By Tyson Leonhardt
Carrboro Commons Copy Editor/Staff Writer

Nearly three months after moving to a new location, Carrboro’s Great Clips is clipping more hair than ever.

Great Clips, Carrboro’s only hair salon franchise, was previously housed at 401 Weaver St. The hair salon moved to the Carrboro Plaza strip mall off N.C. 54 when a spot opened up in late August, said manager Stephanie Randleman.

Great Clips hair stylists Lolita Degraffenried, left, Keisha Nelson, back right, and Stephanie Randleman chat with their clients as they work. Employees and customers like the new salon location, which is larger and more modern than the store’s previous salon on Weaver Street. (Staff photo by Tyson Leonhardt)

Randleman said business has increased since the move from the downtown area to Carrboro Plaza. But she said the move wasn’t a direct result of the Weaver Street Reconstruction project. However, she noted that she always intended to move out of the house in the long run.

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By Callie Bost
Carrboro Commons Co-Editor

A drop in North Carolina’s heart attacks is one of the first indications that North Carolina’s smoking ban in restaurants and bars is effective, said Dr. Adam Goldstein, director of UNC Tobacco Intervention Programs. But positive reactions to the ban from local business owners show that the ban has successfully promoted a cleaner eating and working environment.

Kevin Callaghan, manager at Acme Food & Beverage Company, stands behind the restaurant’s bar. Acme has never allowed smoking inside, but like other restaurant managers, Callaghan supports the clean environment the smoking ban promotes.

A report released Nov. 9 by the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Emergency Medicine showed a 21 percent decline in overall acute myocardial infection, or heart attack, emergency department visits from 2009 to 2010. The data of the study was compiled from Jan. 2, 2010 — the date the ban went into effect — to Dec. 31, 2010, by the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool.

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By Laney Tipton
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer

It’s been nearly three weeks since Carrboro aldermen voted on November 1 to pass an ordinance prohibiting residents from feeding deer, but some residents are questioning whether it will yield the results the town hoped for.

Ben Vollmer, a resident of North Greensboro St., stands in front of his roommate's garden. Vollmer they had to put the fence around as a precaution against deer destroying it.

The feeding ban was put in place because of the damage the deer population was causing to the local landscaping, gardening and public safety. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission estimates that there are 30 to 44 deer per square mile in Orange County. But some residents, like Scott Parrott, don’t think the deer population causes a threat to the town.

“I consider deer one of the perks of living in Carrboro,” Parrott wrote in an email. “Some of my most pleasant memories of living in Carrboro are coming across deer while walking in the morning or while being out for a jog around dusk.”

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By Abbie Bennett
Carrboro Commons Co-editor

The audience of the sixth-annual Carrboro Film Festival anxiously await the award announcements for the 29 films featured during the six-hour festival. Only six of the 29 films took home awards.

Dozens of Orange County film buffs packed the Carrboro Century Center from 1 – 7 p.m. on Sunday for the sixth annual Carrboro Film Festival.

“We’re one of the largest short film festivals in the South,” Nic Beery, Carrboro resident, co-founder and co-chair of the festival said. “This year’s films were thought-provoking and very well made.”

This was the first year that the festival accepted submissions from anywhere in North Carolina. Previous festival filmmakers had to prove a connection to Carrboro, but this year the festival decided to open to all North Carolinian filmmakers.

“We want to get the best [films] that we possibly can,” said Jackie Helvey, of Carrboro, co-founder and co-chair of the festival.

This year’s festival applicants submitted their work online, making it easier for filmmakers across the state to participate.

“The submission process is streamlined now,” Beery said. “It’s quick, simple and environmentally friendly. That’s what we wanted to achieve this year.”

According to Beery, the participants could complete the application, link to their film and pay their submission fee and in one easy, environmentally-friendly process.

­The festival hosted 29 films in three blocks during the six hours of the festival. Question and answer sessions were held at the end of each block and a 10-minute break preceded the following group of films.

Content and style of the submissions ranged from documentaries on local organic farming, music, narratives, animation, photography, mental health, stop-motion, environmentalism and horror.

“We were very pleased by this year’s submissions,” Beery said. “Our expectations get higher and higher each year, but the films always surpass those expectations.”

The festival committee handed out awards in seven categories, and the audience was able to participate in a popular vote.

