With the whip of a colorful sari, the beat of an African drum and the fluttering wave of a fan, UF dancers held their audience spellbound with every kick, twirl and back flip.
Students from eight multicultural organizations treated more than 5,000 people to a feast for the eyes and ears at the Volunteers for International Student Affairs annual talent show held Saturday night at the O'Connell Center.
This year's show, titled "Pieces of Us," emphasized the roots of each culture and their evolution through a series of dance pieces, said Jessica Marshall, international month director.
"Everyone has a little piece of culture that they like to call their own," Marshall said.
"Hello. Bonjour. Bienvenidos. Jambo," said the emcees, UF students Sabdy Pacheco and Jesse B. Wright, as they welcomed attendees in several languages.
Ankle bracelets jingled as Indian Inc., the reigning champions, filed on stage. The circular, linear and diamond-shaped dance formations were almost as intricate as the elaborate saris, a traditional Indian female garment.
Kat Warwick, a second-year engineering student, particularly enjoyed Indian Inc.'s choreography and the exposure to multicultural influences.
"These activities are important to have on campus so that people who are really white, like me, have an outlet," Warwick said.
But the precision and celebration of traditional dances didn't end with Indian Inc.'s dynamic performance.
The Filipino Student Association started its performance with a dance telling the story of a Muslim princess who gets lost in the woods, said Jenny Lapnawan, the group's cultural dance director.
Girls waved glittering white fans as they weaved their way through a mass of bamboo rods on the stage floor in a piece called "singkil."
The seventh performance of the evening, Sabor Latino (Latin Flavor), representing the Hispanic Student Association, didn't let the energy die down as it presented a routine featuring an African-influenced segment, belly dancing, hip-hop and traditional salsa and merengue dances.
The groups were judged on their incorporation of traditional dance, precision, incorporation of the theme and overall effect, Marshall said.
When all was said and done, the Filipino Student Association took home third place, Indian Inc. was awarded second and Sabor Latino became the new champion of the talent show.
Larry Rosalez, a Sabor Latino dancer, was ecstatic at the group's first-place win. He enjoyed expressing his culture through the exhibition.
"Dance is universal," Rosalez said.
"All cultures have dance, and what better way is there to express culture than through dance?"
