Independence staged its first talent show, Indy Live on Dec. 18, featuring 37 performers. The show took place during the school day, and tickets were sold for $2 each.
There were a total of 12 performances: seven musical acts, five dance performances, and one stand up comedy skit. Hosts Katie Kraabel and Gracie Hill, both juniors, entertained the audience in between performances. Junior Ainsley Hathaway, sophomore Alinah Fawad, and junior Sam Johnson all lost their respective lip sync battles to Mrs. Heather Binkley, Mr. Daniel Kim, and Mr. Mario Saavedra.
Many students were surprised by the hidden talents of their peers and teachers. Sophomore Himaja Chintalapalli explained her reaction to the show, “Honestly when I first went in, I thought it was just going to be dry, but once I was inside, I saw all of the student talents, and I was surprised and full of awe.”
Sophomores Sonakshi Garimella, Christina Martin, Katie Philips, and freshman Jenna Moser, from the group who performed “Cell Block Tango,” explained their spontaneous decision to choose what to perform, “We thought it’d be so much fun if we did this together… We think it will surprise most people.” Juniors Carson Manternach and Emmy Ungerleider also performed in the group.
The Indy Vibes group, composed of band members, performed “Apocalypse” by Larry Barton. Sophomore Martin Mosuela from the Indy Vibes group said, “Although I am in band and am used to performing in front of people, it was still a new and different experience to perform in front of all of those students.”
Sophomores Kaylin Shukert – who was also the creator of the Indy Vibes group, Katie Nail, Max Schellhammer, Martin Mosuela, Mario Bermudez, Nathan Beach, Hans Von-Thielen, Ian McCarthy, and Nic Janis, and freshmen Connor Gosman and Kato Watsen performing “Apocalypse.”
Despite technical difficulties, students showed their continued support of performers. Performers also beared through complications and tried their best to keep the show going. Mr. Eric Slauson, who was in charge of tech, said, “I think with everything we are going to do this year, there is definitely going to be bugs that we need to work out.”
Students encourage performers with their flashlights.
“It was just a great, wholesome experience for everybody… I saw so many different acts and it made me open up more,” said sophomore Sahithi Mettu.