Emilie Swenson was in class a few doors down when she heard the salsa music coming from the Community Room at Gateway Community College on Long Wharf. “I wanted to check out where the music was coming from. I’ve never did any salsa dancing before, but this has been fun!” Swenson was drawn onto the dance floor amongst other students, faculty, and salsa dancers as they moved to the Latin beat of the 14-piece New Haven-based band, Mikata.
It was a farewell salsa.
Wednesday night’s “salsa send-off” marked the end of an era and the start of a new one: Students like Swenson and their professors are moving to a new downtown campus. They’re leaving the Long Wharf campus that has served as the college’s home for two decades.by celebrating the relocation to a state of the art campus in the heart of downtown. Staffers are packing boxes in anticipation of the formal move, which takes place in July. The new campus is scheduled to open at the corner of Church and George Streets in August.
But first — there was time for dancing.
Ariela Martin Photo
Over 50 people gathered for the free end-of-the semester concert. Humanities Professor Franz Douskey coordinated the event. The Esther Haseltine Schiavone Endowment, established to fund arts programs at Gateway, sponsored it. Douskey has brought a host of musicians and writers to the college over the years. “I consider music and literature vital to college life,” Douskey said.
“If you’re not dancing,” Douskey joked to the crowd before the music started, “you may be asked to leave.”
It didn’t take long for Mikata to get many of the attendees up off their seats. Click on the play arrow to the video at the top of this story to see why.
Ariela Martin is a student at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School and a contributing reporter at the Independent.
Man-oh-man I wanted to make it to this! May 2nd is my birthday so I had a house full of folks celebrating being divinely 49! Anyway, I wanted to move the party to Gateway, no luck! I am glad they were jammin'