The MSU Salsa Club, which was founded in 2006, started out as a group under the Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions, or OCAT, and became an official club on campus in 2012.

This week, the club is preparing to perform salsa rueda in the Afro-Latino cwlwbration Thursday night in Wonders Hall.

The event is the third annual celebration of Afro-Latino culture at MSU and will include food and other cultural performances.

Salsa rueda is a type of dance where pairs of dancers perform in a circle while a caller shouts out the moves they dance. Co-president Hanna Reed said she likes the dance because it’s fun, high-energy and an interesting experience.

Malang said the dance provides a deeper reflection of cultural expression for the group as well as viewers.

“Dancing is a huge part of a lot of cultures in the world, and the salsa is just one of them,” she said.

Students can show up to dance practices with no more preparation than a pair of street shoes, if they so choose.

If students have experience they can expand on what they know, but no experience is required to have a great time.

Malang said practices provide a stress-free environment where students can have fun and take a break.

“We’re not competition or performance-based,” Malang said. “We actually want people to come in who don’t have experience.”

Malang teaches beginner lessons for the club. She said the club doesn’t try to focus on performing, but rather the social aspect of salsa.

Social dancing typically takes the stress of appearance away from the process, mechanical engineering junior Chase Gunderud said.

“Social dancing is usually quite friendly. No one cares how you look,” Gunderud said.

The MSU Salsa Club is funded solely by sponsors and donations.

Malang said there’s no need to charge students a fee for membership because attire isn’t strict.

“Dancing is one of the ways I can stay healthy, and I’ve made a lot of really great friends,” Reed said.