On Saturday, Sept. 28, I had the pleasure of attending Puro Pari, the annual dance in the Lion’s Pause organized by ¡Presente!. This year’s theme, Vaquero Hoedown, brought Oles of all kinds’ leather boots and cintos piteados out of the closet and onto the dance floor. The consensus of the night as described by one anonymous, out-of-state first-year was that it was “the best night of [their] life since stepping foot in Minnesota,” and I couldn’t agree more. But what exactly is Puro Pari, who is ¡Presente!, and does anyone know what a hoedown is?
¡Presente! is a student affinity group for Latino or Brown students at St. Olaf. The name means “present” in English, and is inspired by political movements and rallies in Latin America. Their constitution states that the “organization stands in solidarity with those who are working towards creating a safe and welcoming environment for Latinx Oles.”
Co-Chair of ¡Presente! Ever Torres ’25 sat for an interview with The Olaf Messenger to help uncover some of the club’s early history. ¡Presente! was founded in the early ’90s serving students with an array of events to share their culture and provide safe spaces for students to celebrate and self-educate on the many aspects of Latino culture, including music and dance. Director of the Taylor Center Martin Olague was president of the organization in 2002 — a fun fact to have in the back pocket for Thursday Night Trivia.
The annual dance, originally called Salsa del Sol, began in the early 2000s to celebrate Latino presence on campus. As Torres puts it, the Pause dances are “more centralized here with the pop culture of the United States” — a fact that many students know. The light-hearted and exciting night for Latino students to feel seen on-campus is looked forward to by many. That being said, everyone is welcome to join. Torres highlighted the community focus in Latino culture.
“The whole point of us in our culture is embracing each other… feel that rhythm, that love that comes in our music,” he said.
In the interview, Torres spoke about specific dancing styles and steps found in this year’s theme. Torres urged attendees not to be nervous if they were just figuring it out.
“It’s cute because then someone sees it and they can be like, ‘Hey, you want help?’ and you start a conversation right there,” he said. Torres said that even if it doesn’t end up being “your cup of tea, that’s okay! I’m glad you still made it.”
I can confirm that this strong sense of sharing and connection that went into the event was translated onto the dance floor. I danced with friends from across the Southwest, the East Coast, Bangladesh, and El Salvador. We all messed up a few times, and I stepped on some shoes during Payaso de Rodeo, but we were present, and that’s what counts when celebrating culture and engaging in community.