Performers at Luz de las Naciones shared heartfelt connections to the event, expressing gratitude for their cultures and celebrating how the event unites people in faith and tradition.
Luz de las Naciones, or Light of the Nations, is an annual event where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Latino community come together to display music, dance and culture.
The event features more than 1,000 volunteer performers. Singers, dancers and musicians take part in sharing their unique cultural heritage. Many wore traditional clothing to represent their countries. These countries include Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil and Peru.
This year marked the 22nd anniversary of the event which takes place in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. More than 22,000 tickets to the event sold out within minutes. This year’s theme, "Un corazón agradecido" (A Thankful Heart), focused on expressing gratitude.
Alejandro Melecio is a soloist who has performed at Luz de las Naciones since 2007. He spoke about what the theme means to him.
“It’s all about hopefully expressing my gratitude for all the blessings I have,” Melecio said.
For him, the event is a family tradition, as three of his five children now play in the orchestra.
Melecio said the show is personal to him and his family. He expressed how it is an opportunity for him and his wife to talk to their kids “about their roots, their heritage, where they come from, where they fit.”
“So it just kind of gives you a grounding opportunity to know where you are, who you are, (and) where you come from,” he said.
This connection to heritage was also very meaningful to Federico Kahnlein, one of the co-chairs of the event and an Area Seventy in the Church. He has helped organize the event for three years. “These are wonderful times to be living, and we are grateful for that,” he said. He added the show was "an inspired event” and a place where “the spirit can dwell.”
Choir co-director Gioconda Vaca shared she has been part of the event for 20 years. For her, it has always been about connecting with others and growing together. “The most important thing to me, I think, is we are coming with grateful hearts, preparing this offering,” she said.
Vaca added she loves seeing how participating in the event changes people’s lives.
“I can see how people grow, I can see how we become best friends, how people just change their life,” Vaca said.
The event has become a yearly highlight for the Latino community, providing a “home away from home,” according to Melecio.
“The Latin community looks forward to the event because they feel it’s an opportunity to be celebrated, celebrate their culture, their country, their traditions,” he said.
Many of the performers know they are part of something unique. “This is a dedicated place where the spirit can dwell,” Kahnlein shared.