Salsa. It’s not just something to dip your chips in. It’s a dance students can watch and learn today.As a part of Hispanic Heritage month, the Dallas Latin Youth Orchestra will be performing all types of dances from salsa to Latin and jazz, said Joanna Bernal, co-coordinator of the cultural months planning committee.

Greg Trevino, adviser for the cultural months planning committee, said the orchestra will perform for about 45 minutes during which students can watch and dance along to the music.

“We hope this will introduce students to a variety of dancing that they may not be familiar with,” Trevino said.

Otis Gray, director of the Dallas Latin Youth Orchestra, said the 13-piece orchestra will perform many different kinds of dance music.

“There will be dance lessons by professional salsa dancers, and then those dancers will do a show themselves,” Gray said. “There will be other dances featured in the show as well.”

Bernal said she hopes there will be a contest at the end of the dance lessons so students can try out their new dance steps.

Gray said the orchestra started this past summer and this is the second performance.

“This is a orchestra for young people ages 15 to 20 who have a desire to play this kind of music,” Gray said.

Trevino said the committee chose this orchestra because it is becoming well known in Dallas.

“It is a great mixture because there will be an educational aspect as well as a performance to highlight different kinds of music for those who aren’t really familiar with it,” Trevino said.

Gray said it is going to be a high-energy event.

“The more people that are there, the more fun it will be,” Gray said. “You don’t need to know any dance moves to participate.”

The event will be 7 p.m. today in the Brown-Lupton Student Center Ballroom.