For fans of ¡Chiringa!, this has been an even longer, colder winter than usual.

Ever since the Bend-based Latin dance band’s lead singer and guitarist, Shireen Amini, left Central Oregon last summer to study, work and spend time with family in the Bay Area, the popular four-piece has been quiet. For ¡Chiringa!, that means no salsa, no cumbia, no soulful Latin pop or covers of bands like Santana and Ozomatli.

And for our region, that means fewer sweaty folks on local dance floors.

Good news, though: Amini is back in town, at least for a bit, and while she’s here, ¡Chiringa! — which also includes Johnny Riordan on congas, Tom Freedman on bass and Matthew Williams on the drum it — is going to dust off the ol’ fun-times sound as much as possible.

So what does that mean for you? It means you need get yourself down to Silver Moon Brewing on Saturday night, where the band will be accompanied by a special dance showcase by Bend Touch, from the Latin Dance Academy of Bend, directed by Andrés Garcia. Or you need to get to McMenamins Old St. Francis School on Thursday, which will also feature a dance showcase by Bend Touch. More details on both are below.

If you miss those, the band will play as part of the One World Gala, a fundraiser to launch the Bend International School, at the Bend Senior Center on Jan. 31. For more info on that, visit www.bendinternationalschool.org.

¡Chiringa!

8-11 p.m. Saturday; free; Silver Moon Brewing, 24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend; www.silvermoonbrewing.com.

7 p.m. Thursday; 7-10 p.m. Thursday; free; McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St., Bend; www.mcmenamins.com.

— Ben Salmon