Kamini Purushothaman, Contributing Photographer

The Underground came alive this past Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m as Latine students joined together to share their visual art, spoken word poetry, song and dance at the Schwarzman Center.

Audience members and family weekend visitors entering the Elm were first welcomed with easels depicting the works of various student artists, at the sold-out Latinexcellence showcase, organized by La Casa Cultural and the Schwarzman Center. Later on, they were able to enjoy spoken word from students as well as Oye members, performances by Ballet Folklorico and Teatro de Yale, as well as a serenade from Yale’s salsa and merengue ensemble, La Orquesta Tertulia.

“The showcase has been around since before me, but I’ve taken it on as my project over the last few years,” said master of ceremonies Jaden González ’25. “It’s really just a chance for us to provide a platform for Latine creativity and art and talent, sharing that with the community during family weekend.”

With help from Sebastián Eddowes Vargas MFA ’24 , González revived the showcase last year as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. This year’s event, planned in collaboration with Dean Eileen Galvez from La Casa, marks the third annual showcase after its inception in 2019. 

González put particular emphasis on the “importance” of the event taking place on a central part of  campus, he said. “It’s like we’re taking up space at Yale with our art.” 

Multiple students underscored the significance of creating an outlet for Latine artists on campus, referring to past mishaps, like an instance last year when a Lighten Theater manager unexpectedly told student performers to shut down their performance of “In The Heights” mid-scene. 

Montserrat Rodriguez ’25, co-founder of Teatro de Yale, discussed the University’s role in supporting Latine artists.

“Given the lack of institutional support Latine organizations face, it is that much more important for spaces like La Casa, BF, Sabro and Teatro to exist,” Rodriguez said. 

The event centered on established groups as well as more recent student-writers. 

Emma Ventresca ’26 performed “Leave My Life Behind,” an original song from a musical she and her brother wrote. The musical, set to debut next spring, centers around her protagonist’s dilemma about staying in her home of Buenos Aires or leaving to seek more opportunity.

Andrew Aaron Valdez MFA ’25, fellow artist and Assistant Director of Marketing at the Yale Repertory Theatre, also shared selections from his original play, “Los Barqueros.” He explores themes of substance abuse, identity and masculinity, such as in a poem in which he embodied the voice of a boy haunted by his older brother’s drug addiction. 

Several poets took the stage, including Zenaida Aguirre ’24 and Lexa Pulido Rodriguez ’24, co-founders of the spoken word poetry group ¡Oye!, 

“I’m trying to make the language dance,” said poet and performer Diego Faria ’27. Faria emphasized the importance of rhythm and meter in poems meant to be heard. “It’s kind of like reading the lyrics to a song — it doesn’t truly make sense until you feel the music.”

Throughout the showcase, students felt the music with songs and choreographed dances. Odyssey Mann DIV ’26 sang “Un día a la vez,” which her grandfather taught her, and Aaron Custodio ’26 performed “La nave del olvido,” citing it as his favorite Spanish song. When Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Yale, a traditional Mexican folk dance group, took the stage, audience members bopped their heads along with the music to which the group set its performance. 

Paloma Vigil ’25, an arts editor at the News, introduced Claro Que Sí, a magazine she created for all Latine undergraduates at Yale. Isabella Walther-Meade ’25, Montserrat Rodríguez ’25 and Kassie Navarrete ’25 all performed pieces they had written for the Magazine’s first edition, which came out last spring. 

Additionally, Ángela Pérez ’24, a former managing editor for the News, presented her photography at the visual arts display near the front of the space.

“I recently found a box of negatives in my house that used to belong to my grandfather,” she said. 

Inspired by this discovery, Pérez combined her interest in journalism and photography, traveling to Cuba and Mexico to report on “la décima,” a poetic verse structure she learned about from her father. “Every country in Latin America uses a version of it,” she said.

La Orquesta Tertulia, Yale’s only Latin band, gave the show’s closing performance as guests rose from their seats to dance along to the salsa and merengue music

Curating the event and finding performers proved difficult last year, González reflected, but memories of that show’s success spurred an enthusiastic uptick in submissions this year.

“We had incredible spoken-word pieces that were very moving, and we had music pieces that were staples of classic Latino music,” he said.

The Underground is located at the lower level of the Yale Schwarzman Center.