DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710020541

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  175 lines

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH NEWS TO MANY FOLK BALLET IS ONE OF A FEW EVENTS THAT CELEBRATE CULTURE.

It's National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hooray! Ole!

Never heard of it?

That seems to be a common response around South Hampton Roads. Few of the usual cultural crusaders - schools, museums and libraries - programs in place to celebrate from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

The Virginia Beach Central Library tried to close that gap Wednesday night when it hosted the Hispanic Folk Ballet. The troupe performed traditional dances from Mexico's various provinces. More than 150 people, many non-Latino, helped to inaugurate the program.

Adam Houser came with a group of his Virginia Wesleyan College buddies. He was looking for credit for his Spanish class, but the business major was willing to learn something new.

``I had no idea about this stuff before I went to college,'' said Houser, a 19-year-old from the Shenandoah Valley.

The date for Hispanic Heritage Month may seem odd, but for those of Latin America, it makes sense. Many of these countries won their independence from Spain around this time.

The road to official holiday status began in 1968, when National Hispanic Heritage Week was instituted. In 1988 it became a nationally recognized month.

Recognition has been creeping along ever since.

``It seems like we're having more about Spanish people of different cultures here,'' said Nancy Ortiz, a Peruvian native who lives in Virginia Beach. ``Still, we don't have that much compared to Miami, New York and different places.''

That's a fact that resonates throughout the area.

``I don't think there is a whole lot of awareness about it in the community,'' said Lynne Priest, family program coordinator at Norfolk's Chrysler Museum. ``I think it's up to people like us to see that it's something to be celebrated and made aware of.''

Hispanic Heritage Month seems to be traveling along the same road of another month of celebration that started underground - Black History Month. It took some time, but people finally caught on, said Janis Sanchez, a psychology professor at Old Dominion University.

``Groups that feel as though they have been marginalized and not included want to have a month to celebrate their heritage,'' she said. ``If you are the only one there, there is more necessity to have that celebration.''

The Reyes family understands that. Once, they lived in California and Texas. Now this Mexican-American military family resides in Virginia Beach. And they miss what they took for granted in those areas with larger Latino populations.

``There is no comparison,'' Norma Reyes said. ``They held festivities and other things, the museums, the libraries, the city itself. The mayor made a proclamation.''

With each wave of Latino immigrants comes a new nuance in this country. And a new chance to celebrate, Beatriz Amberman said. She leads the Hispanic Folk Ballet and is a Virginia Beach human rights commissioner.

``I wouldn't want the rest of the community to think this is a forced celebration,'' Amberman said. ``Hispanics have the obligation to teach others of what they want to get from their own culture.

``My point of view is rather than complaining about what we don't have, we just need to work harder to make this more evident in a friendly manner.''

It's National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hooray! Ole!

Never heard of it?

That seems to be a common response around South Hampton Roads. Few of the usual cultural crusaders - schools, museums and libraries - programs in place to celebrate from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

The Virginia Beach Central Library tried to close that gap Wednesday night when it hosted the Hispanic Folk Ballet. The troupe performed traditional dances from Mexico's various provinces. More than 150 people, many non-Latino, helped to inaugurate the program.

Adam Houser came with a group of his Virginia Wesleyan College buddies. He was looking for credit for his Spanish class, but the business major was willing to learn something new.

``I had no idea about this stuff

before I went to college,'' said Houser, a 19-year-old from the Shenandoah Valley.

The date for Hispanic Heritage Month may seem odd, but for those of Latin America, it makes sense. Many of these countries won their independence from Spain around this time.

The road to official holiday status began in 1968, when National Hispanic Heritage Week was instituted. In 1988 it became a nationally recognized month.

Recognition has been creeping along ever since.

``It seems like we're having more about Spanish people of different cultures here,'' said Nancy Ortiz, a Peruvian native who lives in Virginia Beach.

``Still, we don't have that much compared to Miami, New York and different places.''

That's a fact that resonates throughout the area.

``I don't think there is a whole lot of awareness about it in the community,'' said Lynne Priest, family program coordinator at Norfolk's Chrysler Museum. ``I think it's up to people like us to see that it's something to be celebrated and made aware of.''

Hispanic Heritage Month seems to be traveling along the same road of another month of celebration that started underground - Black History Month.

It took some time, but people finally caught on, said Janis Sanchez, a psychology professor at Old Dominion University.

``Groups that feel as though they have been marginalized and not included want to have a month to celebrate their heritage,'' she said. ``If you are the only one there, there is more necessity to have that celebration.''

The Reyes family understands that. Once, they lived in California and Texas. Now this Mexican-American military family resides in Virginia Beach. And they miss what they took for granted in those areas with larger Latino populations.

``There is no comparison,'' Norma Reyes said. ``They held festivities and other things, the museums, the libraries, the city itself. The mayor made a proclamation.''

With each wave of Latino immigrants comes a new nuance in this country.

And a new chance to celebrate, Beatriz Amberman said. She leads the Hispanic Folk Ballet and is a Virginia Beach human rights commissioner.

``I wouldn't want the rest of the community to think this is a forced celebration,'' Amberman said. ``Hispanics have the obligation to teach others of what they want to get from their own culture.

``My point of view is rather than complaining about what we don't have, we just need to work harder to make this more evident in a friendly manner.'' ILLUSTRATION: HUY NGUYEN/Virginian-Pilot

Photo

Katie Meyer gets help from her mother, Sharon Meyer, backstage at

the Virginia Beach Central Library Wednesday night before the

Hispanic Folk Ballet staged for National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Color Photo

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Viki Van Wey, representing Mexico, dances with her group during the

Hispanic Folk Ballet staged during National Hispanic Heritage Month

at the Virginia Beach Central Library Wednesday night.

Graphic

HISPANIC HERITAGE

MONTH Latinos - Descendants of the world's 20 Spanish-speaking

countries - will soon be the most populous ethnic minority in the

United States. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, almost

one of every five citizens of this country will have Latin roots.

The latest statistics show Latinos make up an estimated 3 percent of

Virginia's population and about 2.3 percent of the Hampton Roads

population. That tally does not include military personnel.

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

Here's a sampling of remaining activities around Hampton Roads:

Cultural dances

Oct. 2

NASA Langley Research Center, HJE/Reid Conference Center, 14

Langley Blvd., Hampton

Nancy y Sus Majas will peform flamenco and Ofelia Watley and

Company will perform Panamanian folk dances. 1 to 2 p.m.

Participants will need a driver's license or some form of

identification for access. Free. 864-3291

Family story hour

Oct. 8

Kirn Memorial Library, 301 E. City Hall Ave., Norfolk.

Storytelling and crafts from Spanish-speaking countries await

children aged 5 to 12 and their parents. Free. 664-7323.

Latin party

Oct. 10

Langley Air Force Base, Officer's Club, 128 Benedict Ave.,

Hampton.

A DJ will keep skirts and feet flying, beginning at 9 p.m. Base

access will be provided. For 18 and older. Free. 764-3006.

Hispanic Heritage Dance

Oct. 10

St. Gregory's Catholic Church, Immaculate Hall, 5345 Virginia

Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach.

Dinner and music by Salsa '90 Latin Orchestra. 490-7896.

Bilingual Christian commemoration

Oct. 12

First Baptist Church of Norfolk

312 Kempsville Road, Norfolk

3 p.m.: Thalia Lynn Baptist Church

4392 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach

6 p.m.: Featured speaker will be Jose Gonzalez, president of

Semilla, a Latin American leadership organization based at Regent

University.

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