Approximately 250 members of the Sault’s Latino community enjoyed singing, musical and dance performances by artists from several Latin American countries at a cultural event organized and held Saturday.
The first annual cultural event - billed as a ‘joyous celebration’ of Latin American heritage - was held at the Moose Lodge on Trunk Road and organized by a local group known as The Latino Arts Centre Advancing Sociocultural Awareness – or simply La Casa SSM.
La Casa SSM’s goal is to create an artistic space for Latinos and non-Latinos to enjoy in Sault Ste. Marie said Luis Moreno, La Casa SSM vice president in an interview with SooToday.
Moreno, an OLG customer care representative, came to Canada from Mexico at the age of 12 with his family and studied at the University of Toronto before settling in the Sault in 2019.
“I love the Sault. It’s my home. I believe the Sault is a beautiful place for everyone to live, work, study and raise a family,” Moreno said.
Moreno missed winning a City Council seat for Ward 3 in the 2022 municipal election by only 102 votes.
Moreno estimated there are approximately 3,000 members in the Sault’s Latino community, many of them working for Algoma Steel and Tenaris or studying at Algoma University and Sault College.
Saturday’s cultural celebration began at 3:30 p.m. and included performances by several artists including saxophonist Renan Almeida of Brazil, singers Alexia Rodriguez Larrondo and Regina Zepeda Cando of Mexico, singer Diana Anzola Sanmiguel of Colombia and Mexican dancers Noemi Ontiveros, Sofia Cardenas, Lidia Ortega and Alma Lopez.
The dance floor opened to attendees following the performances.
First Nations representative Angela Trudeau and Ward 2 City Councillor Lisa Vezeau-Allen delivered opening remarks.
The new La Casa SSM logo - designed by Sault realtor and artist Carol Myhill - was unveiled.
Founding members of La Casa SSM came from over 20 countries in Latin America.
“We’re very encouraged by today’s event. We have more events planned. We’re planning a bigger event for the Latino Heritage Month in Canada in October,” Moreno said.