The house lights in the auditorium go down, while the music of the house band continues. The president of NHS Miguel Brandao begins to speak to the audience. One by one, the acts perform, continually dazzling the audience with their unique talents.

The stage lights glow in an array of dazzling colors, ranging from pink and purple during dance acts to a deep, glowing blue during the more low key acts, such as singing and monologues.

The South High School NHS talent show was held on Friday, March 22, 2019. A total of 13 different acts were performed, showcasing the truly unique and diverse talents that South students hold.

The mood of the night and crowd would fluctuate based upon the act that was on stage. Siobhan Sullivan, Simon Baker and Kaiya Woller performed a slow and relaxing acapella act, singing “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron. During this act, the crowd seemed to be much more subdued, yet did not lack support for those performing on stage.

In contrast to this, the Trndsttrz (Trend Setters) performed a high energy dance montage, consisting of lots of crowd interaction and up to date music.

Echoing this sentiment, Sanford Middle School student Ace Hunt said, “I thought [the Trndsttrz] were really upbeat and recent.”

Adding on to this, sophomore Liberty Bissell stated, “My favorite act was the Trndsttrz. They were really fun to watch and they were the most entertaining overall. They were super high energy. “

Throughout the show, the energy of the crowd was very high. When Heidi Abab began to sing “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran, many students whipped out their cell phone flashlights and began to wave them back and forth.

As well, during Kira Curtis’ tap dance and Clement Lee’s rendition of “We are the Champions”, the crowd became very passionate, snapping along to the beat of the music and cheering the performers on.

This cheering created a wonderful feeling of support throughout the medium sized audience, greatly demonstrating the inclusivity and ideals of which our school values.

Students had many motivations to come to the show. Although a seemingly elementary event, many students were extremely enthusiastic to come out and support their peers.

“[I came] to support the people who were in the show,” said Bissell. “It just sounded fun.”

Adding on to this, Hunt stated, “I came to the talent show to see my sister [Leina Hunt] perform but also to see what the other acts were.”

Ending out the night were the Trndsttrz, the dance group that has won the talent show the past two years. Their dance montage was full of intricate dance moves, thoroughly engaging the audience.

“The Trndsttrz are a group of dancers but also a group of guys that work to their full potential when it’s time to dance,” said dancer Sylence Mckinnie, a member of Trndsttrz. “It’s a collaboration between all of us when we have an opportunity to dance with each other.”

The group was created during the 2016-2017 school, during the members’ freshman year. “We were all at a basketball game and music started playing and Naz just got up and started dancing and then I was like hey, ‘Can I dance with y’all?’,” said Mckinnie. “So we started dancing with the crowd and I tried to take it to above and beyond and I was like ‘Hey we should make a dance group.’”

Eventually, Naz, Majesty, Isaiah and Sylence decided to create a dance group, most notably performing in the NHS sponsored talent show.

The process of creating a name for the group was a unique process, set upon the intent to inspire others. “The name Trndsttrz [represents] a trend but it’s not just a trend for dancing,” emphasized Mckinnie. “It’s a trend for bringing people together… to support every dancer, even the ones that are [of different demographics].

Over the years, the Trndsttrz have become a tightly knit group, forming valuable bonds. “[The group] is important to me because we created something that can never be broken,” said Mckinnie.

He continued, “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to dance with Naz, Majesty and Isaiah. I’m just glad that I have been able to be with them, honestly.”

This group has entered the talent show for many reasons, including the desire to contribute something to the community of South, as well as the motivation given to them by teachers.

Reflecting on this idea, Mckinnie explained, “We’ve entered the show because of other dancers and my dance teacher Ms. Nair. She’s been a big influence on [us] since freshman year,” Mckinnie continues, “Ms. Nair has been an inspiration, telling me that I should learn new dances and I took that to heart…Dancing with everybody around South is something [we] do.”

They plan to participate in the show next year, hoping to inspire students and fellow dancers through their final performance.

“[We enjoy participating] because it brings love and joy to everybody. Everybody wants to see the Trndsttrz dance and that’s our thing,” stated Mckinnie. “We’re setting the trend in dance, at the talent show. Everybody motivates us, we motivate ourselves and dancing is just a part of us.”

On Monday April 15th, it was announced that the Trndsttrz won the Talent Show, making it the 3rd time they have won first place. They hope to keep their reign, and plan on entering once again next year.