 "Photo: Allen Chen/The Poly Post")
Cal Poly Salsa Ensemble Director Gustavo Gil tried to get the crowd moving.
"It is permitted to dance," Gil told the audience. "You are allowed to move around."
Gil directed the 13-member ensemble in a concert Thursday covering a variety of styles, including cha-cha, mambo and son montuno, Afro-Latin jazz.
Audience members gathered outside the Music Recital Hall in the space between the university theatre and music buildings.
Students either stood in the shade or sat on the grass and concrete planters as they ate their lunches and listened to the Latin rhythms.
Occasionally, they danced.
The percussion section demonstrated Latin jazz dancing during one of the ensemble's songs, "Perla Morena."
"The Salsa Ensemble is a class in the performance of Latin dance music, specifically music influenced by Afro-Cuban dance rhythms and Latin jazz," Gil said. "The instrumentation varies depending on the makeup of the class in any particular quarter."
At Thursday's concert, some of the performers were guest musicians. Gil led the ensemble on keyboard as well as backing vocals.
Other musicians played trumpet, percussion, saxophone, flute, bass guitar and trombone. All of the ensemble members sang backing vocals, and two sang lead vocals.
"The only thing I tell everyone at every performance is that the class is open to anyone interested in this music," Gil said. "Experienced players are welcome, but anyone interested in learning the rhythms and performing them is also welcome."
The Salsa Ensemble opened the concert with "Picadillo," which featured solos by trumpet player Juan Bermudez, trombone player Luis Vasquez, tenor saxophone player Juan Antonio Maldonado and soprano saxophone player Albert Picon.
In the song "Son de La Loma," the ensemble featured guest vocalist Delfina Silva.
This upbeat song also featured solos from various musicians and the audience members encouraged the musicians with a round of applause.
Students valued the live music and Latin rhythms.
"I'm here to support a friend in the band, but I also enjoy listening to the music," said Julianne Tres, a third-year kinesiology student.
Tres danced with one of her classmates, Matthew Donoghue, a second-year hospitality management student and member of the Cal Poly Ballroom Dance Company.
"I came here because I wanted to dance," Donoghue said. "I appreciate that we have live music for free for the campus to enjoy."
Audience members continued to dance throughout the salsa concert, dancing the cha-cha to "Escucha el Ritmo," which featured vocalist Juan Antonio Reyes.
During the final song, a son montuno piece called "Vamanos Pa'l Monte," Gil introduced the ensemble, allowing each member to perform a solo.
The ensemble members enjoy performing for the university every quarter.
Paul Carbajal, a fourth-year psychology student and percussionist in the salsa ensemble said that he is part of the ensemble because he likes the music.
"It stirs something in your soul, "Carbajal said. "It makes you feel good. All in all, it's the music."
The class meets Wednesday evenings and performs once a quarter during University Hour. It also performs at various events around Cal Poly, such as art openings, cultural events like Dia de los Muertos and Cinco de Mayo, club banquets and commencement activities.
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