"Carnaval" dancing to be at alumni banquet

By Priscilla Castro
The Collegian

“Carnaval” is the theme for this year’s Chicano Alumni Scholarship Banquet, tonight in the Satellite Student Union.

Carnaval is an annual festival that takes place in San Francisco once a year in the Mission District.

“Carnaval is like a Mardi Gras,” said Frances Pena-Olgin, banquet chair. “We wanted to have a theme we thought would be fun and different so we decided to go with Carnaval.”

Fogo Na Roupa, a dance troupe whose name translates to Clothes on Fire, usually performs at the Carnaval celebration and is schedule to perform at the banquet. Pena-Olgin said she heard of the group through the organizers of Carnaval.

“We made some calls to the individuals who organize Carnaval in San Francisco, and they thought Fogo was very diverse,” she said.

Fogo Na Roupa is a Brazilian dance troop from San Francisco. They perform traditional dances and other dances such as Capoeira, a type of dancing that incorporates martial arts. Pena-Olgin said Fogo has a nice variety and they wanted to bring something fun, different, creative, and who also brought entertainment.

The Chicano Alumni is a chapter of the Fresno State Alumni Association and is the oldest of all the other alumni chapters. The Chicano Alumni was established in 1976.

Fogo Na Roupa is scheduled to perform at 7:45 p.m. Tickets for the event will be $100 a person. The purpose of the banquet is to raise money for scholarships.

Pena-Olgin said they are expecting 250 people to attend the event. “We also have sponsors who want to contribute scholarships and the event is open to anyone who would like to attend and contribute,” she said.

Scholarships are open to anyone who would like to apply. Pena-Olgin said that the key component that they look at when awarding a scholarship is community service.

Planning the banquet takes about a year to do. Pena-Olgin said the committee usually starts to meet in the fall semester.

“It usually takes about a year before to get the sponsors, theme, and entertainment,” she said.

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