To loud cheers, the first audience award went to “El Caffinato” by Rory Bradley and Liz Levitt-Bradley, a short rock opera loosely inspired by a classic Western narrative set among hipsters in a coffee shop.  Equal applause greeted the second audience award, which went to “Scraps” by Kate Burgauer, a narrative film.

The festival committee gave awards for best professional film, best student film, best cinematography, best animation, best documentary, best narrative fiction and best acting.

El Caffinato took the best professional film award along with its audience award.

The best student film award went to “Nite Lite” by Mariah Dunn, a 5-minute animated experimental film.

Burgauer’s “Scraps” took home the best cinematography award.

The award for best animation went to “Wiggle Room” by Joe Schenkenberg, a stop-motion animation about a slug having an adventure in a kitchen while the owner is away.

Rodrigo Dorfman’s “One Night in Kernsville,” a documentary about jazz musicians today, earned the award for best documentary.

The best narrative fiction film award was given to “Deviling” by Michael Sharpe, a horror narrative about a woman ending her relationship with a mortician.

The best acting award went to Robert Haulbrook for his role as the mortician in “Deviling.”

While the films containing violence, sex and profanity were saved for the final block of the festival from 5:30-7 p.m., younger members of the audience had a chance to enjoy the animated submissions.

“I liked the cartoons!” said Dylan Thomas, 5, of Carrboro. “I liked the slug movie, it was really cool. The colors were bright and the slug was green. Green’s my favorite color,” he said.

Thomas agreed with the committee’s choice to name “Wiggle Room” the best animated film of the night.

“Those judges were really smart,” Dylan said. “But I think the slug movie should have won everything!” he grinned.

Dylan’s mother, Anita Thomas, a 29-year-old stay-at-home mother and Carrboro native, said she was happy there were films that Dylan enjoyed during the block of the festival she chose to attend from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

“This was a great event to bring him to,” she said. “There were educational films, funny films, films for me to enjoy, and animated movies that he loved. This is a great event for anyone to attend, including children, because it brings our community together.”

Dylan agreed with his mother and said he thought it was a good event to help celebrate Carrboro’s 100th birthday.

“I wish I could have a birthday party this cool!” he said.

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By: Jen Northington
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer

Looking for an afterschool program that includes lots of unique opportunities for your young children? The ArtsCenter’s AfterSchool Arts Immersion (AAI) program offers children, grades K-5, the ability to immerse themselves in a variety of art forms taught by local, professional teaching artists.

Jessica Kelley, 27, teacher at The ArtsCenter, guides her class during the art activity. The children were able to choose between making a stained glass heart or a stain glass leaf. The children used a variety of different colored tissue paper pieces to create the inner part of their stain glass design, and they used construction paper around the edge of their creations to complete the craft. (Staff photo by Jen Northington)

At The ArtsCenter, the instructors switch out every two weeks.  They do this to allow children the ability to engross themselves in each new instructor’s specialties.

Andrew Tansill, 23, teacher at The ArtsCenter, says he loves this facet about the program.

“It’s great having new residencies every couple of weeks, and the fact that the children are able to explore new art forms is so nice,” Tansill said.

Jessica Kelley, 27, teacher at The ArtsCenter, also enjoys this about The ArtsCenter AfterSchool Arts Immersion (AAI) program.

“I’ve taught at many other schools, and have taught many different programs, but so far I like it here the best,” Kelley said.  ”It’s a unique program, and it’s great being able to see the children grow artistically and creatively.  I also like how I can create my curriculum on a weekly basis here.”

“My favorite part about this program is getting to meet the children and being endeared with the cute things they say,” Kelley continued.  ”I love seeing the end result of what they create when they use their imagination.”

On Nov. 17, Kelley taught a group of 15 children, consisting of both kindergarten and first graders.  The children were able to create stained glasses in the shape of hearts and leaves with tissue paper.

“I have lots of interests in different areas such as the arts, gardening and plants.  At The ArtsCenter, I’m able to have freedom and teach the children about these subjects.  It’s really nice,” Kelley said.

Maya, 5, enjoyed creating the craft on Nov. 17.  She chose to make a stained glass in the shape of a heart, with a multitude of colors.

