Despite pouring rain, Roadrunners queued up in the HEB Student Union Ballroom on Nov. 20, awaiting their entrance to a night of diverse and fierce dancing at Light up the Lawn. The event is traditionally placed in the Brenan Lawn, where ‘Runners are invited to enjoy food and dance performances while participating in the lighting of the grounds. Nonetheless, Roadrunners persisted; a little bit of rain has never killed the Roadrunner spirit — time to party inside.
UT San Antonio knows exactly how to fill students with holiday joy, lining the walls with hot cocoa that satisfies one’s taste buds and warm, soft baked cookies that dance in one’s belly. During a stressful time of the year, hosting events to celebrate the holiday season and get students’ minds off their next deadline is a must. Recognizing the importance of gatherings to aid students in relieving stress deserves much praise.
A Roadrunner cannot help but line dance to Flex by Cupid. Students were poppin’ and lockin’ as the DJ spun tracks that demanded a jiggy. Finally, the Spirit of the Roadrunners came to the stage and introduced the first performance of the night.
Waving the ends of their dresses, women filled the stage, mesmerizing the crowd. The Folklórico dance team stole the spotlight that night. Mariachi songs and gritos echoed in the background. Stomping with each step and demanding attention, the men chill the room. Every dancer on that stage shined, but one notable star was the man in brown. His smile and constant attention to his female dance partner perfectly exemplified the flirty Folklórico dance. Each dancer pranced into the audience and pulled an attendee to the stage to dance with them. The audience spun and clapped with the dancers; joy was abundant and bursting out of the room.
“This is a form of artistic expression, especially with regards to the culture of Mexico,” President of UT San Antonio Folkórico Jimena Martinez said. “It brings people together.” She highlighted that “to perform [at Light up the Lawn] is really special to us, because we don’t get to perform a lot.”
Red and blue lights swirled while girls in the cutest outfits of the century line into formation. With pop music blasting and the dancers hypnotically moving about, “K-pop stars” in black and white plaid skirts, with angel wings to boot, dazzled the stage.
Co-Captain of K-pop dance group Crown and sophomore physics major Anna Ramirez explained that “All of our dances are choreographed already by professional choreographers from Korea, so all of our dances are already done by K-pop groups and we just cover them.”
As Cardi-B boomed, the Citrus Diamonds Majorettedance team brought drama to the stage. It was difficult not to be in admiration for their sharp moves and bodacious attitudes. Every time the girls drop it low, the room erupts; the dancers knew exactly how to get the crowd hyped.
President of Citrus Diamonds and senior cybersecurity and information technology major, Adori Harrison, gave more insight into Citrus Diamonds.
“We take inspiration from different HBCUs around the country,” Harrison said. “We do this to bring our black culture to UTSA.”
Their dance was striking.
Co-Captain of Citrus Diamonds and sophomore health aging and society major with a sociology minor Rodneesha Dynes described how the performance came together.
“We did a little hip-hop inspiration and a little majorette inspiration, combine the two and voila,” Dynes said.
Although she made it sound simple, it was apparent that the work these girls put into this performance was anything but that.
Shor, an all girls Bollywood Fusion dance team, combined Indian dance with hip-hop to excite the crowd. The girls kept the event attendees screaming with each hair flip.
Manager of Shor and sophomore physics major Jeslyn Mulangan explained more about their team.
“We’re a Bollywood fusion dance team, so this year we wanted to go for something more flashy, more attention grabbing, which is why we were wearing gold and blue. It looks kind of Indian but also eye-catching,” Mulangan said.
Between the costumes, the dance moves and the radiant energy, they captivated everyone.
The crowd stuck around for as long as possible. The DJ blasted tunes that demanded participation. One could not count the number of line dances Roadrunners got down and dirty with.
It was an extravaganza indeed, showcasing the talents at UT San Antonio can never go wrong. If Roadrunners are anything, they are spectacular.
