Liberty High School is filled with talent from singing to dancing. On the 21st of November, Liberty hosted its annual talent show. This year, Liberty had a total of 15 acts ranging from impeccable musical performances all the way to the Freshman pie in the face. In regards to the crowd, I think it might’ve been our best yet. This year the talented performers definitely showed out, and the crowd cheered them along every step of the way. The Liberty talent show was presented by the Senior Class SCA and hosted by seniors, Charles Miller, Emma Michnya, and junior Ivy Cavins.
The first act was performed by post-grad student Max Smith-Levin. Max played a wonderful rendition of “Turkish March” and “The Peanuts Song” on his keyboard and the crowd was astonished. Max is a blind student here at Liberty, so his performance definitely wowed the crowd. When interviewing the crowd, senior Evan Perry said that Max’s performance was his favorite of the show.
Act two was featured senior Naqui Francis when he sang a cover of “Free Me” by Anees. Naqui is an amazing performer here at Liberty who strives to make it big in the entertainment industry. Naqui is a fan favorite here at Liberty as he shows off his amazing musical talents. At the end of his performance, Naqui made it known that he actually messed up and improvised during his performance. If he wouldn’t have mentioned this, no one would have even known this to be true, showing that Naqui is an amazing performer who is dedicated to his craft.
The next act was performed by Rick Perreault. In Rick’s performance he played his electric guitar with fierce control. Rick played a song called “Might Get Loud” by Elevation Worship which is a religious worship group. Rick often plays his guitar before football games and gladly took the opportunity to show off his skills again at the talent show. His rendition was strong, powerful, and properly represented the religious power he was trying to show to the crowd.
Act five brought together members of the cheerleading team and Liberty’s Champions Together program. Each year Cheer and Champs put on a dance performance at the talent show. It usually consists of the cheer team doing a quick routine and then Champions together members join in for a fun line dance. This year they did the “Monkey Swang Line Dance”. Many people have never seen this line dance before so it made the crowd get hype!
Act six was a musical duet to the song “Dear Theodosia” by Lin Manuel Miranda. Cassie Shaidt and Isabella Parks sang a beautiful cover of Manuel Miranda’s song from the Hamilton musical, perfectly capturing the essence of the song while also adding in their own quirks. The crowd loved this performance as there were many Hamilton fans that recognized the beautiful song.
Act seven was performed by members of the Liberty color guard. Jamie and Aubrey Smith did an amazing color guard style dance to the song “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims. They threw prop rifles and swung gorgeous flags with ease. Their performance helped give the Liberty color guard more recognition as their job is not easy. After the talent show, Senior Savion Smith said that their performance was his favorite.
The next act was performed by Yandel Nivarro Rodriguez who sang a beautiful cover of the song “All I Ask” by Adele. Yandel performed in the talent show last year and the crowd was definitely excited to see him back. “It was nerve wracking performing in front of a crowd but also fun because you get a lot of support from random people,” Yandel said. After his performance, there were tears and chills in the crowd. “I like Adele because she is in my vocal range. I also like how Adele has such powerful songs and her lyrics really mean something to people,” he said.
Rick Perreault returned for another act, this time joined by Isla Terusiak, Laelia Wantuck, and Jonathan Farr where they performed “Goodbye Yesterday” by Elevation Rhythm. Their performance was very moving and they even got the crowd involved by clapping and stopping. If they were nervous, you could not tell at all. They sang and played guitar with such fierce energy and courage that you would think they’re professionals.
The next segment was not a talent, but instead a fundraiser put on by the Freshman Class SCA. This fundraiser was called “Pie in the Face” where students all week voted by money donations for which teacher they wanted to be pied in the face at the talent show. In the end, the winner, or rather the teacher that was forced to be pied in the face was Mrs. Laine. Mrs. Laine is a beloved math teacher and also swim coach at Liberty. When it came down to the final moments before she was pied, Mrs. Laine put on her swim cap and goggles causing the crowd to roar with laughter.
Following Pie in the Face was junior, Anna Snyder, performing a baton dance to “Brought the Heat Back” by ENHYPEN. Let’s just say, if you were cold before her performance, you could definitely tell Anna brought the heat back with the amount of energy and creativity in her dance. Baton Dance is something we haven’t seen at Liberty before, so it was a really exciting moment for Anna.
The next act was performed by sophomore, Aliezah Pinnock. Aliezah sang a beautiful cover of “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar ft. H.E.R. Because cell phones are banned in Virginia schools, students in the crowd
used their chromebooks as flashlights, creating a super wholesome moment for Aliezah. This trend continued in the following acts, which made smiles cover the gym.
The following act was a Duet to the song “Space Between” by the Descendants Cast. Sophomores, Liberty Koval and Amaya Gordon, sang with heart and really showed great values of friendship throughout their performance, properly capturing the essence and meaning of their song. “I think that the talent show is a good fundraiser and you get to share with the school what you like to do and what you’re passionate about, while also maybe encouraging others to try something new and step out of their comfort zone,” Amaya stated.
The next act was another musical performance, but instead of singing or playing the guitar, seniors, Cooper Dodson and Kelvan Hayley performed “Classica Duet”. Both gentlemen are members of the band at Liberty and definitely wowed the crowd with their skills. Hopefully people in the crowd will see them perform on stage at the next band concert!
The final act was performed by Scarlett Mortenson. Scarlett sang the song “Save Me” by Jelly Roll while simultaneously playing her guitar. Not only were Scarlett’s vocal skills amazing, but her guitar skills were too. Scarlett’s performance was not only powerful, but soft spoken, really causing the crowd to engage in the lyrics of the song. Scarlett’s act was a great one to end the show.
Or so it seemed.
Just when the audience thought the night had ended, a surprise flashmob broke out. Heather Trijo, Vicki Lillard, Angela Cushing, Corynne Dunnaway, Eric McCaslin, Alex Thompson, Emily Tavarez, Jordyn Wampler, Charles Miller, Trisha Heidersheidt, Yandel Nivarro Rodriguez, Kylie Fazenbaker, Kenzie Kettler, Devy’i Ford, Denisse Estudillo, Kaelin Schmitz, Kenya Sandoval, Jayden Flanagan-Webster, and Davyn Guskiewicz performed a flashmob dance to the song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. No one was expecting this performance so the crowd was ecstatic. “At first the steps were difficult, but after practicing for a few weeks, the steps got easy and it was really exciting to perform for everyone,” stated senior Charles Miller.
Sadly, the flashmob was the end of the talent show, but everyone had so much fun. Each performer poured their heart into their act, showing courage and pride as they stepped into the spotlight. The audience responded with cheers, smiles, and endless support. Overall, the talent show created an atmosphere of inclusivity, where every performer felt valued and celebrated for their individuality.