“I like craft time because it’s really fun, even though sometimes I make a mess,” said Maya. “My favorite part of the craft I made today is the gold piece in the middle because it sparkles.”

Kelley suggested to the children that they hang their stained glass crafts in a window, so the colors reflect on the walls.

Gus, 6, said that he can’t wait to hang his craft in his room.  “I have the perfect window to put it in,” Gus beamed.

“I love craft time here, it’s so much fun,” Gus shouted.

“Craft time allows the children to open up their minds,” Kelley said. “Not only do they get to come up with ideas themselves after the craft concept is presented to them, but they are able to bounce ideas off each other.”

For more information about The ArtsCenter AfterSchool Arts Immersion (AAI) program, visit their website here.

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By Sarah Spagnola

Carrboro Commons Staff Writer

There’s a cartoon stereotype about chess players – bespectacled, sweater-vested, hopelessly nerdy.

Joe Gaiteri and Ben Busch, with their relaxed demeanors and casual clothing, shatter all stereotypes the moment you meet them. Both are members of the Carrboro Chess Club, a small but thriving group dedicated playing and talking about the game.

Joe Gaiteri and Carrboro Chess Club founder Jason Casden ponder their next moves at Jessee's Coffee & Bar. (Photo courtesy of Carrboro Chess Club)

“I think it averages between four and 12 people,” said Busch, 30, of Chapel Hill. “When I first started coming here there were only about three people or so coming.”

The club, founded about two years ago by Jason Casden of Carrboro, meets every Saturday at 3 p.m. at Jessee’s Coffee & Bar at 401 E. Main Street in Carrboro.  This Saturday, the club members present for the day’s games sat at a table in the middle of the coffee shop. The blinds were drawn somewhat to protect patrons’ eyes from the harsh rays of the afternoon sun, and despite the catchy ’70s pop rock choruses being played over the speakers, it was quiet enough to hear yourself think.

And make no mistake: chess is a thinking person’s game. Gaiteri , 27, Chapel Hill,  stared at the board intently, the silence sometimes stretching into minutes as he considered his next move against Busch, before moving his game pieces across the board with astonishing quickness. Busch responded in kind, taking a few minutes to cook up a strategy before making his move.  Eventually, Busch resigned from the game, then went over his moves with Gaiteri to see where he could have done better.

“One of the things that happens a lot is that the game is decided by the person who makes the second-to-last big mistake,” Gaiteri said.

To hear club members tell it, friendly instruction and advice among players is fairly common in the world of chess.  Bill Hargrove of Chapel Hill noted that chess players have a rating system based on points.

“There is a difference in class every 200 points, with the stronger player expected to win 70% of the time,” Hargrove said.

At a difference of 400 points, Hargrove said the game ceases to become competition and becomes instruction.

“There is a severe analytic quality about this game, which is to say that it makes self-delusion difficult. Any chess player knows how strong he is just as well as he knows how to spell his own name,” Hargrove said.

Despite the passion its players clearly have for the game, chess seems to remain something of a niche hobby in North Carolina, and Hargrove said that it used to be that most prominent players in the United States didn’t develop outside of the New York City area. Gaiteri said that there were only a couple of chess “masters” in the entire state.

Hargrove noted that “really strong masters” of the game usually played professionally and don’t have enough people to play outside of major population centers. He said that a professional-level player who was choosing to move might choose to move somewhere where there were other people to play.

Busch offered his own theory: “I think the only reason is the weather.”

Busch, a native of Akron, Ohio, said he thought that the weather in North Carolina was nice enough that people would rather go outside than sit inside and play chess.

Gaiteri cited the rise of online chess as a reason for the comparative lack of chess clubs in North Carolina.

“I mean, it’s nice because you can find people to play whenever you want,” he said, but he noted that it was not the same social experience as going to a chess club meeting.

On the other hand, plenty of younger people seem to be taking up the game. For example, Gaiteri noted that Durham Academy has a big club for kids and hosts a tournament every month.

“There are a huge number of children learning to play chess,” Hargrove said.

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By: Christina Austin
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer

While the days leading up to Thanksgiving are hectic for those cooking on the holiday, they are even more hectic for those providing the food. Cliff’s Meat Market in Carrboro is no exception.

