“Orcas Has Talent” Will Bring Saturday Night to Life on Feb. 5!

Last Saturday evening, 15 Orcas Island acts performed before a panel of all new judges in the competition for finalists for the 2011 “Orcas Has Talent” contest. The contest will take place on Saturday evening Feb. 5, and is a traditional showcase for island talent and for the work of the Orcas Island Prevention Partnership.

The judge sreflected the mixed bag of talent with director and actor, Robert Hall; film writer and producer, Janet Brownell; rock performer, Ronna Myles-Era (junior competition); and Anita Orne (auditions) who plays for the Olga Symphony and JP and the OK Rhythm Boys. The judges were both appreciative and encouraging in their assessment of each performance. They had the difficult task of choosing finalists and awarding them eight golden tickets at the conclusion of Saturday evening’s auditions.

Out of 15 acts, eight finalists will go on to compete for a $500 cash prize at the Orcas Center on February 5.

The acts performing were:

• Rene Sturk, performing a contemporary dance  to “Hometown Glory” by Adelle
• Jason Kraayveldt  singing “Apologize” by One Republic
• Kelsey Whitaker singing, “I Miss You” by Miley Cyrus
• Jason Dean singing “Just Breathe” by Pearl Jam
• Stacy Taylor dancing to “All That Jazz”
• Gary Bauder singing original composition

In addition, the selected finalists, who will perform on Feb 5, were:

• the band”Practice Makes Awesome” playing “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. The band was made up of  Jessica Gudgell, Emmy and Lisa Carter (all former Idol Junior Winners), Julia Bailey, Kellen Comrie,  and Christian Bailey.
• Marlene Dickey – Guitarist and song writer, playing a Tracy Chapman song
• Carl Burger – banjo player and humorous song writer, singing “Whoa, Mule, Whoa!”
• Marissa Veldman – Singer, a finalist from last year, singing “You Got Me” by Colbie Caillat
• Zack Edwardson – Guitar player and  composer,playing an original composition
• Laura Ludwig & Charles Dalton  – Dancers to “Liberation” by Jutkast
• Susan Weiss, jazz singer, also a finalist from last yearMikaela Hansen, the winner of the Junior Competition at the Grange last Saturday afternoon,  has decided to compete against the older group.New to this year’s final line-up is a short film by Donna Laslo, coordinator for “Orcas Has Talent,” who believes there are many special talents around Orcas. Whether you can wiggle your ears, juggle oranges or impersonate Donald Duck, Laslo intends to capture these special talents when she goes around town with her camera.

  Portofino Pizzeria is providing  a delicious pizza, fresh green salad, and foaccia bread at the Orcas Has Talent  preshow dinner at 5 PM at the Orcas Center for 60 show goers.   Tickets must be purchased a week in advance of the show at Darvill’s where OHT tickets are on sale or by calling 376-2596 and leaving a message.