Fox Got Talent — The Crescent

Olivia Brubaker

Student Activities

On Oct. 1, A horde of college students, begging to raise their voices together in cheer, gathered in Bauman Auditorium. Under the banner of “Fox Got Talent,” students and supporters alike filled the halls to honor the eight contestants.

The talent show bells and whistles consisted of the expected technical difficulties. The night was filled with cringes and giggles as Jacoby Sherman attempted to eat his microphone through his mask and the golden buzzer confetti cannon failed to launch off stage left.

Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

The show opened with Olivia Grijalva and Esmaya Hendrickson exchanging elder-related stabs with the recruited judges panel: Jamie Johnson, Jere Witherspoon, Rusty St. Cyr, and Pennington the Bear. The night would follow in a format similar to its namesake “America’s Got Talent,” sharing my least favorite segments such as backstage talks, video previews, and judge commentary that would not affect the end result in any manner - elongating the show far more than necessary.

Fox Got Talent judges. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

In terms of the talent, the lovely Frankie Alcalá took center stage first, serenading us with “Tú Solo Tú” with the most lovely alto vibrato I have ever heard. Alcalá’s Spanish melody really synced with my heartstrings, and she delivered a truly beautiful performance, especially considering her corresponding acting with the lyrics.

Frankie Alcalá. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

Isaac Beals led us through Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” with a comedic play on the audience’s expectations. He came out spiffed up in suspenders and a guitar, only to take the guitar off and begin his ragtime jam on the piano. This particular song was a pre-recorded setting on my keyboard growing up, so I automatically bounced to the rhythm. However, unlike my tinny piano speaker, Beals played with incredible dynamics, and crafted an atmosphere that had everyone smiling underneath their masks.

Isaac Beals. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

Mauhia Kimata followed shortly with all the charm of a Disney prince. Plucking his cello horizontally and singing an original song, his energy and display mimicked that of a Shawn Mendes-type. His lyrics included driving Interstate-5 in the Golden State, which happened to describe my hometown, so perhaps I’m biased to his brand of charm.

Mauhia Kimata. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

Maya Irons followed, wearing a magnificent royal blue dress that made her appear as a celebrity on the piano. Her vocals dripped with intensifying emotions as the song climaxed, and her choice of simplistic melody on the piano allowed her vocal dynamics to shine.

Once the stage cleared of the tears the MCs left in response to Maya’s song, Gabriel Messing introduced us to his incredible and unique freestyle of dancing. It reminded me of the Napoleon Dynamite campaign dance, elevated with the addition of some crunking. Messing brought the crowd enormous joy, and I wish I shared his courage.

Next up, the incredible Maiya Duck took the stage to sing “Manhattan” by Sara Bareilles. Now, it was difficult for me to separate my bias from this set, because my family lives and breathes Sara Barielles’s music. When Bareilles announced she wrote the Broadway musical Waitress, we danced! Duck did a fantastic job of balancing Barielles’s piano style with the emotions of the story telling. Her performance had my favorite climax of the evening, followed by an earned decrescendo.

Maiya Duck. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

The following act displayed the loudest crowd response, largely thanks to the women’s soccer team showing up for their teammate. Bella Salazar laid waste to a drum set, accompanying the fantastic piece “Lane Boy” by Twenty-One Pilots. By her introduction video, this girl clearly was going to blow us away, but in the first minute of the performance, it was clear Salazar was superhuman. Her in-ears were not feeding her the music, as she motioned to the tech working the wings, but she managed to keep perfect rhythm! Salazar certainly won this talent show.

Bella Salazar. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

As I would pity anyone who had to follow Salazar, the MCs announced Gaby Nazareno was to sing “Defying Gravity.” from Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked I gasped in my seat. As someone with a background in musical theater, this piece is known as off-limits to everyone, besides the gifted twenty-or-so women who played Elphaba on Broadway. I felt anxious for Nazareno, and she gave me the impression that, as the music swelled, perhaps she felt anxious about hitting those notes well. But hit them she did, and so much power left her mouth that the audience was speechless by the end.

Gaby Nazareno. Photo courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn99IfFCvg/

Overall, George Fox University is home to many wondrous talents. I wish that the agenda of the show matched as it was advertised. However, two-thirds of the show was taken up by ASC students and campus pastors trying their stand-up chops, while only a third was given to the student talent. In the future, I want our students to be the stars.