Cliff Collins, owner of Cliff’s Meat Market, poses with the turkeys he has ordered for Thanksgiving. The birds come from Liberty, a town about 35 miles west of Carrboro. (Staff photo by Christina Austin)

On the Saturday before the busy holiday, Cliff’s, located at 100 West Main St., was bustling with customers. As each new visitor walked in, owner Cliff Collins knew most by first name and made sure to ask about their family members, who he also knows.

Gloria Faulkner is one of these customers. She was born in Carrboro and has been coming to the shop since it opened 40 years ago. She said her parents also shopped at the store.

“I’ve known Cliff since he worked with my granddad at Andrews-Riggsbee Grocery,” Faulkner said. Andrews-Riggsbee, which is no longer in business, stood at 100 East Main St. where Neal’s Deli and The Speakeasy are now located. Cliff’s Meat Market now stands where another grocery store, Hardees, used to be.

Faulkner is visiting Cliff’s to pick up her pre-ordered Thanksgiving turkey. She has made a habit of shopping at Cliff’s for all of her family’s meat.

“I just seem to think it’s fresher,” she said.

Faulkner and her family celebrated Thanksgiving early this year, on the Sunday before the holiday instead of the traditional Thursday. She said she and her husband were expecting family from Henderson.

Collins has been handling turkeys from Liberty since 1967, when he still worked at Andrews-Riggsbee. Liberty is about 35 miles west of  Carrboro in Randolph County.

“I still use them because I was already doing business with them,” Collins says.

He said he normally buys 500 to 700 turkeys each Thanksgiving season, depending on the number of pre-orders he receives. Despite the tough economic times, he said the turkey business has been good this year. He has had customers purchase as many as 48 turkeys at a time.

He is used to customers coming in on either Thanksgiving Day or the day before to pick up the meat for their meal.

“Over the years you learn to accommodate the best you can,” Collins said.

Collins also has to be prepared for customers who do not eat turkey on the holiday. Another long-time customer, J.R. Manly, said his family will be eating Cornish hen and pork this Thanksgiving. He said that a turkey tends to be too big, leaving many leftovers.

Because of the growing Hispanic population in Carrboro, Collins also has more exotic types of meat available. He makes sure to stock items like chorizo and beef tongue, just in case.

While Cliff’s has a steady supply of customers, nearby Weaver Street Market does as well. John Faison, fresh food manager, said his department ordered about 1,600 turkeys this season, 25 percent of which were certified organic.

Weaver Street gets their turkeys from Plainville Farms in Pennsylvania. Faison said they choose this location because it sells turkeys that are raised without antibiotics, hormones or cages. He said many farms in North Carolina do not have these qualifications for their products.

Faison said he expects almost all of the turkeys to sell based on the number of pre-orders.

Weaver Street uses Plainville Farms to supply other meats as well, such as chicken. While full turkeys are sold only around the end of the year, Weaver Street stocks ground turkey year-round. Faison said he has many customers who substitute ground turkey for ground beef.

Vangi Cathcart, of Pittsboro, who likes to comparison-shop for prices, said she came to Weaver Street because she heard they had a good selection.

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One of the four men who dress up as the Rameses mascot, “Junior” as he will be called for secrecy, poses in front of his moped. The bike has made it easier for him to transport the Rameses costume from his home in Carrboro to the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. (Staff photo by Christina Austin)

By: Christina Austin
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer

He has been in pictures with thousands of students and Tar Heel fans, but he isn’t a celebrity.

He has had hundreds of children sit on his lap, but he isn’t Santa Claus.

He pumps up sporting crowds, but he isn’t a cheerleader.

He has to walk duck-footed so his feet don’t rub together.

He has horns that have sometimes fallen off.

He has to look through netted eyes to help hide his true identity.

Very few people know his real name, but they’re not supposed to. We’ll just call him “Junior.” So who is he?

He lives on Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro and looks completely different in class and at school events. In class, he is a UNC-Chapel Hill student, but at UNC-CH sporting events he is the Rameses mascot.

Junior, in his third year at UNC-CH, is an English and dramatic arts double major from Burlington.

He is one of four male students who dress up as Rameses. He got the idea to be involved on campus in this way three years ago, when his roommate saw an ad for the position in The Daily Tar Heel. He told Junior that he should try it out since he likes crazy things.

“I really wanted to add energy and spirit to people,” Junior says. “I like secret things. It’s nice to put forth effort and not get credit for it.”

