by Miguel Cruz on 2014-03-19
There was something for everyone as students at Grand Terrace High School (GTHS) wowed guests with performance after performance during the 2nd annual Titans Got Talent (TGT) competition and talent show. The event was organized by one of the emcees of the night, Jakob Parra and his ASB advisor, Leilani Bautista. He and his co-host Kathryn Lucano entertained the crowd as they introduced each talent show contestant.
The show featured choreographed dance pieces, such as the performance by Milana Givens, some solo and duet vocal performances such as the one by Jenna Chapman and Samantha Delgado, as well as several rock bands.
Haley Jo Marr, Sydney Wells, and Ashley Page opened the event with a captivating dance performance. Jonathan Guerra, the 2013 TGT winner performed next, with a beat box performance complete with dubstep and a Donald Duck impersonation that drew giggles from the crowd.
Energetic Kyeem Harris, who is part of GTHS's hip hop club, Marquis, performed a dance piece with the heavy rap song "Black Skin Head" by Kanye West.
Ho Hey was the song Mikayla Martinez and Jared Minajares chose for their performance.
The Daniel Avila Band provided the guttural screams, strong guitar solos, punk-inspired attire, and energetic blast beats for the Metal fans. People cheered for Jose Duran when he covered a Mexican classic by Marco Antonio Solis. The Oldies were not forgotten, as Joyce Simson sang "Love Me Tomorrow", and and Enrique Serrano performed "We Belong Together".
"Get ready to have 50 students on the stage!" said the hosts, as Ms. Wilson's class came out to perform "The Cup Song," which consisted of the students using red plastic cups as percussion to go along with Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone".
Adrian Alcantar and Gizelle Meza sang "Cough Syrup" in honor of Anti-Bullying Week. "Stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves!" Gizelle Meza said, receiving a standing ovation.
Although the cover songs were plentiful, several students also debuted their original songs at the event. Angel Caceres performed his reggae influenced romantic rap, "Sweet Love", and Nathan Aguilar was backed up by a band consisting of Daniel Miller and Salvador Salinas, as Aguilar rapped his original lyrics over the melody of "Handlebars" by Flobots.
Some of the performances did not enter the competition, such as the choreographed piece by Dance Dimensions, a dance studio from Grand Terrace that has been around 14 years. Reagan Brinker sang "All of Me" by John Legend, and dedicated it to her boyfriend.
The event would not have been complete without a little romance, as co-host Lucano was surprised with a performance by Oslin Licea, who sang and played the ukelele for her, and then in front of the whole audience asked her to go to prom with him. "Yes!" Lucano answered to the delight of the crowd.
The moment finally came for judges Julia Park, Reza Mohajer, and Cherie Boucher to reveal this year's winners of the TGT competition. Capri Adams won 3rd place for her captivating performance of "Suit & Tie/Latch/Almost Never Enough." Second place prize was awarded to Elizabeth Segura, who sang and played the piano for her original composition "Just Smile". The crowd burst into cheer as the 1st place winners did an encore performance. Robert Lopez and Ejay Tumulak's hip hop and popping dance routine to the songs "Heartbreaker", "Nae Nae" and "Cinema" got them the spot.
An emotional 16-year-old Segura reminded her school mates and youth everywhere to never give up. "Keep going no matter what, and make your message a positive one!" Segura, who wrote her first song when she was only 6-years-old shared.