The singer Gloria Estefan and her Miami Sound Machine warned us way back in 1987 that the “Rhythm Is Going to Get You.”
Well, it got Dr. Anthony Cruz, president of Milwaukee Area Technical College, on Tuesday afternoon.
And he wasn’t alone.
Dr. Cruz, the son of Cuban immigrants, and MATC students, faculty and staff celebrated the start of Hispanic Heritage Month by showing off their dance moves in the Student Lounge at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
Enticed onto the makeshift dance floor by the sounds of thumping percussion and vibrant marimba, Dr. Cruz and about 100 others joyously kicked off a monthlong celebration of Hispanic cultures by dancing, eating, singing and smiling.
“This month is a wonderful celebration,” said Dr. Cruz, the first Latino to serve as MATC president. “We come from different backgrounds, different cultures, but many of us are under the one umbrella known as Hispanic. And we are part of a rich heritage of diversity at our institution.”
National Hispanic Heritage Month runs every year from September 15 to October 15. During the month, the college will celebrate the many contributions of Hispanic/Latino/a individuals who are making a difference in our society today.
The events, including Tuesday’s opening, are being hosted and sponsored by Student Engagement and Community Impact, Student Life, the Hispanic-Serving Institution Committee, Latinx Unidos Student Organization, and HOLA, the college’s Hispanic employee affinity group.
See a list of 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month events
The month started on a festive note on Tuesday, September 16, which was also Mexican Independence Day, as Kiran Vedula, an Indian American musician, producer and educator, drummed away on a set of large congas.
Dancing to the beats were the members of Panadanza, a Milwaukee-area troupe that specializes in salsa, west African, Brazilian, Caribbean, modern and jazz dancing.
Panadanza founder Karlies Kelley, a Panama native who earned a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, led four other dancers on the floor. They wore loose-fitting, flowing white cotton pants and brightly colored, wide belts around their waists. They smiled as they threw up their arms, clapped their hands and bounded on their bare feet.
Kelley shouted out a series of Latino nations, exhorting the crowd to respond. “Viva Milwaukee,” she yelled. “Viva MATC!”
For their final dance, the dancers donned long, flowing silk skirts. They whirled and twirled, energetically keeping up with the pounding beat. Then they encouraged the crowd to join them. Dozens of people joined. Some put on skirts handed to them by the dancers. Others, including Dr. Cruz, moved joyously to the rhythm.
“The body remembers everything,” Kelley told the crowd. “Dance belongs to all, in all spaces. Dance is key to living a more happy, colorful and meaningful life.”
About MATC: Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.