Part of the effort put into being Rameses is transporting the mascot suit, which includes a separate head, feet, hands and body piece. It can weigh about 20 pounds, and is heavier after events because it is soaked with sweat. When Junior lived on campus, he says it was not as complicated to haul the costume around, but now that he lives in Carrboro, he says things have become more difficult.

“Game days are hard,” Junior says. “One time I tried to hitchhike because I had no other way to get on campus. I asked every person with a truck, but no one took me. I ended up running.”

To make things easier for himself, Junior bought a moped one month ago. He says it makes carrying the oversized athletic bag much less of a hassle.

According to the university’s athletic website, the mascot of UNC-CH has been around since the 1920s, but at this time it was a real ram without an accompanying student. UNC-CH students wanted their university to have a mascot, Junior says, especially since North Carolina State University already had a wolf. The name Rameses came from Jack “Battering Ram” Merritt, a star fullback from the 1922 season. Junior says students have been dressing up as Rameses for only about 20 years.

Junior says most students play the part of Rameses until their senior year, which he will probably do as well.

The men do not get paid for their time at UNC-CH or away sporting games, but they do get paid for non-school-affiliated events. The men have been asked to work at business promotional events and wedding receptions, among other things.

The men also do volunteer work, like Junior did in September at Carrboro Elementary School for their Literary Night. His mom has also enlisted his services for her middle school class. She wanted her son to surprise her students.

Being Rameses means being surrounded by a shroud of secrecy, or at least it is supposed to be. Family members and friends tend to know about the men’s undercover job. Junior said his mother has a hard time keeping the secret.

“I think all of Burlington knows, because it’s the first thing my mom tells everyone when she meets them,” he joked.

One of Junior’s longtime friends, who will also remain anonymous, has had trouble keeping his friend’s identity under wraps as well.

“Every time I know he is Rameses I point it out,” the friend says.

The friend is also happy for Junior because of the unique experience he gets to have.

“We are both huge basketball fans,” the friend says. “For him to be on the court with the team is just an insane experience.”

Junior says the Ray family is also happy to see him and the other men in the Rameses suit – but for a very different reason. Their son, Jason Ray, was Rameses while he studied at the university. Ray was killed in 2007 during a traffic accident while traveling with the university in New York City. Junior says when Ray’s parents see the new men as Rameses, they say they can swear it is still their son in the costume. The men say they are proud to honor Ray’s legacy.

While in costume, the men say they have some favorite and least favorite parts. They all say being photographed can be tough when a rush starts, especially when parents make unwilling kids pose for pictures or when people do not know how to use their camera.

They all like teasing people by doing things like blocking a person’s face while they are getting their picture taken. But they say being behind a mask is the main perk of the job. They can do anything without being embarrassed, but of course, there have been some interesting moments.

One mascot signed his real name instead of Rameses, and another has had costume parts fall off. Either way, they say it’s all in a day’s work.

Included in their work is sweating, and lots of it. They say the heat in the costume can sometimes become unbearable. They never wash the feet and barely wash the head, but the body gets washed every week. Despite how dirty it sounds, the men say it is better to get into a wet, not dry, suit because it keeps them cooler. They switch off mascots at halftime, so one person always ends up with a wet suit.

Each of the mascots has some go-to moves while on the field.

“I like to be goofy and dance around,” Junior says. “I also like to hang out with the real ram. Lately I’ve also been seeing how far back I can lean in the suit.”

Senior likes to act masculine, which fits him well since he is in ROTC. During this year’s football game against Miami, he did pushups with the cheerleaders for the first time after the Tar Heels scored.

Another Rameses, who will be called “Rookie” because this is his first year as mascot, likes to go along with what the band is doing. He has even conducted.

Whatever they do, they all act crazy. Junior says they actually act like their true selves.

“Give a man a mask and you see the truth,” he says.

While in the mask, there are two rules: don’t talk and don’t undress in front of people. They joked that the second rule can be used in most life situations.

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By: Zach Hamilton

On Nov. 4, a group of people that included Carrboro residents as well as people from as far away as Spain received Latin dance and rhythm instruction at the Carrboro Century Center.

