A pair of dancers take center stage during the Salsa performance (Isabella Diaz-Mira | Photo Editor).

Laughter roared, applause erupted, and delighted “oohs” rippled through Edison Theatre during Carnaval this past Friday (March 28) and Saturday (March 29). The Carnaval Executive Board and Washington University’s Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) co-hosted the Carnaval showcase, a yearly celebration of Latine culture.

This year’s show featured 10 acts and 150 students, marking a record-high number of performers. Carnaval’s theme was “Eternidad,” which represented eternity through family bonds and legacies passed down from generation to generation.

“It was important for us to highlight our legacies like where we came from, all of the traditions that we’ve been carrying for generations,” junior and Assistant Director Mariana Quiroz said.

From dance acts like Salsa, to music performances like the Mariachi [and] Chicane Band[s], to the skit that ran throughout the show, it is the people who make Carnaval a community. Senior and lead choreographer of Brazilian Funk Vlad Alarcon joined this community starting his first year of college.

“It’s very much a family,” Alarcon said. “We’ve cried together and we’ve been crying for the past three months about nerves, anxiety, and just the fact that some of us are seniors and this is our last time doing Carnaval.”

Alarcon has performed in a total of nine Carnaval acts throughout his time in college. What sets this year apart is his decision to bring a new dance act to the stage, after getting inspiration from his time in Rio this past summer.

“I was in the culture every day, with the food, dance, and people,” Alarcon said. “That’s when I fell in love with the culture and wanted to explore more. I pushed for Brazilian Funk because I learned it over there and I wanted to bring it to WashU.”

Alarcon’s involvement in Carnaval has allowed him to grow and take on a leadership role, choreographing a five-minute dance featuring 12 people.

“Traditionally, I’m not the one to push for something,” Alarcon said. “I’ve always been in the background…This was genuinely the first time I’ve ever led something by myself, so it was very scary, but very rewarding.”

Performers hold the flag of Brazil during the Flag Walk act (Isabella Diaz-Mira | Photo Editor).

Sophomore Ian Gómez returned to Carnaval after performing his first year, this time taking on a larger role as an actor in the skit. The act embodies the show’s theme of “eternidad”, telling the story of a family reckoning with love and loss.

“My personal connection to the skit is understanding that even though sometimes you might have a tough relationship with one of your parents, or that it’s difficult to navigate, that there is a lot of love there, and that love just takes on so many different forms,” Gómez said.

He shares the same sentiment as Alarcon for Carnaval — the show has been a place for him to grow and share his cultural identity with audiences.

“It’s been a really awesome process to connect closely with my culture, whether it be something as superficial as just wearing our national soccer team’s jersey, or something deeper to really getting in touch with what it means to be Costa Rican American,” he said.

First-year Camila Rosario-Calderón joined Carnaval as a dancer in Bomba. Growing up in Puerto Rico and transitioning to WashU, she has found a sense of home through Carnaval.

“It was really incredible for me to just go back in time and feel like maybe I’m not in St. Louis for an hour and a half; I’m actually back home with my friends and family,” Rosario-Calderón said.

A dancer performs in Bomba alongside live musicians (Isabella Diaz-Mira | Photo Editor).

Beyond WashU, the spirit and community of Carnaval extend into St. Louis. This year, the show’s philanthropy partner was STLParaTi, and its corporate partner was the Hispanic Festival of St. Louis. The show also received support from the Forsyth School.

“Everyone is so passionate about every aspect of the show, and I really hope the audience could see how much we all care about the show and the Latine community both at WashU and in St. Louis,” Quiroz said.

Carnaval has been a space for students to grow, taking on new leadership and embracing cultural identities, and leaving their own mark on a tradition that continues year after year.

“Part of eternidad is understanding that even if one chapter ends, another one is always beginning,” Gómez said.

Flag Walk performers wave the flags of various Latin American countries (Isabella Diaz-Mira | Photo Editor).