The Argus

The Student News Site of Gresham High School

The Argus

The Argus

Polls

What is the best way to eliminate vaping in the restrooms?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Students hit the stage, show talent

Senior, Paul Pham showing off his famous pelvic thrust
Senior Paul Pham showing off his signature Michael Jackson moves.

An evening full of entertainment marked an eventful moment for students here. The annual talent show was held in the auditorium with 13 performances.

All contestants with different hopes and intentions gave it their all on the evening of Jan. 30.

“Once we hit the stage, we can’t let anything affect us because it’ll affect our performance. Also, I tend to block most the audience because I get nervous,” Juan Fernandez, senior and member of last year’s winners, said. “I’m really excited for the [performers]!”

Presley DeWolfe, alumni and current Winterhawks dancer, along with vice principal Aki Mori and Chris Ayles, the Burnside Taco Bell manager, judged the talent show.

“I was asked by [senior Natalia Martinez] to be a judge. She told me they wanted the ‘most famous Taco Bell manager’,” Ayles said. “‘I was like me?!’ I was honored.”

Starting off the night was sophomores Ashley Fray and Laurel Strobel, singing and playing the piano. Next to perform was freshman Lily Beeson, who amazed the audience with her voice by singing Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy. Once the song was over, the audience stood up and cheerfully applauded.

Seniors Hope Headings and Enrique Ramirez-Alverez were to follow with singing and dancing to Michael Jackson’s Man In The Mirror really picking up the pace, the audience started to join them by clapping to the beat.

“I picked this song because it reminds me of being the mascot. I like to help people–makes me feel like there can really be a change,” Headings said.

Single spoken word performer, sophomore Olivia Decklar set the tone with her poem really peoples attention with her tone. To change it back up, senior Dea’Montae Willingham sang Ave Maria by Beyonce.

“I sang [Ave Maria] because I really like it and I thought of my boyfriend of almost five years,” Willingham said.

The last performance before the 15-minute intermission was senior Paul Pham, who pulled out his white glove and showed off his famous Billy Jean dance routine. With the spotlight right on him, audience could not help but keep their eyes on him.

After intermission, freshman Ashleigh Wills sang. Like the talent show hosts, seniors Lauren Laakso and Anna Huber said, “Big things really do come in small packages.” Sophomore Claudia Bautista wowed the audience with her big voice by singing to One and Only by Adele.

To go away from singing for a moment, junior Austin Cha, freshman Marcela Menerva and sophomore Nancy Yang impressed the audience with their unique dance moves. Cha taking the lead with his furious hips to their contemporary dance routine dancing to Korean pop.

Coming up after them was senior Morgan Lopez with her baby sister, Bre, singing a duet to I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz had the everyone yelling ‘aww’. Freshman Madisen Halberg really showed off that voice of hers by singing Stay by Sara Bareilles, accompanied by choir teacher Ms. Kirstein playing the piano.

“A majority was singing, but everyone was really good. The dance group was good too,” junior and lighting manager Brooke Schlipf said.

To wrap up the performances senior Marquis Arango and junior Minerva Bron sang a duet to More Than Words by Extreme. The performance had most cheering with excitement.

Before the awards were announced alumni Kevin Miller, senior Ashley Huff, who is also a member of last year’s winners, and Fernandez sang a mix of Plain Gold Ring and Another Love to finish of the night off.

Laakso and Huber along with the all the performers came out on stage. The suspense was killing some of the audience members as they started to shout names of who they believed should be winners. Honorable mention was awarded to Morgan and Bre Lopez. Third place went to Arango and Bron. Second place went to Bautista. Last but definitely not least, first place was awarded to the performer with the two hats, Pham.

According to Pham he started really watching “MJ Videos” the summer before junior year. That is also when he first saw the moonwalk and said to himself that he had to learn how to do that. It all started because Pham wanted to learn new dance moves, a wide variety of dance moves but the footwork in Billy Jean made him commit.

“The music takes control. You become the music and that’s how you express yourself,” Pham said. “I didn’t want to show it off because everyone did so good and everyone has their own talent.”

 Like many performers,  Pham expressed how much he would of loved to have stayed on stage longer.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Argus Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *