WILLIAMSBURG — Young dancers and their parents danced around a room at the Stryker Center on Tuesday as the Latin Ballet of Virginia kicked off the first of four visits sponsored by the Williamsburg Regional Library.
The Richmond-based ballet will return to the library on Feb. 17, March 17 and April 21 as part of a new addition to the library’s intergenerational Spanish-language story time program, Cena con Cuentos (translated in English to Dinner with Stories).
Tuesday’s visit took the form of an interactive workshop, while March’s program will be a lecture-performance and April’s will conclude with a final workshop. Each visit is free and will include “a performance integrating live dance, narration, and rhythm to illustrate cultural stories and traditions from across the Latin diaspora and the Caribbean,” according to the library.
“Our hope for these workshops is that they’ll provide our families who attend ‘Cena con Cuentos’ with an opportunity to participate in Latin dance traditions that celebrate their rich cultural heritage and strengthen their sense of belonging within our community,” Library Director Sandy Towers said.
This week’s session focused on merengue, a lively and widely popular Latin American dance style, and was led by the company’s artistic director, Marisol Betancourt Sotolongo.
“I love dance, I love kids and I love Williamsburg,” said Betancourt Sotolongo, who grew up in Richmond.
Betancourt Sotolongo, who is also the mother of a 4-year-old, emphasized the importance of children understanding their cultural roots.
Marisol Betancourt Sotolongo, dressed in black, demonstrates the merengue to parents and children during the Cena con Cuentos program. (Haidyn Brockelman/For The Virginia Gazette)
“Dance and music are special because they don’t necessarily require (a shared) language … and can bring people together,” she said.
The library’s long-running bilingual program, Cena con Cuentos was established in 2019. The program is supported by grant funding from the Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation and typically takes place at the Stryker Center a few times a month. It is led by youth services librarian Sara Meldrum, who learned Spanish while living in Argentina as a child. Meldrum’s original goal was to bring her Spanish-speaking skills to the community, but has broadened to creating a welcoming space for the Spanish-speaking community.
“Normally, the way the program looks is we do story time where I read books, we sing songs, and then we have some kind of activity, like a game or art project, and then we have dinner together,” Meldrum explained. “For the next three or four meetings, we’re going to have the Latin Ballet replace the story time and activity portion.”
The Latin Ballet of Virginia’s visits are being made possible by an Arts in Practice Grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Tuesday’s workshop, conducted entirely in Spanish, began with a warmup circle that included both parents and children, most of whom were preschool or early elementary school age. Participants then lined up in four rows as Betancourt Sotolongo broke down the merengue with step-by-step instructions and demonstrations. At the end of the session, each row got to showcase their new moves.
Meldrum said the idea to bring the Latin Ballet of Virginia to the program was first suggested by longtime Cena con Cuentos attendee Emily Campbell, a mother of two.
Campbell, who is originally from Puerto Rico and has lived in Williamsburg since 2016, started attending Cena con Cuentos in 2019 when her eldest daughter was 18 months old. She was already familiar with the Latin Ballet of Virginia through a previous library program during Latin Heritage Month.
“They did a series of events at the library, including a beautiful dance,” Campbell said. “It was very special. The girls loved it, and so we started following them.”
Campbell said she was “floored” when Meldrum said she was considering inviting the dance company to join the program. Meldrum also said she hopes the library can continue to bring in outside presenters for the program.
“I was really excited because there’s not much Latin music around here,” Campbell said.
Campbell added that she felt the visits were incredibly important not only to her family, but also to all the families who attended, as it gave them space to celebrate their heritage.
“I think dance is music and dance, when you put them together, people can be themselves,” Campbell said.
Haidyn Brockelman, haidyn.brockelman@gmail.com
