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The Greatest Show on Earth
Circus music blared as a ferocious lion, a gaudy clown, a mime, an intimidating bearded woman and a brawny woman appeared from behind the red velvet curtains. The starry stage backdrop lit up while a shadowed figure emerged from a trapdoor invisible to the audience. Top hat on and hoop in hand, the ringleader took center stage. The stage lights flashed on.
Thus began the Student Body Council’s “Greatest Show on Earth,” a student-fueled showcase of twenty exciting acts including singing, dancing, comedy and magic in the Carol Channing Theater on the evening of April 23.
The judges awarded first place to Georgia and Jacob, a musical duo comprised of seniors Georgia English and Jacob Clinton; second went to SwaggaRight, a turf dance group; and third to Irvin Guan, standup comedian.
The Judges
On performance night, English teacher Stephanie Crabtree, who has a strong performing arts background, math teacher Francisco Rosales, jazz pianist and social studies teacher Steve Schmidt enjoyed front row seats as the talent show judges.
Rosales volunteered to judge because of the school’s “history of talent.” “I wouldn’t be surprised if I crossed paths with people who are going to be famous,” he said prior to show.
The three teachers used their own criteria to assess the individual acts and later collaborated for a final consensus on who was to receive the $100, $75 and $50 awards.
First Place: Georgia and Jacob
Guitar strapped behind her back, senior Georgia English left her audition with a calm attitude. “Singing and playing guitar is what I’m comfortable doing,” English said.
Being a singer all her life, English began writing her own music and lyrics nine years ago. A familiar face at Lowell’s musical performances, English has appeared onstage at Winterfaire, jazz concerts and open mics. While her songs vary in message, English consistently conveys an honest outlook of life to the audience.
At this year’s talent show, English performed a song titled “Ready for It All,” which she wrote with college in mind. “Even though I love Lowell, it hasn’t been the right place for me at all times. I feel like the Berklee Academy of Music will be a good, refreshing start,” she said. Senior Jacob Clinton accompanied English and she praised her friend for his piano skill. “He’s so ridiculously good to begin with and you can’t go up from there!” she said.
“Ready for It All” enveloped the audience with smooth, jazzy tunes. Next, the duo plunged into a heartfelt cover of John Lennon’s “Let It Be”, a favorite of English since her childhood. Halfway through the song, the audience began swaying their arms side to side in the air.
English’s rich voice and Clinton’s powerful piano playing struck the judges as well, enough for them to award the duo first place.
Second Place: SwaggaRight
“Coming into the talent show, we knew we were bringing something new to Lowell,” said junior Dino Laoang, a founding brother of SwaggaRight. As soon as the twelve boys sprung into motion, the audience was enchanted by the group’s rather uncommon TURF (Taking Up Room on the Floor) dancing.
SwaggaRight’s act featured solos by each member, who attend a range of Bay Area high schools and colleges, from Riordan and El Camino High to Skyline and SF State. The crowd applauded each dancer’s creative configuration of intricate movement with rigid freeze frames.
According to www.turfdancing.net, turf dancing is a fusion of gliding, waving, popping, and boogaloo that originated on the streets of Oakland, CA. Laoang and two of his friends decided to start their own turf dance crew in early 2009. Since turfing was rather uncommon among Bay Area youth at the time, the group recruited members based on their dancing persona instead of experience. From there, the newly acquainted crew learned moves through videos and watching others. “Our own swag came later on,” Laoang said.
Similar to any other dance style, turfing serves as a sufficient outlet of artistic expression for Laoang and his friends. Besides that, being a part of SwaggaRight influences the everyday lives of the young men. “It’s a good way for us to stay positive,” Laoang said. “It keeps us away from violence and gangs. It also creates a bond that we all have with each other.”
The night of the talent show, the young men struck the crowd with their confidence and individual creativity. The judges had to agree. Not expecting to place second, Laoang admitted that his group “felt pretty good about ourselves afterward.”
Third Place: The Last Resort
Known as a jokester among his friends, senior Irvin Guan walked into the audition room with two topics he hoped would entertain the judges: rice and his first day of high school. With little preparation, Guan’s humorous personality and fresh standup comedy won the judges over.
“I walked out of the room in tears because he was so funny,” SBC Coordinator Brandee Ma said.
The budding comedian was encouraged to audition by his friend Anthony Chan, now a freshman in college. Chan was eliminated from last year’s show due to profanity in his standup comedy act. “Anthony told me that I have to step it up and carry on his legacy,” Guan said. This year, Guan evaluated his humorous content to ensure that it was appropriate.
“The Laugh Resort” was Guan’s second public performance. The junior explained that the last time he did a standup was in a Comedy/Satire English class. “I don’t know if that counts, but I got an A on the assignment,” he said.
In the case of “The Greatest Show on Earth,” Guan’s standup gig definitely mattered. Received with warm applause and laughter from the audience, Guan’s lighthearted comedy act claimed the second place title.
Singing: Filipajamas
While seniors Stephanie Canlas, Stephanie Arellano, Joanna Bustamante and Reina Ramos all knew they had a passion for singing, they hadn’t realized the hypnotizing harmony their unified voices created until a few weeks ago.
