How students use joy as a form of protest - FSView & Florida Flambeau

In the midst of roaring chants, music erupted from a yellow boombox. A circle of salsa dancers joined at the Florida Capitol on Jan. 31 to protest ICE’s presence in Florida, and the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. Two dancers, Juan Landaeta and Emma Reutershan, brought the celebration of their culture to the movement rather than traditional forms of resistance.

The pair was inspired by their background with the Corazón Dancers, an FSU salsa group that encourages the education of Latin dance to all students, regardless of cultural background.

“We’re both on the salsa team, what we do with salsa is a culture and a dance of immigrants and to be honest, it's important to be here because no one is illegal on stolen land,” Reutershan said to the FSView. “So many of my friends are immigrants, and we need to protect people from being taken on the streets.”

Landaeta and Reutershan united protestors of all ages to learn basic steps and meet new people through dancing at a time when cultural tension is at an all-time high and mobilized protesters in an unexpected way: through joy rather than anger.

“I’m an immigrant myself. I was born in Venezuela, and my family was lucky to be able to benefit from immigrating legally, but we know so many people who don’t get that chance, who wait years for an opportunity like this,” Landaeta said to the FSView. “To see our government treat its people, and treat people who want to be a part of this nation as sub-human, is appalling. We have to be here to show our respect for ourselves, for our countrymen and everyone involved.”

A little salsa, a lot of support

The protest was organized by a university chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society, rallying against the 287(g) Agreement, which allows local law enforcement to take on the powers of ICE while functioning under the agency's oversight.

About 400 protestors lined Monroe Street’s lawn with hand-made signs, but a small crowd began to form as Landaeta and Reutershan taught others how to move their feet. A simple act — one that the duo didn’t think would garner much attention — drew protestors into a spontaneous act of protest through salsa dancing.

Strangers met and formed pairs, hesitantly two-stepping as they taught each other a form of protest that Latinos and Hispanics have known for years. Instead of seeing an angry mob, onlookers saw an expression of culture that, without saying a word, declared participants' dispositions.

“Dance is a representative of a person’s culture in a visible demonstration, and having that exhibition when a culture is being restricted, subdued or discriminated against, is a very powerful image,” international affairs major Jack Lopez said to the FSView.

Dance through the decades

Dance is an integral part of Latin culture, combining traditions and rhythms that span generations and continents. Social dances, such as salsa, originated out of New York City during the 1960s because of Latin American immigrants who used dance as an expression of pride and heritage by sharing their traditions on the streets.

Now, salsa is recognizable in every corner of the world and in popular music through the integration of Latin music into the mainstream.

“Joyful forms of protest are considerably effective when protesting a regime that’s sole focus is the disunification of the American people and the culture within," FSU Democrats’ Political Affairs Director Simon Monteleone said to the FSView. "It showcases how strong the many facets of America’s melting pot are, and why they’re so critical to community building.”

The wordless protest of dancers that filled the capital yard can reminds the public that in moments of mass demonstration, the most radical action can be sharing your identity with others. By utilizing a cultural practice founded on fostering community, the salsa dancers demonstrated that unity can be found in the most divisive places.

Catalina Salgado is a Senior Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at [email protected].