Matthew Rodriquez loves to dance and he’s really good at it. The Huntington High School junior is so good that along with his dance group, he won an award at Premios Latinos Fama, the largest Latin talent awards event in New York.
Huntington junior Matthew Rodriquez performed at the Latin Grammy Awards.
Mr. Rodriquez and his group performed for the large crowd that turned out to recognize Latino individuals “who are doing incredible things within the United States,” according to organizers.
The awards show was held in the shadow of the 1964-65 World’s Fair ruins, including the New York State Pavilion and nearby twin observation towers.
“The Fama Awards make a great effort to organize and search for stories of musical, business and technological talent to give them the opportunity that our Latino community and national media can get to know them,” according to the show’s website.
Mr. Rodriquez’s talent has gained the notice of professionals. “A choreographer asked me if I wanted to be in the group called Salvadoréno, so I was like ‘sure’ and tried out to see if I liked it and I did like it actually.”
The teenager has many interests. He runs on the Blue Devil indoor and outdoor track teams. He hasn’t decided on a career plan, but he is considering pursuing business studies.
“I like Huntington High School because it is very supportive and it’s a great school,” Mr. Rodriquez said.
The electrifying atmosphere at the Queens Theatre provided a memorable experience for Mr. Rodriquez, who has many admirers around Huntington High School.
“Matt is in my algebra trigonometry class and he’s a hard worker,” Huntington teacher Kathye Sambour said. “He is someone who possesses a great work ethic and great charisma. Matt received a Pride Award this year for his continued hard work and quest for excellence in math. He always comes to class with a can-do attitude. He is a student who has a great sense of humor, gets along well with everyone and is definitely a group leader.”
Mr. Rodriquez and his fellow dance group members were presented with an award before the big crowd. The formal name of the award is a mouthful: Ritmo Sabor Salvadoréno Groupo Danza Del Año Premios Latinos Fama 2018 New York City.
The event was covered by Azteca TV, Univision, Televisa, Telemundo, NY1, NY Daily News, El Diario and various other media outlets.