’ll go up to them,” Sanchez said.

While the audience waited for the next performance, the dance floor was opened for them to dance with their partners. The floor was decorated with friends, loved ones and those who came alone.

When asked which dances he prefers, bachata or salsa, Sanchez shared he prefers to dance salsa.

“I think salsa is just easier for me to dance to, personally.” Sanchez said.

Sangre Nueva performed for two hours before a DJ from CSULB took over the dance floor. Since the event landed on Easter weekend, the event ended with a raffle to give away two Easter baskets.