Fire and Spice! Marist Celebrates 60th Annual Cultural Dinner Dance

Members of the Marist community take to the dance floor as they celebrate the 60th annual Cultural Dinner Dance.Poto courtesy Daniella Ramirez '28

On Nov. 15, the Marist Student Government Association hosted its 60th annual Cultural Dinner Dance, “Fire and Spice!” at the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club. This event, celebrating community and culture, represented several campus organizations, including the Asian Alliance Club, the African Student Association, the Black Student Union, the Hispanic/Latino Student Association and more.

Itati Serrano ‘26, along with Ananya Andrade ‘28 and Marcus Francis ‘27, began planning the event at the beginning of the semester. 

Serrano wanted to represent a wide variety of clubs at the event, including the Sikh Student Association, Hispanic/Latino Club and the Greek American Society. She expressed her gratitude to be part of such a long-standing tradition. 

President Kevin Weinman also gave an address, expressing his gratitude to the Student Government Association (SGA) and the SGA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion board for working together to create such a beautiful event. He acknowledged the hard work of several students for their commitment to bringing the event to fruition, and he also acknowledged his colleagues who have championed a community that is welcoming of diversity and cultures from around the world. 

Following the opening remarks, various student performances featured traditions from Southeast Asia, Hawaii and Africa, as well as Black culture. 

Karina Syrota ‘26, Student Body President, hosted trivia throughout the night, featuring questions on various cultures, languages and countries around the world. This highlighted the event's educational aspect and the importance of learning about cultures outside our own.

Serrano said, “The goal of Cultural Dinner Dance is for Marist Red Foxes to experience true cultural exchange, to step into someone else’s world for a moment, to deepen their understanding of differences and to celebrate the diversity that makes our community feel alive.”