Club Spotlight! Sláinte: Fordham Irish Dance

Here at Fordham, there are over 100 clubs and extracurricular activities that students can participate in. From political groups, to choirs, to the Campus Activities Board, to a culinary council and more, whatever you’re interested in, Fordham most likely has it.

My suitemate, Kayla Slattery, is the Co-President of Sláinte, the Irish Dance group here at Rose Hill. Apart from Irish dance, there are other dance groups on campus as well for students who may prefer other styles of dance. Check out an interview below that I conducted with Kayla!

Kayla and the team!

So what inspired you to start Sláinte?
Kayla: Dance had been such a big part of my life for so many years that when I came to Fordham that part of me was missing. I knew other girls here who felt the same way, so having this club is a great way to continue my love of dance and meet other people who have the same interests.
Was it easy to get the club up and running?
Kayla: It definitely was a process, but after we wrote our constitution and it was approved, Fordham helped us get our club under way and we’ve grown a lot since it started!
What are some activities that you guys do?
Kayla: We practice twice a week and we work on choreographies and exercises to prepare for upcoming events and performances. We’ll be competing at the intercollegiate Irish Dance Competition in the Spring of 2015! We also host Ceili Nights, which are social dances with food and friends, you don’t have to have any experience to go, and it’s a great way to meet new people and learn a fun dance! Our next one is on Tuesday the 18th.
Would you describe Fordham as an involved campus?
Kayla: Yes, I would definitely describe Fordham as involved. There are so many activities to participate in, and everyone is just looking to be a part of something, and make new friends, and participate in something they love. It’s been a great experience!

Taste The World Celebration

On Friday October 24, ASILI, or The Black Student Alliance at Fordham, hosted their third annual Taste The World Celebration. This year more people attended the event than ever before, with nearly 300 people lined up at the door. This event, which took place in McGinley Ballroom, celebrated the rich traditions of cultural diversity, and was open for all students to attend.  The students that went feasted on delicious cuisines of all different cultures, including sushi, pernil, lasagna, cannolis, macaroni and cheese, and roasted chicken. They also were able to sit and watch performances from some of Fordham's most talented performing groups including Fordham Flava, The Ramblers, The Satin Dolls, Expressions Dance Alliance, Sláinte: Fordham Irish Dance, and other awesome individual performances. The emcees were absolutely hilarious, keeping the audience amused the whole time, and the event was an entertaining and fun way to begin the weekend.

The event's logo!

I am part of Expressions Dance Alliance, and when our group was asked to perform at the event, we were so excited. We chose two dances that we performed last semester to rework: Ooh La La and Last Love Song. On the Thursday before the show, we performed our rehearsed dances for the ASILI board, who put up little previews of all of the performing groups on social media to get other students excited for the performances to come the next day. We then quickly picked costumes that would work for both dances, and got ready for the performance the next day. All of the performing groups got there early to help set up, rehearse on the performance space one more time, and take a group picture. Then at 7:00 PM, it was showtime. 

The Expressions dancers before they perform!

Each group did an incredible job, and it was so cool to see a little presentation from all of the groups at one event because they all usually have their own separate shows. ASILI did a great job organizing everything, and I am already looking forward to next year's event. Everyone attending definitely left feeling like they did get a little taste of the world and some impressive entertainment while they were at it. This is one Fordham event you should be sure not to miss!!

El Grito de Lares

El Grito de Lares E-Board with poet Tato Laviera

Fordham University offers many clubs for their students to join ranging from academic clubs to culture clubs. One of the culture clubs available at Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus is El Grito de Lares,which means “the cry of Lares” in Spanish. It stands for the first revolution against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico. This is a Hispanic club that “serves to increase the awareness of the heritage of Latinos through social and cultural programming”. Although it is a Hispanic culture club, students of all races can join!

This club holds meetings every other Thursday during activity hour, that way anyone can participate. Anything and everything is discussed during these meetings, where members can enjoy the discussions and eat great food! Grito de Lares also holds many events during the school year to spread the awareness of the Latino heritage. It recently hosted poet Tato Laviera, a Nuyorican poet, whose famous Spanglish poems address language, culture, identity and race. It also holds many fun events where students can just take a break from school and relax. They are currently giving salsa lessons to any student willing to learn. They hold an annual Latin Gala where a popular Latino artist comes to Rose Hill and performs. I attended last year’s Latin Gala and had the time of my life! There was great food and great music. Not to mention the wonderful performances by the reggaeton artist Fuego and bachata artist Luis Vargas!

El Grito de Lares is only one of many great clubs to join at the Rose Hill campus. If you’re ever around, please come and check out any events that the club is holding!

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