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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Jhamil Mosquera looked at the girls in bikini pictured in the showcase program and knew he would enjoy the show.

"I can vibe with them," said Mosquera, a SFCC finance sophomore.

His Jamaican heritage and his friends brought him to a celebration of Caribbean pride Friday night.

The Caribbean Student Association, known as CaribSA, hosted the fifth annual fashion and talent showcase at the Indian Cultural and Education Center.

The show, themed "Fantastic Voyage," brought out an audience of about 1,000 to watch dancing, singing and modeling, said UF junior Cathleen Salvant, a public relations director for the event.

Guests could purchase $3 tickets for preferred seating. The funds went to the Photos for Africa project, which purchases school supplies for children in South Africa.

Aside from the paper palm trees decorating the walls, the talent on stage is what brought Caribbean flavor to the Indian Center.

Four dance groups performed for the talent contest.

One of the three dance teams from UF, Urban Essence, recruited marching band members from Eastside High School to accompany their performance.

Each group was required to have at least 60 percent of their performance demonstrate Caribbean roots.

"That's the only stipulation," said judge Kate Glennon, an employee at UF's theater department. "But we're mostly just looking for talent."

Glennon was one of five judges who chose the winners for the singing and dancing segments.

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University of Central Florida's Ruckus Dance Troupe, the reigning champions, snatched first place.

Their dance featured a sketch of an airplane that was hijacked to the Caribbean.

A performer warned turbulence could cause "krumping, booty shaking and getting low." The sketch was followed by a traditional island-style dance.

The fashion show included a swimwear scene that fired up the crowd. Girls ran up to take pictures of the young men in swimming trunks.

UF freshman Brittany Holmes, known as Jer-Z, took home the trophy for the singing portion of the competition. Holmes received a standing ovation with her interpretation of Alicia Keys' "No One."

Host Roxan Brown, a UF student, was impressed with Holmes' performance.

"That brought tears to my eyes, dang that was good," Brown said to the audience.

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