April 6 Salsa event

Julio Barrenzuela wearing a hat that says "Salsa" and holding a microphoneCome see Julio Barrenzuela, the “Salsa Ambassador,” and learn how to dance the Salsa on April 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons.

Barrenzuela has been teaching Salsa for over 10 years in any place that he can, including nursing homes, facilities for those with disabilities and youth organizations. He says, “Music brings people together, and that’s what I want to do through my efforts. The hope is to make a difference by giving the community’s most unlikely people, be it from their wheelchair or jail cell, the opportunity to see themselves as salsa dancers and therefore members of a much larger ‘salsa community.’”

He is a veteran of the Navy and has a doctorate in cultural studies from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He is currently president of CIELO, a culturally integrated organization dedicated to promoting the education, employment and culture of Latino Americans in communities that are within about a 60-mile radius of Springfield.

Julio dipping dance partnerJulio dancing with a partner