VOICES: Make a difference by including more Hispanic voices in local arts programming

In 2018, the Dayton Salsa Project (DSP), a local salsa band, was born out of one such meeting. After a brief mention of the idea, a community leader embraced it and quickly began searching for interested local musicians. Within weeks, the band came together for the first time, starting with nine members — four Puerto Ricans and five Daytonians — who quickly became like family.

Since then, the Dayton Salsa Project has been actively performing at regional festivals like the Hispanic Heritage Festival, local bars, venues, and cultural events, bringing a piece of Latino culture to a wider audience. But always remembering their commitment to Dayton. The support of the Dayton community — including businesses, cultural organizations, and individuals — has been crucial to its success. This collaboration has helped the band become a major contributor to the regional arts community, presenting Hispanic culture in Dayton with renewed visibility.

Representation matters and these efforts from the Latino community not only aim to educate and share our culture, but it also hopes to make it part of the experience of living in Dayton, Ohio.

The band has also grown alongside DaytOn1 Salsa, a local dance group founded also in 2018, which has been instrumental in the rise of salsa dancing in Dayton. Through weekly salsa and bachata lessons, DaytOn1 Salsa encourages its students to engage with live performances, helping to educate the public about the roots of salsa and the connection between the music and the dance.

Today, the Dayton Salsa Project serves as a cultural ambassador for the Hispanic community in the Miami Valley, bridging cultural divides and engaging diverse audiences through the energy of salsa music and dance.

So come and join us on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Riverscape for the 23rd Dayton Hispanic Heritage Festival and dance along with Dayton’s own community salsa band. We also invite you to follow Dayton Salsa Project, PACO and DaytOn1 Salsa on your favorite social media website. You can make a difference by following and promoting their events, and encouraging local institutions like museums, galleries, and theaters to include more Hispanic voices in their programming.

Daryll Rosa is bongocero and vocalist for the Dayton Salsa Project, representing the Hispanic community through music and community engagement.