Dance a l’Art 2006: Let’s Rhumba Raised over $15,000!
Big Red Sports and Imports and the Norman Arts Council presented the second annual Dance a l’Art on Friday, September 29 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom of the University of Oklahoma Student Union. The Dance a l’Art: Let’s Rhumba fundraiser benefited the programs and operations of the Norman Arts Council.
This year, the event fell on the heels of National Ballroom Dancing Week and in conjunction with the Norman Public Library’s Hispanic Festival. Talk of the Town Orchestra performed, as well as Gina Macias with her dancers from DanceMakers in Oklahoma City. Macias and her dancers taught guests the Rhumba and treated everyone to a ballroom performance.
“Ballroom dancing is becoming big in Norman and the studio was glad to help out the Norman community,” said Macias, also an adjunct ballroom instructor at OU. “We’re excited that everyone took an interest in the ballroom dancing aspect of this event.”
Although the Rhumba or some variation of it has existed in Cuba for the last century, the true Rhumba is African-based and was usually consigned to the lower classes due to the suggestive nature of the dance. The “son,” a slower, more refined version of the native Rhumba, became popular among middle-class Cubans during the second world war. Introduced to the United States in 1913, the American Rhumba is a modified version of the “son.” The Rhumba is characterized by Cuban motion, a hip movement achieved by transferring weight from foot to the other. When combined with the Rhumba’s signature smooth steps, the dance takes on its sensual appearance.
According to the NAC Executive Director, Marta Burcham, Dance a l’Art sold out two weeks before the event. Nearly 250 guests were in attendance, helping to raise over $15,000. The dance was made possible by support from Big Red Sports/Imports, Arvest Bank, Fowler Automotive, Bank of Oklahoma, First Bank and Trust, Gray & Company, Abbey Road Catering, and Sun Contracting. The NAC receives year-round support for its programs and operations from the Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Republic Bank & Trust and through the generous support of the NAC membership. For more information on the NAC and other events, visit normanarts.org.