Knuth Hall was at near capacity as audience members were clapping and dancing in the aisles on Friday's evening concert of the Afro-Cuban Ensemble.

Director John Calloway led the way as the 23-piece ensemble along with nine vocalists filled the 320 seat theater with the sound of Latin renditions of classic Beatles’ songs including “Hey Jude,” “Blackbird,” and “Eleanor Rigby.”

“I had a blast. I got up there and danced. It was so vibrant,” said SF State student Norina Miller, a senior majoring in dance and liberal studies.

The Afro-Cuban Ensemble, which has been a fixture at SF State since 1999, is made up of both majors and non-majors from the music department.

“We rehearse once a week. We have two concerts a year at school and we also play outside of school as a community service for many organizations,” Calloway said.

The evening’s concert included seven Beatles' compositions out of a total of 11 musical selections. Some were played instrumentally and a couple were translated into Spanish including “Una Rosa Espanola (You Never Give Me Your Money) and “With a Little Help From My Friends.”

Members of the ensemble came and went between musical numbers, leaving a unique group of musicians and vocalists each time. Singers sambaed and salsa danced from behind their microphone stands along with each vocal.

By the final number, audience members completely surrounded the stage dancing. A rousing standing ovation and spectators shouting, “Encore! Encore!” encouraged one additional number.

“It was an inspiration to groove,” said Olivia Granado. Granado teaches at San Francisco’s Sanchez Elementary School alongside Calloway. Granado and her friends were so inspired that they were going to find a place in the city to continue dancing.

The Afro-Cuban Ensemble, which plays a variety of Latin music, will play at Anna’s Jazz Island in Berkeley on May 21 and the San Francisco Carnival on May 25, Calloway said.