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Sophomores Timmy Chan and Bryan Lee sing and play guitar in the talent show.

The crowd held their breath as they watched freshman Katherine Barbano tap dance, her performance imbued with focus and elan. As the curtains closed and the lights dimmed the audience met the end of the act with uproarious applause.

On Friday, April 10, the Class of 2015 held a school-wide talent show featuring 26 performances including Taylor Swift mash ups, renditions and parodies of mainstream songs, bhangra and a plethora of other acts. Members of the faculty served as judges. For her tap dancing routine Barbano garnered first place for the individual category.

“I was definitely not expecting to win-everyone was really good. There is so much talent at Jefferson,” Barbano said.

Seniors Maya Chung and Austin Chen took home second place for rapping in sign language while seniors Charles Chen, James Jung and Kayvon Tabrizi earned third place for dancing and singing to “Happy” and “I See Fire” In the group events Swing Dance Team secured first place.

Masters of Ceremonies seniors Andrew Haymaker, Sriram Iyer and Misha Ryjik also added to the experience through humorous and occasionally self-deprecating routines. The organizers also played an integral role in ensuring the night went according to plan. Despite facing some issues in the preparations for the event as well as during it, the night went smoothly for the most part.

“We had issues setting up the microphones and audio during the 8th period rehearsal, which wasted a lot of time at the beginning of A Block,” senior Helen Zhang, the organizer of the event, said. “The groups had to use their own speakers to practice. Charles Chen, James Jung, and Kayvon Tabrizi’s performance took a while to get ready because Kayvon had a loop pedal and amp to connect.”

Performers also faced issues of their own, having to manage working practices into already hectic schedules. Prior to the show many students were seen scrambling to perfect their routines and squeeze in last minute practice sessions

“It was somewhat difficult to juggle practice and other commitments,” freshman Maya Parker said. “I had to find time to practice during the day, either during lunch or eight period, because I did not have time after school.

The Jefferson Talent show was a successful attempt to showcase the talents of Jefferson students.

“I would really enjoy doing talent show next year. It was a wonderful experience this and I would love to do it again,” Barbano said.