Students from West Sedona School and Sedona Charter School took to the stage on the afternoons of Thursday, April 11, and Friday, April 12, respectively, to showcase their students’ artistic and performance abilities as part of the first annual “Sedona’s Got Talent” competition. The performances are hosted by Parangello Players.

“‘Sedona’s Got Talent’ is something that the [WSS] theatre instructor Jennifer Braden and I came up with for a talent competition between the two schools,” Parangello Players president Elyce Monet said.

“It is to help kids express themselves, learn how to be in front of an audience and help them find their special talent.”

Modeled after “America’s Got Talent,” the competition was judged by Monet, Danielle Glick and Braden and Sara Horton, who scored each student’s performance and awarded a first prize of $100, a second prize of $50 and a third prize of $25 for each school’s competition.

The top 10 acts from each school received a trophy and will now move on to a grand finale competition that will be held at the Sedona Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. Admission to the show will be free. The student who takes first place in the final round will be recognized with an additional school trophy that will be displayed in their school’s office until the 2025 competition.

Sedona Charter School

Kiana Christophersen took first place with her contortionist act, with second place going to Lilu Cordova’s dance performance of “Once Upon a December.” 

The fifth grade dance troupe of The Trigger Sisters, composed of Satya Marcaccini, Mina Sakimoto, Chloe Manley, Mia Humfreville and Isla Berry, earned third place with a choreographed routine to Megan Trainer’s song “Made You Look.”

“Anyone can achieve their goals, it’s just the practice that matters,” 11-year-old Christophersen responded when asked following her contortion routine if a 40- year old journalist could also learn to shoot a bow and arrow with his feet like she did.

“I am very surprised, I just worked really hard and I feel so grateful for it. [I’ve been doing] contortion for about two years,” Chrisopherson said. “I saw a video online and I was like, ‘Oh, cool, I want to do that.’ I kept training and kept training and I definitely got to my goals. I practice a few times a week, a few [stretches] every day.”

The finalists from Sedona Charter School are Emerson Cain, Leila Flores, Flint Jones, Sacha Loup and Aria Weed with individual acts, and dancers Spire Krchenr, Valentina Marcaccini and Opal Bassett, singers Nathalia Silebi and Daisy Meeks, and dancers Ashylnn Doyle and Bella M. Barre with group acts. Because of a tie, all of the Sedona Charter School performers will be moving on to the finals.

“We decided on ‘Made You Look’ because it fit the energy of our dance and we really liked the sass and the personality and we practice every day at school when we see each other,” Marcaccini said.

“I was 5 when I got into [pantomiming] and I saw it on TV,” Jones said. “What got me into it is that you can kind of be anything you wanted and do anything you want.”

“I have to share that there were tears backstage,” Monet said. “We had a couple of acts that had to switch [their performance slot] because they were anxious, but in spite of all of those nerves they got out here and performed brilliantly.”

West Sedona School

Coming in first place at WSS was 10-year-old Yazleen Lopez with her rendition of Adel’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” followed by Pepper Marschall’s recitation of her poem “Aurora Borealis.” George Luntraru’s karate with a bo staff routine earned third place.

“I’ve been singing for three years,” Lopez said. “I mostly sing Mexican music. But every single week I try to learn a different song. I write it in a notebook and I start learning it … but I haven’t decided what I’m learning next week yet.” 

“‘The Voice’ is where you need to go, kid,” one of the adults in attendance told Lopez after the show.

The WSS finalists are Louis Bourque, Judah Bruesch, Ivy Epperson, Athena Fox Graham, Gabriel Ragan, Ellie Rodola, Orion Roll, Brenda Rosas, Wylenn Segle and Savia Spyra.

Some of the students took the opportunity to showcase some talents outside of performance, with Roll displaying his abstract expressionist work “The Yellow Background” on stage during his performance. “Yellow is one of my favorite colors,” Roll said.

“I’ve been practicing for the last four weeks singing a song that we made up,” Rodola said.

Other WSS students who showcased their talents to their peers, parents and staff included Calin Christopher, Cali Lewis, Jaylah Maldonado, Jose Molina, Lillian Morrison, Sophia Pallarez, Sophia Sablan, Crux Segle and Alex and Andrew Telenha.

“We want the community to come out and support them because they’re doing this to learn about themselves,” Monet said. “It’s been dramatic watching their growth … They’ve worked diligently and put together quite a show.”