The Honors Student Association hosted a talent show showcasing a variety of student performances.
On Saturday, Lorton Performance Center saw a horde of honors students descend as the Honors Student Association hosted their talent show. HSA president Emma Gipperich acted as the MC for the night, while the judges included honors sophomore Bruce Bigler along with professors Dr. Traldi and Dr. Walden. The night started off with a bang as sophomores Carson Tucker and Holden Caldwell performed a crowd-pleasing if slightly off-key rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” The judges quickly revealed themselves to be stern, though, and granted the duo limited scores for their opening number.
If the judges were pressed for genuine musical talent, they found it in the next act. Honors sophomore Jadyn Fording performed Debussy’s “First Arabesque,” a gorgeous rising and falling melody that was truly perfect for the first warm day in a while. The judges, harsh as they were, agreed that their performance was impressive. Dr. Walden described them as having an “expert maintenance of distinct voices,” while Dr. Traldi commented on their ability to embody the two separate entities reflected by the left and right hands. Fording’s performance was rousing but also meditative and a true joy to hear.
Next, Darius Hall and Madison Fillmore performed a swing dance to a jazzy number called “Sing Sing Sing.” Their performance was technically complicated and well choreographed, but the judges commented on room for improvement in their fluidity and improvisation. Isaac McGill, up next, performed an absurdist standup comedy routine. It started with him drinking a fruit barrel and dumping a bottle of water on himself. He then busted into Taylor Swift, made a joke about Nietzche and then launched into a series of jokes that were self-deprecating at times and ribbed Dr. Traldi, Dean Frey, Emma Gipperich and Bruce Bigler at others. The audience was laughing raucously but was also scandalized, especially by his grand finale when he forced Bigler to juggle and asked him questions about Don Quixote. McGill’s performance amused but also confused the judges, who gave him mixed reviews.
Next, honors freshman Chloey Boldin conducted a series of card tricks where she seemed to read the audience’s mind and guessed her audience participants’ cards. The judges commented positively on her lively stage presence, though they were largely able to see through the facade of her tricks. Afterwards, sophomore Alex Dupree performed an original song from a musical he is writing. The judges were very impressed by his admirable composing abilities, but gave him some pointers on his vocal range. Bigler commented, “I will come watch your musical on Broadway.”
As a grand finale, freshman Alan Meyer came out dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and sparkly blue tights with a jump rope. He performed a short but highly impressive jump rope routine to a medley of songs and sound clips from “Barbie.” Meyer is reportedly known in the state for jump roping, which is unsurprising considering the skill he displayed. The judges were impressed but wished the performance had lasted longer. Bigler urged Meyer to pursue jump roping full time.
At the end of the night, Jadyn Fording was announced as the winner. It was a well-deserved victory for a highly talented member of the Honors college. All of the performances were highly entertaining and impressive, however, and next year’s show promises to deliver even more honors talent.