Their discovery inspired the four girls to audition for the talent show. “We sing on a regular basis anyways — in church, in the shower, in the car, sometimes down the hallway — so we thought ‘Why not?’” Arellano said.
In one week’s time, the quartet prepared an act based upon a medley of popular songs accompanied by the ukulele. Two days before the audition, fellow senior Kenneth Domine approached them with a dilemma. Originally planning to rap solo for the show, Domine realized that his act “wasn’t coming through.” The girls welcomed collaboration with Domine, who added his original lyrics and beat boxing to the song. “They were kind enough to invite me on their part,” Domine said of his friends’ last minute decision. With their group and audition piece finalized, the Filipajamas were born.
With a clever name and confidence in their musical performance, the group shifted their creativity to their costume. The night of the show, the five marched onto stage wearing — you guessed it — pajamas and slippers.
Leading up to the talent show premiere, the Filipajamas chose to keep their songs and outfits a surprise. “We kept it a secret to get the hype up,” Canlas said.
Singing: The Chamber Cool Kids
As soon as members of the Lowell Chamber Choir started their first few notes, the singers plunged into their medley of songs from Broadway’s Jersey Boys with a positive vibe.
A few weeks before, the choir had auditioned with “Don’t Stop Believin’”, a number inspired by the popular television series Glee. “Even though people know the song, we still have to do the job of delivering it,” senior Stephanie Garduno said prior to the audition.
Afterward, the choir members left the room with mixed feelings. “Talent-wise it went well, but organization-wise, not so much,” senior Maranda Seney said. “We were really cramped.”
Due to a debatable audition and trouble during practices, the group decided to change their onstage performance. “We didn’t want to be compared to the characters on ‘Glee’,” junior Julianna Sindell explained.
“We want to impress them,” Garduno added. With that in mind, the choir switched to a more suitable piece. “People were more excited for the ‘Jersey Boys’,” Sindell said. The compilation allowed the choir to include some signature Jersey Boys steps, such as playful finger snapping, lively toe-tapping and charming slow dancing.
The girls in classy skirts and the boys in dapper suits, the 12 pairs shone the night of the talent show. “We’re not a show choir. We just want to have fun!” Sindell said.
Magic: The Cups and Balls
At this year’s talent show, senior Bertrand Wilden entered the stage with yet another magic trick up his sleeve. Armed with only three plastic cups and three ping pong balls, Wilden was determined to amaze the crowd.
Wilden described his trick “The Cups and Balls” as a “traditional scam game.” The senior passed the cups before the audience’s eyes, magically making the balls disappear and reappear. The crowd roared in bewilderment, especially after Wilden unveiled the last cup: it contained not a ping pong ball, but a lemon.
Being an amateur magician for the past four years, Wilden often builds his tricks around instructional YouTube videos. Not only did Wilden practice a smooth delivery of the trick, but he prepared himself for any mistakes. “It won’t be the end of the world if I mess up,” he said.
The senior also wasn’t worried if the audience discovered the logic behind the illusion. “The secret is not the most important part of magic, it’s the presentation and entertainment,” he said.
Dance: The “S-2-G-O” Twins
To junior KJ Estudillo, hip-hop dancing has not only been a passion in life, but a profession. At the “Greatest Show on Earth,” Estudillo treated the crowd with a performance that displayed his expertise. Dancing alongside his twin sister, Caitlin Estudillo, the “S-2-G-O” Twins took Lowell by surprise.
New to school this year, Estudillo’s talent show performance was another chance for the junior to flaunt his skills. “I was confident that I would perform well as a dancer, but I was excited to show Lowell what I have to offer,” Estudillo said.
At the talent show, the twins excelled. “We actually perform a lot better together because we can play off each other’s moves,” he said. “We also look pretty identical — not just because we’re twins, but because we’re so synchronized.”
KJ’s evident talent made him a professional dancer at an early age. At age nine, Estudillo’s moves were showcased during basketball games in Oakland as a member of the Golden State Warriors junior dance squad. “My mom was the one who forced me to start dancing. I honestly didn't like it, but then I learned to appreciate it,” he said. From there, Estudillo joined the Daly City-based group APT (the acronym originated from Apprentice Dance Crew) and began competing nationwide and auditioning for music videos and commercials in L.A. KJ and his sister continue to dance with APT each week.
Dance: Funky Miscellaneous Choreo
How does the Funky Miscellaneous Choreo manage to break out with a fresh, flawless stream of dance moves each time they perform? “We're environmentalists,” senior Brian Fan said. “We recycle some of our stuff.”
With 16 members and three years in action, the FMC continues to entertain crowds with their original hip hop and “tutting,” dance form that involves sharp movements and geometric patterns. While members often reuse material in their pieces, the dance troupe experiments with old moves to construct new, creative sequences of dance. Pieced together by the contributions of each individual artist, every performance is unique. “Our dances are a group effort. Each person adds in their own moves, which really shows off our individual style and versatility,” senior Jonathon Lee said.
Not only is the FMC well known at Lowell, but the crew has made their mark in the Bay Area various dance competitions. They recently performed alongside the famous dance crew Fanny Pak on April 24 at a Pittsburg high school.
All photos by Cassandra Liu
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