Enlarge Charlotte Latin Dance gives salsa lessons to the crowd at the first Puerto Rican Festival.

Posted: November 18th, 2009 James Willamor

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Plaza Fiesta Carolinas indoor version of a traditional Latin plaza provided a street party atmosphere Nov. 15 for Charlotte's first Puerto Rican Festival.

The event, celebrating Columbus’ discovery of Puerto Rico, featured traditional music, dance and food. Plaza Fiesta Carolinas is at 3700 Avenue of the Carolinas in Fort Mill.

It was kicked off by Jesus Sierra who performed both the United States and Puerto Rican anthems.

The band Coquies de Charlotte performed several popular folk songs, including “En Mi Viejo San Juan,” to which the crowd waved Puerto Rican flags and sang along. Kenneth Vega, one of the musicians, said the band was performing together for the first time.

Charlotte Latin Dance was able to get the entire crowd moving to Latin tunes. After performing a salsa demonstration, dancer Ash Dalnoot took the stage to give a lesson in salsa dancing while the other dancers joined the crowd in following along.

The festival also featured poetry by Lydia Seary and Felix López Morales, and musical performances by Orquesta Mayor and Chino Kantazo.

“We want to let people know about our culture,” said Sonia Matos, secretary of the Puerto Rican Cultural Society of Charlotte. “It’s not just for people from Puerto Rico.”

The Puerto Rican Cultural Society of Charlotte sponsored the event, which they hope to host on a yearly basis. Mato says the owner of Plaza Fiesta approached the Society and was very excited to host the event.

The Puerto Rican Cultural Society is only two years old, but continues to grow. According to Matos the Society has held Puerto Rican picnics in the city with more than 300 participants, and they will be marching in Carolinas' Thanksgiving Day Parade through Uptown.

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