About Us
Showing Unit Through Diversity
Latinos de Corazón began its journey under the name Panameños en Rochester, a Panamanian cultural group in 2005 with just 2 members. The following year, dance and dress were added to the different elements of Panamanian culture that the group shared. Participating every year in events like the Memorial Art Gallery Hispanic Heritage family day, the Puerto Rican parade and festival, and various galas, the group grew in size and diversity. Although it was a Panamanian group, many of our members were not of Panamanian decent, nor was that a requirement to join. Seeing this attribute as an opportunity, a change was decided to be made. This shift in our makeup and the passion of our founding board members to better the world we live in brought about the name change to Latinos de Corazón and an update to our mission.
Latinos de Corazón was founded to unify and inspire our community through cultural expression. The primary method of accomplishing this is to teach our members and audiences, folkloric traditions, focusing primarily on the Spanish diaspora. Many people have no idea the rich history they descend from because folk music and dress in the United States is rarely associated with Hispanic culture. Latinos de Corazón’s aim is to change this dynamic and in so doing, have our audience leave our presentations enlightened and aware that Western Europe is not the only region that has songs, dances, and customs that are hundreds of years old. The perseverance of tradition across cultures is the glue we want to use to bond our community together.
As we move forward, creating new events and participating in others that help to show our “unity in diversity”. All though Latinos de Corazón focuses performances on Hispanic culture, the goal of our organization is to inspire people of all ethnicity, cultures and backgrounds to appreciate one another. We are always looking for new events, new ideas, new members, and new sponsors. If you feel that you or your organization could be one or more of those please don’t hesitate to contact us.
