Papel picado drapes the entrance to the auditorium. Replicas of various Latin American flowers complement colorful silhouettes and embrace the attending friends and families of the students who brought the Oct. 24 Hispanic Heritage production to life.

“It felt different than walking into any other Bellaire show,” junior Pranalisree Rajarajan said. “Whenever we first put [the display] out on the floor, it was super cramped, and I was like ‘I don’t really know how this is going to look,’ but after seeing it on the wall, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this actually looks really nice.’”

The three-year-old tradition of the HHM (Hispanic Heritage Month) production, organized by AP/IB Spanish teacher and LSL (LULAC, Spanish Club and Latin Revolution) sponsor, Esther Galo, continues to adapt with time.

“We couldn’t find someone to sponsor Latin Revolution, Spanish Club and LULAC so we thought it would be a good idea, at least this year, to unite all three clubs in one,” Galo said. “As we figure it out, I try to make things a little more organized.”

One of the things Galo learned from last year’s performance is to exclusively use thick double-sided tape to hang up the paper crafts on the walls without damaging school property.

In the classes and meeting following the show, Galo had students submit reflections and feedback about the performance via a Google Form.

“There’s always room for improvement for any event, so I think the feedback that I get from my students and club members is very helpful,” Galo said.

One of the most significant pivots from last year is the consolidation of last year’s LULAC, Spanish Club and Latin Revolution into one entity: LSL. Club consolidation promotes unity among the Hispanic clubs by eliminating potential for interclub competition.

“I think [combining the clubs] was a very good decision made by my club sponsor, club members and [me],” junior and LSL President Jasmin Garcia said. “I feel that with the three clubs combined and made into sub-committees, there is more unity, which is what we strive for.”

Hispanic Heritage Month is the first heritage month of the academic school year, so preparations begin almost immediately after the back-to-school stretch subsides. Galo’s AP and IB students had only a month to cut, glue and construct the designs used in the espectaculo.

“I feel like that was our biggest problem because we didn’t really know where to start or where to go with it,” Rajarajan said. “Despite this, I think our final product was still good because our display was symmetrical and neat.”

After-school practices were critical for learning and practicing dances without the time constraints of a busy day.

“LSL club members and officers would stay after school all week if needed to perfect and practice choreographies for about two months,” Garcia said. “My leadership role was teaching the folklórico choreography to my club members.”

Separately, Guitar Club prepared “Malaguena” to perform live.

“Not everybody can pick up an instrument and say, ‘Oh, I’m so good at this,’” Guitar Club historian Jose Torrez said. “It just takes time, but I think having guitar skill is something special to show people at the Hispanic Heritage Month show.”

A Hispanic Heritage performance, specifically one celebrating Mexican culture, would not be complete without a mariachi feature. To pull this off, Galo invited HSPVA student and mariachi singer Brian Rodrigue as one of two guests. The second guest, Southwest Boys production co., which specializes in quinceañeras and parties, performed the final dance.

“I had reached out to the HSPVA band director, but the mariachi band wasn’t available, so I was so happy when LSL members told me, ‘We know a student that can come and perform a solo,’” Galo said. “I said, ‘Perfect because we don’t have a singer.’ It was perfect timing.”

One important detail in coordinating the event was finding outfits. Galo needed traditional attire for her second-period students to model in their fashion show.

“I will have to say that Ms. Aguilar has been very helpful in terms of letting us borrow different traditional outfits for this show,” Galo said. “IB students got to model and wear different outfits that she collected throughout the years from fundraising and donations.”

Larger groups solicited student leadership as a way to ensure accountability and coherence among peers in learning new choreography.

“I was in charge of making sure the guys did their dance smoothly and made sure everything was connected together,” junior Om Patel said. “Practice was fun and it helped me learn everyone’s names better. I feel like we really became a team after working together on the dance this past month.”

With limited space backstage, performers entered and exited the stage for their parts like clockwork, making room for the next performers to come. Little time on stage meant more time spent as an audience member witnessing and supporting the hard work of friends in other classes.

“I was in shock from the last performance because it was super cool,” Rajarajan said. “I didn’t know a performance could last 10 minutes. I was like, ‘Dang that requires a lot of coordination and planning.’ Imagine rehearsing something that’s 10 minutes long and full cardio.”

Beyond hosting an annual production, celebrating Hispanic heritage on stage is about more than just pride for one’s own culture; it is about expressing Hispanic culture as an invitation to people who are not necessarily Hispanic but hold an appreciation for the culture and/or the Spanish language.

“My long-term goal is to make sure that LSL members always feel welcomed and lead other students so that other students can get involved, not just the Latino population, but also students that are not taking Spanish class that are interested in learning the culture and language,” Galo said. “This is a way to not only promote cultural awareness, but also build community amongst parents, faculty staff and students.”