Even in competition, six groups will be working toward the same goal: raising money for Japan’s tsunami victims.
More than 2,000 students are expected to gather in the O’Connell Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the VISA Talent Show.
VISA, Volunteers for International Student Affairs, has hosted a series of events since March 14 in honor of its international month.
Its final event will be the talent show, which will feature dance acts from six UF multicultural organizations.
GloZell Green, a professional comedian and UF alumna, will host the event for the first time.
“A lot of people have heard about her and seen her,” said UF senior Kim Tran, the talent show director. “We’re expecting to draw in a bigger crowd.”
Tran said she hopes to collect at least $2,000. Last year, the show raised about $1,200 for Haiti’s relief efforts.
“We do this because we want to give back to the community,” she said.
The show is Student Government-sponsored, so it’s free for everyone. The theme this year is VISA’s Lands of Adventure.
Performances will include a mix of modern and cultural dance based on each organization’s ethnicity and background.
Linguistics major Carolina Lopez will perform with Dancin’ Gators and has been dancing for eight years.
“I enjoy it because it requires discipline and is a way to express my feelings and emotions,” she said.
For about 10 minutes, Dancin’ Gators will perform various styles of dance, including jazz, hip-hop, Irish, Indian and West African.
First, second and third place winners will receive trophies. Five judges will choose the winners based on creativity, execution, cultural aspects, costumes, crowd reaction and how well they integrated the theme into their dance.
“All the performances are going to be very crowd-pleasing, eye-catching and attractive,” Tran said.
Senior Parita Patel, executive director of VISA International Month, said the main purpose is to encourage diversity.
“People have an opportunity to represent their culture, something they really believe in and what they’re proud of,” she said.
