Last Saturday, Trinity students competed in the annual Spotlight talent show hosted by the Student Programming Board. Of the twelve singers, bands and dance troupes that participated, the Trinitones men’s a cappella group took first place for their Shrek medley. The panel of faculty judges “” comprising computer science professor Mark Lewis, university president Danny Anderson and associate professor of mathematics Cabral Balreira “” placed performances by Mariana Lopez Levi and Cullen Moore second and third, respectively.
The Student Programming Board was eager to prepare for the annual show.
“Spotlight is Trinity’s annual talent showcase. It provides a platform for anyone and everyone to come showcase whatever talent they want to show. It can be dancing, singing, playing an instrument, stand-up comedy, rapping, slam poetry “” literally anything,” said Devina Kumar, a junior economics major and the traditions chair of the Student Programming Board.
Kumar was motivated to organize this event as successfully as possible as this tradition has remained a Trinity favorite since its creation.
“Spotlight has been a tradition at Trinity for a very long time now, and I wish it carries on as one for years and years to come,” Kumar said. “To be honest, Spotlight is so popular because it provides a platform for anyone who wants to showcase their talent. Personally, I love seeing my classmates perform because I am always taken a back by how well-rounded Trinity students are. Spotlight makes you realize that, hey, your Calc II peer tutor is not only amazing at math, but also a fantastic singer. Things like that make Spotlight very appealing to me, personally.”
Students were encouraged to attend the show in order to have the rare opportunity to see their friends and peers showcase their talents that they may not usually share with others.
“I think it’s so popular because everyone knows who’s performing. You either have a friend who’s in the show or your friend’s friend and I think it’s a huge part of the Trinity community to support your peers. Plus it’s always good fun,” said Christina Moore, a junior communication major and the public relations director for Student Programming Board.
The opportunity to work with performers on their showcases behind the scenes allowed Moore to see the commitment students put into their acts in order to make their contributions to an engaging, successful talent show.
“I think my favorite performance this year was the Trinitones. I know that everyone else only sees the final product, which was amazing, but it was also such a pleasure to see all their hard work that went into the set behind the scenes. They were so dedicated in every rehearsal,” Moore said.
Most people involved in the show, whether they organized the event or sat in as an audience member, had a favorite performance.
“One of my favorite performances was the last exhibition act! The Kenneth [Kusima], Greg [Labbe] and Alvin [Mbabnzi] trio preformed a medley of covers. The composition of the medley was great but the vocals and instruments were beautiful,” said Aroosa Ajani, a sophomore business analytics and urban studies major.
As the assistant traditions chair for Student Programming Board, Ajani was able to work collectively with Kumar.
“My position in Student Programming Board is assistant traditions chair. I worked with Devina, traditions chair, to plan the event. This included setting up rehearsals, managing the budget, buying the materials needed and more,” Ajani said.
With a positive response to the event from the audience members who were able to witness the variety of talents, it’s evident this tradition will continue on successfully.
“Spotlight gives students a chance to express themselves [and] experience some of the talent they might not even know we had. It’s fun, entertaining, and there is always a great turnout,” Ajani said.
This year also marked the first time audience members were allowed to select their personal favorite performance; this prize went to Bria Woods and Caileen Tallant for their duet performance of James Bay’s “Let it Go.”
As an annual tradition, students interested in performing in next year’s Spotlight should look out for messages from the Student Programming Board containing registration info. There is plenty of time left to prepare for next year’s performances, so expect a captivating 2017 show.
