Puerto Rican tradition mixed with a unique choreography of merengue and salsa sets Chicago’s Fantasia Juvenil dance troupe apart from the modern dance landscape, according to Student Coordinator for Hispanic Heritage Month, Leticia Romo, junior in business.

Sponsored by the Multicultural Task Force and the Committee of Lectures, Fantasia Juvenil will be performing Friday at 8 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

A group of 25 dancers, aged seven to 18, make up this Puerto Rican, Chicago-based dance troupe.

“They have incredible talent and almost perfectly keep the traditions of Puerto Rico alive through their colorful costumes, movement and music,” said Yanira Pacheco, adviser for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Romo first saw Fantasia Juvenil two years ago at the National Hispanic Leadership Conference in Chicago, one of the group’s most prestigious performances.

“They are awesome dancers to the max,” she said. “Your mouth just drops open when you watch them.”

This is the dance troupe’s second visit to Iowa State.

Last year, their visit sparked a lot of attention with standing room only during their performance, said Pacheco, program assistant for Minority Student Affairs.

Fantasia Juvenil was scheduled to perform in Des Moines during the Latino Festival on Sept. 15, but the festival was canceled due to the Sept. 11 attacks.

Because of the cancellation, many spectators will be making their way to Iowa State to see this troupe perform, Pacheco said.

“Iowa State students should go because it is not only free, but you will want to learn how to dance like them at the end of the show,” Romo said.

In fact, the conclusion of every Fantasia Juvenil show provides a dance lesson opportunity. Romo said that Fantasia Juvenil becomes interactive with the audience.

They invite members of the audience to get up and work with the company members, and to learn dance steps executed during the show.

“It is amazing and a must-see performance,” Romo said.