At the Carrboro Century Center, Norberto 'Betto' Herrera (far left) teaches the cha-cha-cha to dancers at Latin Jam, the third installment of the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department's "Jam Session Series." (Staff photo by Zach Hamilton)

The program was called Latin Jam and was the third installment in the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department’s “Jam Session Series.”

Norberto ‘Betto’ Herrera, a 32-year-old Chapel Hill resident and the director of Mambo Dinamico Dance Company, and his dance partner Audriana Dwyer, taught Latin dances such as the merengue, the bachata and the cha-cha-cha to those in attendance.

“I think they did really well,” Herrera said of the crowd of 16 people who showed up to learn new dances, learn new culture and break a sweat with physical activity on the dance floor. “They were having fun and feeling the music.”

The first dance Herrera taught the patrons was the merengue, a dance he said comes from the Caribbean. First, the dancers were taught the basic steps and rhythm of the dance, and then once they had practiced that, Herrera added in the more advanced movements.

“All these dances (we will learn) use the hips because they have African roots,” Herrera said while they were practicing the beginning steps of the merengue.

Herrera used creative instructional styles to keep the participants using proper technique. Some of the people were having trouble isolating their hips while doing the merengue, so Herrera used a helpful metaphor. “There’s a house party. The party is going on downstairs,” Herrera said as he demonstrated the proper dance motion, his hips swaying side to side while his upper body remained motionless. “Don’t wake the people upstairs. It’s all in the hips.”

Once the majority of the dancers felt comfortable with the steps, it was time to put the steps of the Merengue to music, and the halls of the Carrboro Century Center soon echoed with Latin music and the sound of dancing feet tapping and stomping the floor.

Herrera used this same approach – introducing the dance and its origins, practicing the basic steps, learning the more difficult movements and then putting it all to music – to teach the patrons the bachata, the cha-cha-cha, and the mambo.

The crowd that attended the event included Carrboro and Durham residents but also included people from other parts of the world.

Carmen Piernas and Carolina Garrido, students from Spain who are currently studying at UNC-Chapel Hill, honed their skills on the dance floor alongside the rest of the dancers.

Piernas, who is from the southern part of Spain, said she and Garrido were not very familiar with the Latin dances Herrera taught the crowd because Latino dances here are quite different from traditional Spanish dances. Garrido, who is from Madrid, said they had fun learning the new dances at the event.

Norberto 'Betto' Herrera (front right) and his dance partner Audriana Dwyer (front left) taught dancers the merengue, the cha-cha-cha, the bachata and the mambo at the Carrboro Century Center on Nov. 4. (Staff photo by Zach Hamilton)

During a brief break after the merengue, Herrera, who was born in Ecuador and said his father was Peruvian, joked with the crowd that they were not allowed to complain about being sweaty or tired.

“This is a dance class. You’re supposed to be sweaty,” Herrera said with a smile. “If you leave here and your makeup is still on, I didn’t do my job.”

By the end of the 90-minute dance instruction, the patrons were visibly tired, but they were also all-smiles. “I love Latin dancing,” Philip Duchastel, a former Carrboro resident now living in Durham, said after the event. “We can just shuffle along. I’m not very good at it, but I just love it.” Philip and his wife, Elaine, both attended the Latin Jam.

Lori Tillery, of northern Carrboro, said Herrera’s skill as a teacher made the event fun and worthwhile. “They make it easy on us,” Tillery said. “They make us repeat (the steps) over and over, which is what we need. This is a really fun thing to do on a Friday night.”

Throughout the dance instruction, Herrera and Dwyer would take turns instructing while the other walked around to help people individually with their form and technique.

“It was nice having two of them, so we could watch both of them and learn the steps,” said Duchastel.

Overall, Dwyer, 22, said she was happy with the event and was proud of the novice dancers for the effort they put into it.

“I thought they did great,” Dwyer said. “It’s always fun teaching people. Even if they don’t quite get it, they always have fun.”

Herrera said he began teaching Latin dancing in Durham in 2002. He said friends thought that he was a great dancer and convinced him he should teach others.

“It is always a challenge to get Americans to learn Latin dances because the moves and the rhythm of the music are so different from American music. Latin music is very complex with the rhythm and syncopation,” Herrera said. “(Americans) listen to rock, hip-hop, and Top 40, so the challenge is getting people to feel the music, but I thought they did really well (tonight).”

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