Albert Einstein High School

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Latin American Students United

Sponsor: Ms. Peró 

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"Titanes Salseros" Has Winning Ways

   Members of one of Einstein's best competitive teams wear sequins and satin, not shin guards or helmets.
   Male and female participants practice together after classes, at night and on weekends. They have a reputation to maintain, and would-be challengers, beware.
   Latin American Students United, known at Einstein by its acronym LASU is more than ever at the top of its game. Einstein's Latin dance team, competing as "Titanes Salseros," or salsa-dancing Titans, dominated at a  countywide event this fall for dance teams from public schools.
   The 10th Annual Montgomery Latin Dance Competition, held Oct. 15 at Clarksburg High School, drew Einstein and six other high schools to perform before a sold-out audience of 900. The 21-member Titanes Salseros team claimed first place trophies in five of eight dance divisions, and took second place in a sixth division. That brings the total number of trophies won by LASU in nine years of competitive dancing to 49. They're on display in a crowded first floor showcase at Einstein.
   "We've brought that many trophies home in past years, but this year the quality of the dancing was tremendous. It was very distinguished," said Einstein foreign language teacher Paula Pero, the group's sponsor. The group's ensemble number, "Greased Lightning," was inspired by the musical "Grease," and won the competition's Best In Show.
   Pero, who has overseen LASU for the last 10 years, is coach and den mother, chauffeur, fundraiser and taskmaster. In addition, DC Dance Collective instructor Alisa Bernstein this year has become a regular LASU teacher. Increasingly, Titanes Salseros performs throughout the region, dancing at the annual Fiesta DC in September. In October, the troupe danced at the Embassy of Finland in Washington for a celebration of Vida Senior Centers,  DC's oldest local Latino organization.
   It's a demanding, high-profile schedule for a group that often takes in recruits wtih little training. Senior Cristian Panameno said he didn't know a single dance step when he joined three years ago. But last month, he and his partners took first place in the bachata and salsa divisions in the county competition.
   "I kept on practicing until I got it right," said Panameno, who talks about starting his own competitive dance team after graduating and pursuing computer engineering in college.
   Senior Johanna Orellana, a three-year LASU veteran, said the group's work with professional instructors and its participation in major dance events, such as the DC Salsa Congress has helped the group's choreography. LASU now has a repertoire of 15 dance arrangements, compared to one a decade ago.
   "As a sophomore, we were still iffy about choreography," she said.
   Sophomore David Cuevas took first place finishes in the cha cha, second in the parent/child dance and first in the Jack & Jill event, in which he danced with a new partner from another school.
   It's a turnaround for Cuevas from his freshman year, when he repeatedly missed dance practice and his grades dropped. Cuevas said Pero encouraged him to make a commitment.
   "LASU helps me stay focused on school work," he said. "I don't want to be the one who messes up."
   Freshman Sheyny Barahona is a newbie to LASU. On stage at the Clarksburg dance competition, she faced an audience that seemed enormous.
   "But then I got up there, and I just had fun," she said. "You dance the way you want to feel."
----Susan DeFord

   

High school students in Maryland learn valuable skills through dance

It is Saturday afternoon and some classrooms in the Albert Einstein High School in Silver Spring, Md. are filled with high school students taking the SATs. Over the testing silence, a faint rhythm of stomping feet can be heard from one wing on the lower level of the school. Inside, a group of students are practicing their sevillanas, a variation of the flamenco dance particular to the Southern region of Spain.

Titans Claim Center Stage in 2008 Dance Contest

  Einstein High School dancers dominated in the 9th Annual Latin Dance Competition, against teams from Montgomery high schools and from Virginia on Fri., Oct. 17.
   The competition, held in Einstein's auditorium, drew a sold-out audience of 900 and dancers from Blair, Clarksburg, Gaithersburg, Seneca Valley, and Watkins Mill high schools in Montgomery and from Dominion High School in Sterling, VA.
   Titan seniors Karen Carbajal and Cristian Panameño took first place in the salsa couples competition.  Senior Ana Coello, partnered wtih Panameno, took first place in the Bachata event.
   Titan dance couples also claimed first place in the Best In Show category. Einstein alumni Ixandra Molina and Kevin Caballero tied for second place with Watkins Mill in the alumni dancers division.
   Judges for the competition included Barbara Bernstein, Hector Chavez, Carlos Ulloa and Steve Zaloga.
  The dance team sponsored by Einstein's Latin American Students United club is considered the best in Montgomery, having won first place in numerous competitions over the last nine years. The Titan team also performs at community events in the greater Washington region.

2008 9th Annual Latin Dance Competition was a Success

1st Place- Best In Show
1st Place- Bachata
1st Place- Salsa
2nd Place- Alumni

Scholarships | Performances 

• Email us at lasu_aehs@yahoo.com to be added to our mailing list.
• For more information contact Paula_Pero@mcpsmd.org

LASU Mission

The Latin American Students United Club (L.A.S.U.) at Albert Einstein High School is a student run organization. L.A.S.U. serves as both a social/ cultural outlet and resource for the Einstein students. We are dedicated to promote Latin American culture awareness within the community. We participate in many activities throughout the year, such as: dances, family dinners, academic rewards, guest speakers, food tasting, culture sharing sessions and much more. We welcome everybody interested in the Latin American culture to our meetings and events.

LASU Dance Group Mission

The Latin American Students United “Dance Group” at Einstein is a group formed by students working together to represent the Latino community performing traditional and popular dances. We participate in many activities throughout the year, such as: The Annual Montgomery County Public Schools Latin Dance Competition, school assemblies and events in the Maryland and DC area. Everyone is invited to participate in this Award Winning Group but you must have at least a 2.5, be a team player and motivated to work hard. Always looking for new dancers!! Meetings are every Tuesday & Thursday in room 26.

Big, Huge, Got-Everything Community Yard Sale On May 17!!

   Click here to read and download the flyer on LASU's first community yard sale and fundraiser, on Sunday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Now's the time to finally clean out the garage and the closets and make a little money for your efforts. Tables for yard sale participants will be set up in the Main Street hallway. The charge is $15 to set up one table, and $20 for two tables. 
  Take advantage of this school community event to support one of Einstein's best student organizations, shop for your family and make a little money!