For some in Athens, going to Barberitos or Moe’s is the extent of their exposure to Latino culture, but the Hispanic Student Association’s Noche Latina will change that.

“Latino culture is so much more than just Mexican culture,” said Nelmaris Alvarez, a senior speech communication disorders major from Suwanee and the president of HSA. “That’s the biggest thing that we want to show, what is it like outside of La Cazuela.”

This year marks the eighth annual Noche Latina. Admission includes dinner and a show, followed by an after-party at Farm 255 downtown.

The dinner is a traditional Latin meal that tries to represent the cuisine of as many Latin American countries as possible.

“The cuisine kind of changes, just a little bit,” Alvarez said. “In Cuba you eat black beans, but in Puerto Rico, you eat red.”

The dinner is followed by performances from students and professionals. The show includes acoustic guitar, salsa dance, mariachi music, Andean music, vocalists, Zumba dance and tango music.

Laura Camacho, a sophomore from Argentina majoring in musical performance, will play tango on her double bass with two other Argentine players.

“Students should expect original tango played with real passion,” she said in an e-mail interview.

Ely Ruiz, a senior international business major from Mexico, will perform a traditional Mexican dance with Gabriel Zaragoza.

The dance is known as the jarabe tapatio, or the “Mexican hat dance” in the U.S. The dance features colorful dress and is the national dance of Mexico.

“It’s the most popular dance in Mexico,” Ruiz said. “It started after people celebrating the Mexican independence.”

The music continues at the Farm 255 after-party.

“Outside we have a salsa band called Luis Cordero and the Serenata Band, and they just do live salsa [and] merengue,” Alvarez said. “And inside, where the bar is, there’ll be a DJ, and he’s doing reggaeton, which is like our rap – the more pop-ish sort of stuff.”

Noche Latina celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

“I’m a Mexican. I was raised in Mexico all my life,” Ruiz said. “I came here [in] spring 2009 and I realized that the Latino culture is not very well-known here on campus. So for me, it’s an honor to show my community about my culture.”