"Mi vida, mi sangre, mi reflejo" - this Spanish phrase, meaning, "My life, my blood, my reflection," was the theme of the Hispanic Heritage Month Main Event in Levin Ballroom, "Latino Revelations." Last Saturday nearly 35 AHORA! members and supporters from many other organizations produced a show that celebrated Latino culture through music, dances, skits and poetry readings. The audience shook their bon-bons as they were swept away by the whirlwind of Latino celebration.Dancers from the Lawrence Ballet Academy performed a variety of dances, ranging from "Meringue a Lo Maximo," to "Puerto Rican Bomba." Professional salsa dancers energetically performed for the adoring crowd.

Other student-choreographed dances included the remarkable "Madam Josefina's Cha-Cha Class," in which the dancers portrayed students who deceptively chose a more exciting dance whenever the instructor left the stage. This skit displayed a plethora of Hispanic dances and the magnitude of the performers' talent.

"Latino Revelations" was filled with eager and enthusiastic shrills from the audience as hot Latin beats took control of the room. Costumed dancers grasped the rhythm and relished in the warmth of the spotlight. But, what looked like an easy trick was in actuality a difficult task.

"Practice gets pretty tedious at times. We all can dance, but putting it all together can be difficult to do," Arunoday Singh '04 said of the effort put into the dances.

According to Singh, dance is an essential part of Spanish culture. "At social events, the best thing to do is dance - and that's what we do," Singh said. "We have had months of planning. We started last semester. Dancing is important in celebrating our heritage," Camille Marcos '03 said.

The star of the skit "The Bettylicious Taco," Girelle Guzman '06, said she gained from the experience of being in the production. "Personally, I had a lot of fun. Very few of us had any acting experience, but it was great," Guzman said.

Often in the skits, Spanish and English were intertwined. Similarly, some of the poetry and most of the music were in Spanish. The combination did not seem to be a necessity - it seemed to be a device for revealing the significance of Hispanic culture in American life.

Students read poetry between high-beat dance performances and engaging skits. The most powerful aspect of the production, by far, was Jasmine Vallejo's '03 passionate readings. "When I wrote the poems for the event I was trying to stay within the theme of 'Mi vida, mi sangre, mi reflejo.' I wanted to represent the struggles of my ancestors and the internal struggle we face today, which was reflected in my poem 'Mi Sangre,'" Vallejo said.

An amusing aspect of the evening was a parody of "The Weakest Link." Students played contestants of the popular game show and were tested on their knowledge of Hispanic trivia. The performance was education and entertaining. Some interesting facts included 3 percent of Brandeis students are of Hispanic heritage, and Puerto Ricans make up most of the Brandeis Hispanic population. Even a humorous "Adios!" was added when participants were voted off the show.

Hispanics were not the only ones participating in the learning experience. Non-Hispanic students enjoyed the celebration as well. "It is amazing how much this culture is suppressed. And, this is a way for people to realize how rich the culture is. I'm not Hispanic, and it's suppressed from my end. Being able to share is really great," Avi Baumgold '04 said.

AHORA! Co President Diony Elias '03 agreed. "We are enriching Brandeis with the Latino culture. We are showing that it does not lack at Brandeis - it is alive and vibrant," said Elias. "This is our way of celebrating not only for ourselves but for the Brandeis community, and letting them into our culture," Marcos said.