— by Cara Russell —

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Stars cut out of cardboard, sparkling in blue, gold, and silver glitter, made the stage at the Grange an ideal setting for the 10th Annual Orcas Has Talent Junior Auditions that were held on Saturday, January 24, 2015. At 2pm, six young acts performed in the competition.

Four coaches, surrounded by score sheets and bottles of water, were ready to give their support and constructive feedback to the young performers. The coaches were: Susan Osborn, Jake Perrine, Karen Speck, and Ken Speck. Master of Ceremonies, Orcas High School student Ray Doss introduced the performers and produced off-the-cuff banter between acts.

Two long lime-green pillars of silk, hung from the ceiling with blue tumbling mats below, more than hinted at what was up first: silks by Anwyn Thompson and Naya Bullock. The girls were described by the coaches as brave, strong, agile, graceful, and nerve-racking to watch. “You scared the dickens out of me,” said Coach Ken Speck.

Destiny Wright sang ‘Little Me,’ a song with a huge message for young girls and boys. She left the coaches impressed and moved.

Shay Silva, nearly upstaging MC Doss, introduced her sister, Makena Silva. Makena played an original song she wrote. Both Silva sisters sat at the piano, their feet dangling from the bench, not quite yet long enough to reach the floor. Silva went deep, as she sang about looking at the stars and seeing our ancestors.

Burly Hildreth played Blue Boogie on the piano, a fast-paced and fun song. Let’s hope the boogie-woogie piano boy of Orcas Island continues to play for many years to come.

Aspen Vekved sang ‘I Got You,’ a song she clearly loves. This was Aspen’s first time performing alone on stage. Coach Osborn told her to keep singing, and to make sure that it is always for the right reason, “for the love and act of it.”

Lastly, Leo Miller, dressed in hip-hop attire, danced as though it were the first and last time at once. “A lot of guys are going to envy you, and the girls are gonna love you,” said Ken Speck.

“That’s the plan,” replied Leo.

Awards:

  • 1st Place & Best Moves and Grooves: Leo Miller
  • Most Original: Anwyn Thompson
  • Most Dynamic: Naya Bullock
  • Most Inspiring: Destiny Wright
  • Boogie Woogie: Burley Hildreth
  • Most Artistic: Makena Silva
  • Most Moving: Aspen Veckved

First place winner Miller will be competing at the Adult competition on February 7th at the Orcas Center.

The money raised from all three Orcas Has Talent events will benefit the high school leadership program Point Blank led by Julie Pinardi, who partnered with Orcas Open Arts for this event.

President of Orcas Open Arts, Donna Laslo summed the event up in a nice metaphor. “Orcas Has Talent is like a greenhouse. Every time these kids come up on stage, they grow,” said Laslo.

Point Blank is a chapter of the national organization called SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) whose mission is to provide students with the best prevention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, drug use, risky and impaired driving, and other destructive decisions.

The event yesterday shows that Orcas definitely has talent, but more importantly, Orcas has a supportive community.

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