‘Tis the season for Morris Hill’s finest to show off their hidden talents. The annual GT showcase is a place where students can display their skills to their fellow classmates. This year the showcase had many talented performers who captures everyone’s interest. Some of the acts included singing, dancing, playing an instrument, and even magic tricks. For many, this was their first time performing in front of a crowd, but whether they were newcomers or veterans, all of the participants looked very comfortable on stage. Based on the audience’s cheers, it was easy to tell that the performers blew the crowd away. With Will Taitel contributing as a captivating host, this year’s showcase was undoubtedly a success.

This was a debut for many. Sophomore Virginia Wei said that she was inspired to try out for the showcase because she “saw the talent show last year when [she] was a freshman and thought it’d be cool to try out.” The showcase was a also a big stepping stone for senior Anthony Sarmiento. Anthony (a.k.a Ant Block) rapped a piece that he created. He looked very comfortable on stage and was able to involve the crowd despite the fact that it was his very first time performing in front of so many people. Junior Shalaka Madge was another first-time performer, who saw the showcase freshman year and wanted to show her singing and guitar abilities.

Others, like junior Carlie Lalo, have performed on stage before. She said, “I wanted to participate because I love and miss being on stage. Someday I want to perform in front of a bunch of people; this is just a small step until I actually get there.” Lalo performed a medley of songs on the ukulele, including “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” “Tonight,” “Uptown Funk,” “Stitches,” and “Blank Space.” She did not seem nervous on the day of the performance, saying that she prepared by practicing in front of her friends. For senior Matt Marek, senior Mustafa Salim, senior Shiv Khare, and sophomore Rachel Savoca, this wasn’t their first time performing in front of their student body. Last year, Marek impressed that crowd with his astonishing magic tricks, and he was able to blow our minds again this year. This was Rachel Savoca’s second year performing a dance routine. She performed an entertaining tap routine to the song “American Pie”. Shiv Khare once again stunned that audience with his fantastic glow stick light show, and Mustafa also flabbergasted the audience when he played a piece he composed himself on the piano.

To wrap up the showcase, the band Catfox, which features Luke Greg, Ian McNally, Alex Pai, and Kevin McNally, performed two songs, “Santeria” by Sublime and a song Catfox wrote themselves called “Crescendo.” This was their first time playing in front of a large crowd, and they hope to perform more in the future. The GT showcase was a great success this year due to courage of the performers and the excitement of the crowd.