WA proves that they do indeed have talent
March 27, 2019
Friday night, over 200 people packed into the Performing Arts Center at Westford Academy for WA’s Got Talent. The talent show, run by the junior class of 2020, had 14 acts, from BollyHop dance to original songs, to covers of popular artists, to color guard routines. Over the 14 acts, a total of 39 people performed.
Multiple people appeared in two or more acts, including senior Eunice Pak, who performed in three different songs, senior Marcos Acosta, who played a piano solo and an improv piece, senior Amelia Devlin, who performed in two brass acts, and senior Matthew Bugos, who played xylophone and drums in two acts.
The first act was a performance of “Summer Montage/Madeline,” from La La Land, performed by seniors Amelia Devlin, Caelyn Jarrett, Caitlin Mahoney, Miranda Morrison, Eunice Pak, and juniors Anusha Parikh and Yiwen Xiong.
Next, freshman Richa Juvekar performed “Outta My Way,” an original piece about removing toxic people from one’s life. Juvekar’s performance had the audience cheering for her after her performance.
The Best Buddies Club, consisting of Samantha Barry, Casey Mahoney, Hope Post, and Matthew Tricca, performed next, dancing to “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran. The dance was choreographed by Tricca, and this drew a great reaction from the crowd.
The fourth act was freshman Katy Stuparu performing “Nocturne” by Billy Joel. Most people at the show, being young people, had never heard “Nocturne” before, but everyone knew it after hearing Stuparu’s rendition on the piano.
Freshman Kavya Iyer performed next, singing “Superwoman” by Alicia Keys.
Next, a group of girls from the color guard performed a routine. the guard consisted of senior Amanda Brown, sophomores Audrey Bruskiewitz, Lillian Carter, Amelia Jengo, and Jazmin Rodriguez, and senior Sara Lane. They used flags, fake guns, and fencing swords to add more style to their routine, and everybody was amazed by the skill they had, throwing their swords and guns into the air, dancing, and catching them.
Freshman Adharsha Ramesh performed “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera for the seventh act. Ramesh played the piano and sang the song, so she memorized not only the lyrics but also the melody and harmony, showing off her true musical prowess.
To finish off the first act, Bugos and Pak performed an original piece titled “I Fly Away,” in which Bugos played drums and Pak sang and played the piano and violin. They performed the piece over a previously recorded electronic track that they composed, making it possible for them to perform their complex yet outstanding song.
After intermission, Acosta performed “Carol of the Bell,” an original piece he wrote about the school bell, and a new way to signal the end of class, according to Acosta. He edited the sound of the school bell into a prepared soundtrack, over which he played the piano.
The Westford Academy improv band, which performs at the end of school days occasionally, performed an improv piece they titled “Zach Stop,” for unknown reasons. The band consists of seniors Acosta, Bugos, Devlin, Pak, Hazel Ward, Patrick Ward, Shannon Tierney, and Gray Yao, as well as junior Joshua Lin. Each musician played a solo, and a rehearsed chorus was played in between each solo.
Senior Jenny Park performed “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman, and it was her first time performing onstage. She was amazing and received the largest ovation of anyone in the show. After she finished, the curtain opened, revealing her boyfriend, who asked her to prom. Everyone cheered when she said yes.
Freshman Shraddha Kollipara, along with sophomores Anika Burli, Himani Patel, and Jazmin Rodriguez, members of the BollyHop dance club, performed a dance that incorporated Bollywood music, as well a popular song in the United States, “New Rules” by Dua Lipa. The dancing was quite impressive, and everyone was surprised by the quality of their dancing.
Senior Alyssa Ramoutar performed “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac for the second-to-last performance of the night. Ramoutar also played piano and sang, and she didn’t have sheet music with her, so it made it all more impressive.
The final performance of the night was definitely the funniest, as a group of seniors calling themselves Two Direction performed “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. Two Direction consisted of Nick Awada, Joshua Cherion, Ben Lawrence, Tom Robertson, Ben Trotter, and Anish Venkatesh. None of the members can sing, which makes it hilarious.
The awards ceremony followed the final act, and Two Direction was given an honorable mention by the judges. The third-place award went to Ramoutar with “Nocturne,” the runner-up was the improv band with “Zach Stop,” and the first place winner was Pak and Bugos for “I Fly Away,” their original piece.
Every act was amazing, and according to the emcee English Curriculum Coordinator Janet Keirstead, “Everyone of you is a winner just for having the guts to get up on stage and perform for hundreds of people.”
