San Jose State community members, talented performers and singers burned bright at the 15th annual Fire on the Fountain on Thursday Oct. 27.
Performance groups including Parang, Grupo Folklórico Luna y Sol, Dancesport and the Spartan Wushu club performed on stage.
Sophomore Bradley Acosta, whose stage name is Bradicial, kicked off the event with reggaeton music, a popular music style from Puerto Rico.
“Para todos mis latinos [for all my latinos] and everyone around that understands let’s dance and turn it up!” Bradicial said to the crowd.
Third year business student Shveta Ram was glad to see the Spartan community come together for a “fun time.”
“Fire on the fountain is such an interesting event that brought all the spartans together and embodied the diversity of our community,” Ram said.
William Green, a computer science major, said he enjoyed the music and performances as he waited for the main attraction of the night.
“Fire on the fountain also gave me insight on the different clubs and organizations at SJSU,” Green said. “It was awesome seeing all the Spartans attend and come together.”
Freshman aviation student Thomas Tichy said that this was his first Fire on the Fountain event and that he had a “blast.”
“I love music. I love the atmosphere. I love how many people showed up,” Tichy said.
Local vendors, including the coffee shop Nirvana Soul and the food truck El Bombero, provided free food and drinks for students.
Ben Thienes, assistant athletics director for football operation, came on stage with the SJSU football team to dedicate the upcoming Saturday football game to Camdan McWright, a freshman running back who was killed in a traffic accident on Friday Oct. 21.
“We lost a brother last week. He was a special person,” Thienes said. “When we start that game… We are going to form a six. That was his number.”
Green said that Fire on the Fountain gave him a chance to see SJSU come together after such a tragic time.
The main performance was by the professional choreography group Infinite Spin, who performed throughout California and Nevada. Hundreds of students came onto the lawn to watch them light the stage with fire.
Spartan Mambo, a salsa group on campus, followed up with a performance by their bachata dancers.
As the night came to an end, Interim President Steve Perez came out and thanked the community for attending Fire on The Fountain.
“It is a great night to be a Spartan. I want to thank you all for being here and thank you for coming together and being a part of the spartan family. It is very important that we spend time together. That we come together as a family,” Perez said.
