Eight talented and diverse students entertained the Life West Tribe at the Carnival Talent Show on February 16, in the hopes of capturing a grand prize of $1,000.
In the past, Life West had a talent show, Chiropractic Has Talent, named in homage to the reality contest show, ”America’s Got Talent.” Chiropractic Has Talent went on hiatus in 2017, after being a popular campus event for three years. Student Life Director, Jackie Biron in collaboration with Life West student, Sean de Lima Theil revived the Life West creative community with a new talent show.
“Sean used his many creative talents, which helped me out to make the show even better,” Biron explained.
Preliminary auditions were held in mid-January with over 20 talented acts jockeyed for a spot in the February showcase. The judges for the auditions were Sean de Lima Theil, Student Life Director, Jackie Biron, and Life West Professors, Dr. Mark Thompson and Dr. Pamela McBride.
The judges deliberated after the auditions and choose the eight best acts to move on to the main competition, held during Friday Seminar on February 16, 2018.
The judges for the Carnival Talent Show were Chair of Philosophy, Dr. Ankur Tayal, Basic Science Chair, Dr. Monique Andrews, and Chair of Technique, Dr. Ramneek Bhogal. The student audience also had a voice in the voting process and used an online ballot to select their favorite act.
The winners were announced at the following Friday Seminar, February 23.
Matthew de Lima Thiel took home first place and $1,000 with his dance routine performed in the dark with luminescent poi. The runner up in the competition went to Abby Petkov for her original slam poetry performance “Ode to the Nervous System,” played on the piano. Petkov earned $500 for her performance.
Kelsey Bjola took third place honors and received $300 for her tap dance routine to “We Speak No Americano.” There was a tie for fourth place. Ian Barwick performed “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran and Judy Hoffman sang “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes. They split the $200 earnings.
“What I love about the talent show was that we were able to showcase all kinds of talent, which was a change from previous talent shows,” Biron said. “It takes courage to perform live in front of your peers and these students exemplified their commitment to lasting purpose through their performances.”
The talent show was part of Life West’s annual plan — creating the “Wow Experience” for students. Last year’s “Wow Experience” event was our Ignite Life photography contest.
