On the evening of December 12, the JP Stevens Student Council hosted JPS Got Talent, a Wicked-themed talent show where students here at JPS got to showcase their astonishing talents. There were snacks, refreshments, and plenty of enjoyment for the crowd. The show started off with hosts Anjali Suryavanshi portraying the character of Glinda, and Sreejita Basak, as Elphaba.
Shortly after the acts had begun, national award-winning Dheen Jayadevan stepped onto the stage. He performed Mallakhamb, an ancient Indian sport involving gymnastics and acrobatics on a vertical wooden pole. After completing a three-minute routine, he amazed the crowd with an uproar of applause. Dheen, who has been performing Mallakhamb for years, truly showed his talents that night!
“Dheen’s performance was so fascinating, he looked like a natural on that pole!” says Ranya Chaudhary, a member of Student Council’s Executive Board.
Shortly after Dheen, dancers Sreya Batchali, Tanisha Kurani, Dhwani Ghedia, and Debora Solomon came out and did numerous dances with different songs. After performing songs from celebrated artists such as Drake and Tate McRae, their synchronization brought hype to the crowd. They’re hard work dedication to this show was greatly shown from their performance, and was definitely quite memorable!
Soon after the performance of the girls, Ariana Ramos came out as the final act, performing “Burn” from the musical Hamilton. Ariana, who has been singing for a while, and has had other singing gigs such as singing the National Anthem for games of the volleyball program here at JPS, never fails to blow the crowd away.
After the acts had ended, the refreshments and concessions opened for the audience to enjoy a treat while scoring took place. This intermission included buttery and warm popcorn along with crispy, refreshing drinks. This allowed for the audience to talk and share laughs.
“I thought there was a diverse array of talent!” says Mr. Lee, a Biology teacher who was in attendance at the show, and who also announced the places at the end, accompanied by chemistry teacher Ms. Babbin.
After the intermission, the audience was called back into the auditorium for the final standings. The audience was on the edge of their seats waiting for the winners, and it was a highly anticipated moment. Although the participation and dedication of every participant was greatly appreciated, there could only be 3 winners.
In first place came Dheen with his fierce acrobatics and Mallakhamb; second place went to Ariana with her beautiful, melodic singing. Lastly, Sreya, Tanisha, Dhwani, and Debora came in 3rd place, for their captivating dancing.
“I was very proud of the students for showing their talent, and for student cousin for all the of their harden work and it was nice to see students outside of the academic setting!” says Ms. Babbin, another teacher in attendance and one of the advisors for the Student Council.
This talent show was a memorable experience for JPS, as the diversity of talents is truly what makes the school so special. With the theme of Wicked, a new and popular movie sequel, it added more fun for the audience, making the show the “wickedest”!
