At the talent show on March 28th, students got a chance to perform a routine that would show off their talents, and have fun doing it. In the end, junior Ashlen Mayhew and senior Emily Mixon won first place for their competitive duo dance routine.
“Honestly, this dance wasn’t one of the hardest ones I’ve done before, so Emily and I really just aimed to have fun and put a smile on peoples faces with it,” Mayhew said. “It felt good being up there with her and showcasing something I do outside of school.”
Excitement was not just felt by those who were performing in the talent show. Many of the students who attended were also able to experience an interest in seeing everyone’s talents and passions. There were a variety of performances at the talent show, ranging from musical performances to other dance routines, giving students that have different talents a chance to perform and be comfortable doing so.
“My favorite performance was KodaChrome, I loved their matching outfits. The way the two girls danced was so mesmerizing,” junior Isabel Duarte said. “There were some other pretty good performances though. I had a very good time.”
While many people enjoyed many different performances, there was a mutual agreement that the performance made by Mixon and Mayhew would win.
“It was really neat seeing all the performances, and I feel like Emily and Ashlen were really good at doing their performance,” sophomore Anthony Martinez said. “All their movements and dancing were really in sync and I think that’s why they won.”
Normally, Mayhew participates in Varsity Belles, and Mixon participates in Varsity cheer, so being able to show off the routines that they do on a daily basis was something new and exciting for them.
“I didn’t expect to do this well because what we do is very different from what people are typically used to seeing,” Mayhew said. “I’ve been dancing competitively since I was six years old, so I knew I had a good shot, I just didn’t think the judges would vibe with it.”
Like Mayhew, Mixon also has many years of experience under her belt. However, despite this, nervousness still tends to surface when a big performance is around the corner.
“I have been dancing for fifteen years, but everytime I go out on stage I am still filled with nerves, especially because of how much you have to put yourself out there when dancing in front of your peers,” Mixon said. “I decided what to perform by picking the dance that I felt people who don’t really know much about dance would enjoy.”
Hoping to bring onlookers joy when performing is a feeling everyone within the talent show likely experienced, whether it comes from impressing the judges, to making the crowd rowdy.
“We really weren’t sure how it was going to end up, but Ashlen and I were thrilled to hear our names, it felt really great that the audience and the judges enjoyed our duet as much as we did,” Mixon said.
With some performances within talent shows, decisions to join were made last minute, as many students see the opportunity to perform as something fun to take up their free-time. However even last minute decisions can pay off with big rewards and valuable memories.
“Winning was very fun, yet unexpected since performing was a last minute decision. There were so many talented acts out there that all deserved a trophy,” Ashlen said. “Winning with one of my closest friends made it ten times better, it was such a fun time and I love that others felt that too.”