Last Wednesday, February 8th, I was wowed by the talent at Lenape. Last Wednesdaywas the Lenape Talent Show, held by LTV. ImaniNia Burton (’18) was the absolutely hilarious host and many other LTV members worked as the stage crew, ushers, and the camera crew.

The show featured many singers, dancers, instrumentalists, and a hula-hooper. Everyone’s performance felt unique and fun and sometimes emotional in its own way.

Even though I’m a junior at Lenape and the show is an annual event, this was the first talent show I attended here. This is because this year’s show brought new innovations and had better timing.

In previous years, the talent show had been held in the very beginning of the school year. I was never able to go as all of my new activities were just starting up and I was adjusting to my new schedule, so I couldn’t take a couple hours to watch my classmate’s performances. Since it was held February this year, I had a chance to actually attend the show. I think many people felt the same way, as I heard many people in the hallway talking about how they thought this was the first Lenape Talent Show ever, even though it’s been an annual event. This year’s show was at a much more convenient time for everyone which was reflected in the amazing turnout.

The actual format of the show was different this year, too. Instead of it just being a show where students presented their talents to families and friends, it was also a competition. This was the first time in years that the acts had been judged. There were three teacher-judges who scored each act and the audience could also vote.

The top three acts were named Wednesday night at the end of the show, and those three will perform a new act during Lenape Live on Friday, February 17th. At that point, the ultimate winner will be announced. The top three were Aneesh Mandala (’19) who danced, Summerrose Cintron (’19) who sang and played an original song, and Amber Murray (’19) with Kevin Lauer (’18) who sang a duet with Kevin also on guitar.

All three of the finalists had something special and original about their acts. While Aneesh’s dancing had everyone laughing out of joy, Summerrose’s song had everyone listening intently to her deep lyrics, and Amber and Kevin’s harmonies were appreciated.

Some of my honorable mentions of the night were Amelia Toner (’18), who hula-hooped her heart out, and Michael Donnelly (’19), also known as “El Rey”, who danced and sang along in Spanish. Both acts had my full attention and it was clear they both were having the best time performing. Although they did not make it to the finals, their performances were extremely entertaining.

If you missed the talent show this year, make sure to attend next year! The tickets were $5 each and they were definitely worth it. I found the whole show exciting and it was cool to learn about the amazing talent who walk the halls of Lenape each day.

So, on Friday the 17th, make sure to get to first period early in order to watch Lenape Live at 7:20. The final performances will be live and the winner will be announced. Good luck to all the finalists!