Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Missoula Public Library celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month on Thursday, Oct. 8. Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual observation of the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America.

In the afternoon we learned how to decorate pinatas with Eileen Cummings of "Spanish Anyone?"

Then we turned down the lights and turned up the music for Latin Dance Night. Missoula's local Flamenco group Patio Andaluz gave a beautiful performance of a variety of flamenco dances.

Members of the Downtown Dance Collective demonstrated salsa moves so fast that we could not even catch them on camera! However, they did slow things down a bit to teach the audience basic salsa moves.

Everyone also enjoyed delectable tapas of Columbia, Mexico and Spain created by The Silk Road.

To see more great pictures of this event, visit us on Flickr.

Those dancin' feet

OK, I'll admit it, I've been watching "So You Think You Can Dance," the reality-tv show where dancers compete to become "America's favorite dancer." But just because the season ended last night doesn't mean I have to go through dancing withdrawal. The library has everything I need to keep my feet tapping.

We have some cool books (and DVDs) on dancing from tango to hip-hop. Try these on for size:
Gotta Ballroom by Christine Zone, 793.33 ZONA

Tango: An Argentine Love Story by Camille Cusumano, 793.33 CUSUMAN

Let's Dance: The Complete Book and DVD of Ballroom Dance Instruction... by Cal Pozo, 793.33 POZO

You're probably noticing a trend -- our dancing books are at 793.33. Then stop by our CD collection to pick out some great tunes to go along with them. And, for when your feet ache and you need a break, we have those recent dance feature movies that have been super popular. So get your dancing fix at the library.

Do you have a favorite dance style? Let us know what type of dancing you like and we'll try to set up a dancing demo here at the library (don't worry, I won't be the performer). Add a comment here, send us a tweet, or fill out a comment form in the library. In the mean time, check out our Events page for other fun ways to spend your time.