Lights! Camera! Action! On February 7th, 2022, Morris Hills presented its first live GT Showcase since the pandemic hit like a tidal wave. In previous showcases, the entire school was allowed to attend, but this year attendance rate was limited to 300 as Morris Hills took precautionary social distancing measures to limit the spread of Covid-19. 

Last year for the 2020-2021 showcase, Mrs. Bauer, the coordinator of the GT program, accepted  auditions via submitted videos. The accepted videos were edited into a virtual showcase, and shared with the MH audience. Though the virtual showcase made the best out of the pandemic situation, this year, everyone was very excited to get back to a “normal” showcase, complete with a live audience. Even though some audience members still had to watch through the livestream link, the showcase was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

Throughout the show, Morris Hills was met with a dazzling array of performances from dancing to vocals to other musical performances. Hosted by seniors Logan Bruno and Caroline Cote, the showcase was kicked off by a band called ‘The Beatles.’ Band members Luca Abate and Andrew Weathersby hyped up the audience and set an energetic tone for the rest of the showcase. The Women’s Chorale followed with their performance, singing an uplifting piece, titled “Landslide.” Next, a “Star Wars” medley performed by an MH string ensemble featured a breathtaking battle between the string sections with melodies flowing back and forth. The lights the musicians had attached to their bows added to the mesmerizing effect. Though the ensemble featured both red and blue lights, the conductor’s baton glowed red. Let’s hope the dark side didn’t overtake the music department!

Following the ensemble groups, Keiry Coreas delivered an inspiring performance of “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman”. Then, the performance shifted to the dance portion of the showcase. Bhuvi Thanneru performed a beautiful traditional Indian dance, in a style known as Bharatanatyambharatanatyam. Hiba Khan also performed a cultural dance, stunning the audience with an amazing performance. Ava Moreno and Kyle Berdin also performed with solo acts. These seasoned dancers returned to the stage with fierce performances, much to the excitement of the MH audience. Kyle Berdin played to the audience, throwing his hat into the crowd and getting them so hyped up that everyone was cheering like crazy by the end of it!

After being amazed by energetic dance performances, the musicians and soloists swept the stage. Acts performed by Koda Gursoy, Katie Lanzerotti, Diana Nichvoloda, Ella Malatesta, and Brie Milovic kept the audience entranced. Diana played a highly intricate, complex piece on piano, titled “Liebestraum No.3.” Ella wowed the audience with her remarkable singing skills, accompanied by Brie on piano as they performed a phenomenal cover of “Turning Tables” by Adele. Koda presented an original song, called “This Flight.” Gursoy’s piece was a beautiful and  a heartfelt song, written about trying to help someone trying to prevent a suicide after it happened to someone they knew. It was a touching performance, applauded by all. Finally, the band called ‘The Classic Humans’ wrapped up the showcase, with seniors Luke Mattessich, Dylan Morris, and Matt Olson. Dedicating their performance to Adam Azar, they put on a spectacular performance, singing songs from the Beatles like “Twist and Shout,” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”  

This year’s GT showcase was phenomenal.  Ms. Bauer said her  “philosophy is to have students run things” with the goal “to entertain and inform the audience.”  Her philosophy worked out this year, as our MH students put on a show of true artistry and determination in the Hills auditorium. Next year, we hope to see a fresh batch of talent, and Morris Hills will undoubtedly rise to the challenge.