Columbia College Chicago’s Mi Gente Latin Dance Club and Team took the field at Soldier Field on Monday, September 28, performing before more than 60,000 people during halftime of the Chicago Bears’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

For Danetra Thomas, a Dance student minoring in Acting and ASL, stepping onto the field looked very different from rehearsal, when the stands had been empty.

“All I could think about was those football movies where you see the football players in the tunnel jumping up and down nervously and then they run out to the field,” she says.

With Hispanic Heritage Month in full swing, the performance gave Mi Gente a chance to share its celebration of Latinx/e cultures and traditions with the Soldier Field crowd. The group performed alongside other dance teams during the halftime show.

The opportunity grew out of a connection Mi Gente president Valentina Garcia Fadanelli made in a salsa class…

…Current students were joined by three Columbia alums: Calme Brown ’26, Mi Gente founder Lorena Castro ’25, and Elizabeth Moran ’26. Together, they brought different generations of the group onto the field.

For Thomas, the night also offered a glimpse of the career she is working toward. She hopes to become a commercial dancer and tour with artists around the world. In the middle of the performance, one thought stood out.

“During the performance I remember thinking ‘this is why I’m in school,’” she says.

Having attended many football games at historically Black colleges and universities, Thomas knew how much a halftime performance could mean to an audience. This time, she was one of the dancers on the field.

“Being able to dance at a professional football game for halftime was a big step in my career and I know that God has more in store for me,” she says.

Sharing the experience with Mi Gente also gave Thomas an opportunity to participate in dance traditions beyond her own cultural background. She describes feeling grateful to celebrate Latinx/e heritage alongside her fellow performers.

“It means the world to me to be a part of this experience,” she says.

Banner image above: student Jamirelys Maldonado.