BOARDMAN — When it comes to Sophia Underhill’s favorite day of the year, Santa Claus takes a back seat.

“I just like hanging out with my dad and having an awesome time,” Sophia, 11, of Medina, said, referring to her father, Adam Underhill.

Father and daughter, however, got to do more than merely hang out together. They also weren’t shy about taking to the dance floor and trying out a few moves, courtesy of Saturday evening’s annual Father-Daughter Dance in Boardman Park’s Lariccia Family Community Center.

The special occasion is Sophia’s favorite day — even surpassing Christmas, she said.

The three-hour funfest that also included lots of formalwear gave many fathers and their daughters an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company in a fun-filled, family-oriented atmosphere, Karen McCallum, the park’s recreational director, said.

The event, which debuted in 2004 and continues today, Friday and Saturday, features an estimated 312 daughters aged 5 to 13 from the Mahoning Valley and beyond and at least 250 father-daughter duos because some of the fathers bring more than one daughter, McCallum said. She added that all of the dances are sold out.

“He’s old, he’s funny and he’s tall,” Sophia said with laughter, when asked to describe her father.

For his part, Adam Underhill, who teaches health and physical education at an Akron-area high school, described his daughter as “gorgeous, smart and a light that shines from her.”

Perhaps dancing is a natural fit for Sophia, because she began taking gymnastics lessons when she was 6, her father added.

Also traveling a considerable distance to attend the colorful gala Saturday evening was Billy Lloyd and his daughter, Karly Lloyd, 8, of Columbus.

“We started coming when my daughter was 3,” said Lloyd, who called Karly “caring, dedicated and a hard worker.” He added that her grandmother lives in Youngstown.

When it came to making all the right dance moves, Karly got off to an early start, because at her young age, she has become adept at tap, hip-hop, jazz and ballet, her father said. He added that Karly will be in a hip-hop competition in a few weeks in the Columbus area.

“She started dancing when she was 2 years old. We have hundreds of videos of her, and she’s a huge Taylor Swift fan,” Billy Lloyd said, adding that Karly is largely self-taught.

“She’s a ball of energy. She lives in a musical half the time,” Sean Thomas of Austintown said about his daughter, Avery Thomas, 5.

Avery has developed a penchant for singing about many ordinary situations, and even enjoys occasionally making up her own songs, her father said.

Thomas added that he has attended the Father-Daughter Dance on two occasions with his older daughter, 7, who he’s bringing next weekend.

It didn’t take long before the lights dimmed and the dance floor glowed and became crowded with fathers and daughters who danced to well-known tunes that included the upbeat 2014 Pharrell Williams hit, “Happy.” Other popular favorites were the “Cha-Cha Song” dance, “Oh Ricky, You’re so Fine” and “YMCA,” by the Village People.

About midway through the evening, a special rose ceremony took place. The occasion allowed the fathers to present a rose to their daughters, along with giving the girls positive affirmations — all to the 1965 Temptations song, “My Girl.”

“It is an opportunity for the dads to realize what a wonderful influence they can have on their daughters,” McCallum said.

Toward the end of the evening Saturday, another special dance was held for the 13-year-old daughters, who will age out of the Father-Daughter Dance, she added.

The gathering also included dinner, as well as a professional photographer.