CRLS’ Talents Showcased
Community Members Shine on Stage
May 1, 2019
On April 11th and 12th, April break kicked off on a high note as members of the CRLS community showcased an assortment of exciting talents ranging from musical performances to spoken word poetry.
Welcoming students were seniors Finn Rose and Ben Dealy, acting as the emcees for the show. The opening act featured the smooth tones of the members of Band Land Brass Band performing “Brooklyn” by the Youngblood Brass Band. The act incorporated impressive saxophone, trombone, drum, and sousaphone solos.
Next up was the K-Pop Club, performing a vibrant and energetic dance to a medley of songs, as they do every year. Following K-Pop Club was a variety of different musical acts, including the remarkable keyboard skills of freshman Nuriel Vera-Degraff, a creative hip-hop duet performed by seniors Aliah Howard and Malik Gayot, and a beautiful cover of John Legend’s “All of Me,” performed by senior Meley Alemtsehay.
Shifting away from the musical performances, seniors Peter Fulweiler and Finn Rose surprised and entertained audience members with a reenactment of the iconic lift from Dirty Dancing. Following the reenactment was the musical talents of The Tie Guys, consisting of seniors Cole Killian on vocals and guitar, Will Cooper on the keyboard, and Jonas Hansen on the drums, performing classic rock hit “Hotel California” by the Eagles.
Next, the program shifted towards a calm and intriguing performance by sophomore Zoey Lafaso, performing a poem titled “Puddles.” Following Zoey was another variety of musical acts, including a rhythmic tap dance solo by senior Alyssa Filerman, an upbeat rendition of “Let my Love Open the Door” by Pete Townshend performed by Simon Simpson ’20 on vocals, Hersh Kanner ’20 on guitar, and CRLS special education teacher Christopher Nemitz on the keyboard, and a hip-hop dance trio that consisted of seniors Casey Torres, Jaden Washington, and Malik Gayot.
Next up, the emcees welcomed Aliah Howard back onto the stage to perform a heartfelt original rap dedicated to Richelle Robinson, who passed away last summer.
Following the rap on the Thursday night show was an enjoyable performance of the timeless “Lean on Me,” sung by CRLS custodians Andrew Ivanoskos and Jean “Chico” Poisson. During the Friday show, the CRLS step team amazed audience members with their quick beats.
The show concluded with another strong performance by the Band Land Brass Band of “St. James Infirmary” by Louis Armstrong, accompanied by the flawless vocals of senior Hanna Carney.
The large range of CRLS talent was displayed to audience members as different acts, giving the opportunity for students to express their creativity.
Audience member Anna Betancourt ’21 commented, “I enjoyed seeing the diversity of talents that were shown and how each and every participator was creative with their act and didn’t hold back to perform.”
Performers and different clubs were also excited to have a place to shine and display unique talents that are not always seen. “The Talent Show is a wonderful experience every year and I’m so proud to be in it as a part of K-Pop Club,” noted K-Pop Club member Lamisha Khan ’20. “We work so hard the whole year with the Talent Show as the end goal, essentially. It’s a great way to display the student body’s skills in a fun way before break!”
When asked about the success of the Talent Show this year, junior Emma Weller, one of the organizers of the show, remarked, “I’m super happy with the Talent Show this year! We put a lot of work into making sure all the acts were able to look their best on stage, but like always, the acts spoke for themselves. I was very impressed by all the amazing talent we have at our school!”
This piece also appears in our April 2019 print edition.
