Parents, teachers, and UNIS students swarmed the UNIS Theatre on Friday, 19 October, eager to see the first talent show held this year by the UNIS High School Senate.
The large crowd sang along to breath-taking performances from the rock band “The Overrated Dolts,” were awed at the high notes reached by singers Salina and Khanh Anh, and were treated to a variety of dynamic dance routines from the infamous group “Pixelated” and “Demons” and other instrumental and musical performances.
The night was hosted by Grade 9 students Michael Emblem and guitar player Bui Cat Anh Vu. Though the acts were judged by the comically inclined senior, Danny, the nice one, Grade 8 student Kim, and the grandmaster of Swag, Mr. Gangi, the final decision came down to the audience and a trusty decibel measurement app on an Ipad.
In hopes to sway the audience and win the grand first place prize of Hanoi DVD coupons, the first act, “The Demons” definitely came with their A game. They showcased their sexy dance moves with intricate popping movements and definitely set the bar right from the start in the competition! Who says girly girls can’t pop and lock?
Another dance group that came to win was the “Pixelated” dance crew, formed in 2011. Their act started off with individual solos and free styles that definitely got the crowd up on their feet and were then followed by a complex well put together group number choreographed by the amazing Phong Hoa himself. The song that he had chosen for his crew to dance to was “Without You”, and this was why; “I chose the song ‘Without You’ because I wanted to dedicate it to all my friends, family members, and people who have supported me to work harder as a dancer. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be able to make it this far. And of course, without my crew members Kofi K Buahin, Hung Nguyen, Tuan Anh Nguyen, Anh Duy, Truong P-z Trinh. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish this much. Sharing the stage with you guys have been a blessing to me. ‘I am lost, without you’”.
That’s not all, as several singing acts had taken the stage by storm as well, Toby Norton was the first singing act up on stage performing the song ‘If This Is It’ by Newton Faulkner played in the background of the video compilation titled ‘The Best of 2012’ created by the official IOC Olympics Youtube Channel. In hopes to recreate the Olympics in the UNIS Theatre, Toby had sung with a video of the Olympics in the background. His efforts had not gone unnoticed by the cheering audience and his moving performance even had Danny almost crying.
Other singing acts included Salina singing Katy Perry’s ‘Part of Me’ and Miley Cyrus’s ‘When I look at you’, with Rosie strumming away effortlessly on her guitar in the back and Khanh Anh, Quynh Anh and Sidney performing “Shark in the Water” by VV Brown. Salina showed off her sweet and melodic voice and even had the judges waving their torchlights and phones high up in the air, while Khanh Anh and Quynh Anh brought a new jazzy vibrato to the table with their original rendition of ‘Shark in the Water’.
However, it was only when Quynh Anh took on Rihanna’s California King Bed with siblings Masatoki and Mitsuki playing the guitar skillfully in the background, that the audience was truly amazed by how well this girl could sing. She demanded the stage with her strong and powerful voice and was able to reach notes that no one knew existed. For a small girl she’s definitely got a big voice “that fills the auditorium”, said the Grandmaster of Swag, Mr. Gangi.
Looking to bring a little sass and serenity onto stage, were guitar player and talent show host Bui Cat Anh Vu and the lovely Louisa, who sung her own rendition of ‘Officially Missing You’ by Tamia. Vu had seemed a little nervous in the start, but had quickly recovered himself and delivered a stunning performance. Next to him, Louisa, was able to captivate the hearts of the audience with her soft and angelic voice, including Danny’s. However, was Danny captivated by her voice or was he only captivated by the fact that “she’s only good at singing because she had joined Hercules” with him?
On the other end of the spectrum, moving away from pop and R&B, we had our rapper of the night, Veke. He rapped skillfully and with #swag about anti – war and soldiers and violence. So much to say and he barely even took a breath! This dark and brooding piece had Mr Gangi head banging, and Danny throwing out words like “juicy”, “groovy”, “cool” and “delicious.”
Another act that had received a lot of praise both from the judges, especially Danny, and the audience was the ‘Overrated Dolts’. They stole the stage with their rocker carefree attitude and their smashing vocals. According to base player of the ‘Overrated Dolts’ and judge, Danny, their performance was the “top shelf level of cool.” Was Danny being biased for his own act or can we trust that he’s truly an honest judge? Well, all we know is, with a performance like that, they won’t be overrated for long.
Before we wrap this show up, we must not forget our instrumental acts. The show had Bui Cat Anh Vu playing ‘That XX’ by G Dragon on the guitar, strumming his heart out and Le Viet on the piano playing the dubstep song ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprite’ by Skrillex. Viet’s ability to incorporate his love for dubstep into a piano piece is truly impressive and admirable. Both instrumental pieces were solid and done on a professional level leaving Kim speechless, and Mr Gangi wearing his glasses to hide his tears.
The first talent show this year was very successful all thanks to the performers and the HS Senate. The well-deserved winners were Louisa and Vu who came in third, the Overrated Dolts who came in second and the Pixelated who came in first and won the magnificent price of Hanoi DVD gift certificates! Excited for the next talent show? We are! Hopefully, we’ll see you there.
