Student-led band Clave Afirmativo featuring Matthew Valdovinos ’24 (left), Damian De La Fuente ’24 (center) and Manny Guillen ’24 (right) performing at the baile. Photo by: Nathan Lopez

A cultural festivity at VHS filled with dancing and live music

VHS hosted “Vamonos de Baile” and it took place on the senior lawn and the cafeteria plaza on Friday, March 22 starting at 6 p.m. and wrapped up at 10 p.m. A baile is a type of gathering for dancing and fun for couples and friends. Vamonos de Baile featured many traditional baile festivities such as dancing (especially as the sun began to set), food and live music from local and student-led bands, including Clave Afirmativo, Elegancia Alterada and Relincho Norteño.

Many people who attended this year’s baile enjoyed their time at the dance. Omar Alverez ‘26 said, “I think it [was] really fun, [especially] seeing a lot of friends here.” While some thought the event was fun, some attendees found the $20 entry price to be rather high for what it was, especially since there was still a price tag on some things such as snacks. Brandon Fischer ‘26 said, “[The event was] mucho bueno, but it’s kind of expensive.”

Manny Gullien ‘24, a musician for the band Clave Afirmativo, which performed at the baile at the start of the event, said, “We enjoyed playing at the baile.” Gullien also enjoyed the performances of the other bands that played, he said, “After we finished performing, the baile itself was pretty fun. I really like the groups that played after us. They had some good styles of playing.” 

Damian De La Fuente ‘24, also a band member of Clave Afirmativo, had a similar response to about their performance and the baile as a whole as Gullien. Regarding their band’s performance, De La Fuente said, “My band played in the baile. It was a pretty fun event [and] we liked using the sound system that they provided. After performing I would say the baile was pretty fun. I would for sure recommend others if they are considering to next year to go.” Both student band members ended the conversation with the announcement of their new live album that will be released soon.

Ariel Sanchez ‘25 said, “I think [the dance was more fun than last year]. I think there’s a lot of kids from other schools [as I think] Buena’s dance got canceled, but yeah, there are definitely a lot of kids here [I would] definitely [go next year]. If you’re not Hispanic yourself it’s kind of intimidating to go to a Hispanic-dominated event, but it’s a lot of fun. The culture is so vibrant.”