As Niven explained in his post yesterday, last night was the SCATS 2016 Talent Show. We were hoping for a night of entertainment of all varieties – and not a soul was disappointed!
Each year, the counselors select MC’s for the talent show. MC’s are chosen for their wit, good behavior, and leadership ability. This year, Emma Fridy, Cole LaDow, Sarah Pedersen, and Alex Pritchett were chosen to help organize and run our talent show. They worked together to provide smooth, clever transitional skits between acts, all the while poking gentle fun at their favorite counselors (notably Jacob Couch, veteran counselor and lover of fanny packs).
After an opening skit from the MC’s, the first act up was Emily Slaven singing a beautiful acapella duet of “Little Talks” with counselor Andi Dahmer. After 26 more acts, including a karate demonstration (Sayge Johnson), hip hop dance (Ezekiel Saloma), and a dramatic telling of Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Sydney Graham), Audrey Thacker and Mary Baker finished out the performances with a rousing rendition of “Fireflies.” It was a fitting end to the night when the lights dimmed, the audience rose to their feet with glowsticks in hand, and two counselors danced onstage with beach volleyballs and animal masks.
I knew the night was a success when those of my campers who had chosen to perform in the all-inclusive variety show ran over to the rest of the hall, beaming and gushing over how nervous they had been until they sang the first note. The rest of my campers wistfully remarked that they wished they had come up with something to perform. Everyone involved had a great time? Check. Everyone felt comfortable and encouraged to share what they loved? Check. Everyone was supportive and respectful of the performers? Check. Mission accomplished.