More than 400 students from Zeta Charter Schools gathered at South Bronx Lower Elementary School in Melrose on Sept. 22 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a high-energy performance and dance experience that honored the deep cultural roots of Latin dance in the Bronx.
The event, hosted in collaboration with the acclaimed Latino cultural institution, Ballet Hispánico, and featuring a special performance by Noche Flamenca, immersed pre-K through second-grade students in the rhythms and traditions of merengue, bachata, salsa, and flamenco—genres that represent the cultural lineage of many Bronx students and their families.
Emily A. Kim, founder and CEO of Zeta Charter Schools said that Zeta Charter Schools wanted to honor its students’ diverse backgrounds.
“This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month event with Ballet Hispánico gave our students the chance to experience the beauty of Latin dance and music firsthand,” Kim said. “Opportunities like these spark curiosity, pride, and connection — helping our children see themselves and their community reflected in the arts.”
The Bronx has long been a center of Hispanic culture in New York City. As a destination for Puerto Rican immigrants, musical and dance traditions developing from African, Latin and Caribbean influences blended together became extremely popular in the borough. Especially, the Bronx’s love affair with salsa earned the borough the nickname, “El Condado de la Salsa,” or “The Borough of Salsa.” Monday’s event wasn’t just a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, it was a nod to the borough’s powerful cultural legacy.
“As a LatinX educator, it is deeply meaningful to bring Hispanic culture into our classrooms in such a vibrant and authentic way,” said José Ariel Rosario, principal of Zeta South Bronx Lower Elementary. “Events like today not only celebrate the richness of our students’ heritage, but also show them that their culture is powerful, beautiful, and worth taking pride in. Seeing our students light up as they got out of their chairs to dance and sing along is a reminder of how vital it is to honor the diverse roots of our community.”
The event also included interactive dance elements, encouraging students to move and dance to the rhythms of merengue and bachata—genres widely celebrated in Dominican and other Caribbean communities, many of which have deep roots in the Bronx. Young students jumped, danced and chattered with excitement as they watched Noche Flamenca, an internationally acclaimed flamenco company, stomp and spin rhythmically.
For many, the event offered a direct connection to the cultural traditions of their families and neighborhoods. By marking Hispanic Heritage Month with dance and storytelling, Zeta emphasized the importance of the arts in reflecting and affirming the identities of its Bronx community.
