Tuesday evening, students gathered in Alumni Auditorium to witness some of their peers showcase their skills in this year’s talent show, entitled The Showtime at the Apollo.
The free event, hosted by Kappa Iota Theta and sponsored by SGA, features a myriad of acts, ranging from singer-songwriter sets to dance routines to comedy sketches.
Senior admissions as Jessica Duty and Reggie Blair were the evening’s emcees, providing humorous moments throughout the program.
To Duty, getting to see her former recruits sharing their talents with the student body is a unique treat.
“For me, it’s really exciting,” Duty said. “We don’t always get to be involved in knowing what our students do after they get here, so for me, it’s exciting to get to see them perform and to be able to interact with them and see how they’re connecting here on campus.”
Blair echoed Duty’s sentiment, commending the bravery that students take to participate in a public event like a talent show.
“I think it’s always good to actually see the talent that we have on campus,” Blair said. “We have a lot of great students on campus, and when they have the courage to show their talent, I think it’s going to be a fun thing.”
For the night’s showcase, Lana Rainey performed Gnarles Barkley’s “Crazy,” with guitar accompaniment, Shea Mcgee performed an original song called “Greatest Fear,” Jamal Ukwu performed spoken word poetry, Cedric Duncan and Sam Coursey shared original songs, Josh Whisler performed the hit song “Stereo Hearts,” and Inett Branch III performed a few rap songs.
Just before the show’s intermission, Kali B, a singer who has performed at the Apollo in Harlem, performed a song.
Last year’s talent show winner Tru Hilton also performed a rap song towards the show’s close.
The first and second prize winners, who received $100 and $50 respectively, were Anthony Strode and Abby Phillips, who performed an interpretive dance routine, and Michael Oruma, who performed both a song and dance routine alongside two other background dancers.
Oruma shared his excitement in the win, saying that sharing his group’s talents was the main reason for their performance.
“I think it’s awesome,” Oruma said. “We weren’t really planning on winning. We just came here to share our gifts. We believe that God gave us gifts, and we should share them with the world. That’s what we came out here to do tonight, and winning is a plus.”
Video by Nicci Carney and Savanna Schubert
Photo credit: Nicci Carney