Dozens of students danced and sang on stage under colorful lights Friday evening in the name of homecoming spirit and school pride.
With matching cream-colored suits and dazzling smiles, hosts Elijah Sherman and Marco Salvador welcomed over 300 students to the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom for Soulfest, a multicultural talent show performed every year to bolster school spirit the week before homecoming.
Students enjoyed nine performances, complimentary food and hands-on craft activities.
Sherman and Salvador cracked jokes as they introduced acts and mimicked dance moves or singing after performances concluded, prompting the crowd to respond with amused laughter and applause.
The acts included cover songs, original performances and intricate dance routines. Performers bathed in vivid lighting as they took the stage.
The Sabor Latino Dance Team took home prizes for group and overall performance for its high-speed routine to a mix of Latin music. Adara Gaston, a soloist who combined tap dance and hip-hop to a Beyonce mix, won the event’s solo prize.
The event kicked off with UF Anisong Ensemble, a student music group known for covering anime songs as live music. The group performed one of the theme songs from “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” with a live singer and band.
Up next was the Danza Dance Company, a student group that danced to a mashup of upbeat, energetic songs. The dancers commanded the stage in matching green, white and pink costumes and used quick, sharp movements throughout the routine.
The crowd clapped and cheered in support of the group. Some audience members expressed personalized support for members by holding a large cardboard cutout of one of the dancer’s faces.
The Elite Chompettes, UF’s first majorette dance team, performed in a routine combining hip hop and country genres to a Doechii mix. The girls donned cowgirl outfits and incorporated the famous “Andy’s coming” line from Disney’s “Toy Story” to freeze mid-movement and demonstrate motor control.
Other performances included two solo vocalists, Jillian McKinney and Ashiana Ndandou, and a dance number by student-run group Floridance.
National Pan-Hellenic Unity Step’s performance concluded Soulfest and ended the evening with raging support from fraternity and sorority members who came out to support their brothers and sisters.
Angel Peter, a 21-year-old UF data science senior, came to cheer on a friend performing in the Unity Step.
The step group performed a routine highlighting seven of UF’s nine traditionally Black fraternities and sororities. Students representing each organization took turns performing a routine combining foot stomps with hand claps to create intricate rhythms. The performers stood in a moving circle formation to spend time showcasing each fraternity and sorority individually.
Peter’s friend did a backbend into a split during the performance while wearing heels, which Peter found impressive. Each act of the evening had their own flair, she added, which was cool.
“I thought [it] was incredible and show-stopping,” Peter said.
When Sabor Latino was crowned the evening’s winner, the team cheered and jumped with excitement. Gaston joined them on stage after she was crowned the solo champion, smiling while accepting her award.
With heavy anticipation, the crowd waited for the overall winner to be announced.
As soon as Sabor Latino’s name was announced, the ballroom erupted in cheers. Members of the dance team embraced each other on stage and beamed as they accepted their second trophy of the evening. The group secured the prize for the second year in a row, having been Soulfest champions last year.
Sabor Latino has an indescribable element that many clubs lack, said Yisselle Rojas, a 20-year-old UF education junior on the team. She said the group feels like a family.
“I’ve been on multiple dance teams before, also cheer teams, and the ambiance is just very different,” she said.
Before she knew the winning results, Sabor Latino dancer Livia Bellon said all of the group’s efforts would be worth it, even if it didn’t win.
After Sabor Latino won group and overall champion titles, Bellon said she felt like all of the group’s hard work had paid off.
“I’m really proud of my group and of all of the other groups too,” the 18-year-old anthropology sophomore said. “Everybody’s so talented and so dedicated, and it’s great, and I look forward to more experiences like this.”
Soulfest is one of the first events preceding UF’s homecoming. The homecoming festival and parade, Gator Gallop and Gator Growl will take place Oct. 17. On Oct. 18, UF will face off against Mississippi State for its homecoming game.
Contact Leona Masangkay at lmasangkay@alligator.org. Follow them on X @leo_amasangkay.
Leona is a second-year journalism student and the Fall 2025 Santa Fe College reporter. They previously worked on the audience and growth team over the summer as a social media strategist. In their free time, Leona enjoys going to the gym, listening to music and watching Marvel movies.
