Hello KDI School!

Before we disappear into last-minute reading, final presentations and assignments, let’s cast our minds back to the recently concluded talent show. The excitement and cheers, the screams and ululations from last Friday's event in the conference hall still ring in my ears.

From the delicious buffet to the eloquent MCs, Charlotte and Bernadette (a.k.a The Rich Aunty), and the unforgettable, energetic, soul-soothing performances by all participants, it feels like the KDIS talent show should happen twice a semester.

Pasion Latina "took home" (or rather "took to the dorm") the grand prize of 500,000 KRW. I wish I were part of this group, but their dance moves and choreography were too intense for my old back.  

Princess Aurora (BLANOVSCHI, Valentina), the most beautiful girl, claimed second place with her mesmerizing performance. From "Smart" by Lesserafim to "Mi Gente," "Antifragile," "Water," and a jaw-dropping finale with "Standing Next to You," this princess from under the sea left the audience wanting more.

From Uganda, Africa came the African Glow, who showcased her love for Mama Africa with her outfit, makeup, and Lingala dance moves. She wowed the crowd and earned third place, taking home 150,000 KRW. I cheered so much for her that I lost my voice! I hope to be invited to celebrate and restore my voice with a cold drink down my throat and as a proud Ugandan sister.

Let’s hear from our winners about how they managed to deliver such amazing performances amidst the busy semester, their hours of practice, and their words of appreciation for the other performers. 

FIRST PRIZE: PASIÓN LATINA represented by MARIA DEL RIEGO, MDP 2023

How were the rehearsals? 

Once we formed the group, we organized ourselves according to our class schedules and agreed to meet twice a week for at least 4 hours to rehearse. I was in charge of doing the choreography and in rehearsals we all practiced it together. We all put a lot of effort into rehearsals.

Whose idea was it to perform as a group? Your outfit was fire. Your act was lit. Tell us all about it.

The idea came from everyone, in a meeting of all Latinos the desire to present ourselves as a group arose, so anyone who wanted to participate was more than welcome. To select the songs, since the first two dances come from the Dominican Republic, I presented various options and we did a vote, for the other two, I presented the option and submitted it to a vote.

For the outfit, makeup, hair, it was also a group conversation. We all agreed on what we should wear and looked for options that met the purposes we had. In addition to the choreography, we also worked a lot on expressions and energy, because our intention was for everyone to enjoy the Latin rhythm just like us.

How did you feel when you were announced the winners? A message for the other participants?  

We seriously couldn't believe it, the other groups were also very good, so the truth is we did not expect it, when they announced it was us, we really couldn't believe it. We are very happy that all the effort paid off.

To the other participants, let them know that we really enjoyed their performances, and that they should be proud of their efforts. To be honest, if we didn't win, we thought the winners would be the Philippine team. 

SECOND PRIZE: VALENTINA BLANOVSCHI, MPP, 2023 a.k.a VALENTINE

How were the rehearsals? 

I enjoyed them! It was tough, though, to put a performance together quickly since I had to pass the auditions, so the first 2 days, I spent 4 hours learning the dance moves and composing the dance all together with the gymnastics elements. Luckily, I had the music pretty much prepared before because I was thinking about this event before its announcement. The truth is, I wanted to make a show, not just participate. So I re-trained my elasticity very thoroughly (I am an ex-gymnast), and it was hard; my back still hurts.

How did you select the songs? Your outfit was fire. Your act was lit. Tell us all about it.

I approached my performance like "writing an essay." It had to have:

Introduction - "Smart" by Lesserafim

Body - "Mi Gente", "Antifragile", "Water"

And a nice jaw-dropping conclusion - "Standing Next to you"

I chose these songs as I wanted to tell a story about how I feel "Smarter" studying at this school, how it helped me become more resilient "Antifragile", and at the same time, I wanted to address the Latino and African communities, emphasizing our school's multiculturalism. As for the last song, I chose it because I felt that people would enjoy the vibe, and it was actually thanks to this song that I came up with the idea of the jacket and hat.

How did you feel when you were announced the winner? A message for the other participants?

When I was announced as the 2nd winner, of course, I was happy. I enjoyed performing so much, and it made me happy that people and the judges liked it too. I just hoped they would ask us to perform "the winners' performance" again as they usually do at contests. Because so many hours of training only for 4 minutes on the stage was not enough for me.

Message for other participants:

I really enjoyed all the performances, and I am super grateful that they brought a part of their culture and talent to the scene. Now we know more about each other, as well as our cultures.

THIRD PRIZE: NOUELLA ANASO, MPP, 2023 a.k.a AFRICAN GLOW

How were the rehearsals? Tell us about the time leading up to the talent show.

When the talent show was announced, I knew I wanted to create a memorable experience with some friends. I put together a three-part mix of African music from Cameroon, Kenya, and Congo. The beats inspired specific dance moves in my mind. However, I soon realized that I couldn’t bring these dance moves to life because my joints were incredibly stiff. After just a few steps, I would start sweating and feeling exhausted. In short, I needed to hit the gym!

During the second-to-last rehearsal, I was scheduled to follow Valentina’s act. Her performance was jaw-dropping, with all the flips, break dancing, and Michael Jackson moves! My throat instantly went dry, and my palms got sweaty. My rehearsal was terrible. I couldn’t recall some dance moves and felt terribly nervous. Then Salim rehearsed after me, and his voice was perfect and soothing.

I almost convinced myself to quit, but my friends Gloria, Florence, Bernadette, and Charlotte wouldn’t let me. They insisted there was no quitting. So, I kept going over the moves repeatedly. I had to stick it out! I spent Thursday night in the gym from about 1 am to 6 am. Thankfully, the final Friday rehearsal was much better and more encouraging.

How did you select the songs? Your outfit was fire, and your act was lit. Tell us all about it.

Aaaah, thank you, Gloria. I already had the concept and pieced my outfit together, but my dear friends Florence, Elizabeth, and Bernadette helped me perfect it. Bernadette also did my incredible make-up.

I assembled a three-part mix of African music from Kenya, Cameroon, and Congo. The first song's lyrics were a tribute to my grandmother, who passed away a week before the talent show. Her words have carried me through some of my toughest days over the last ten years. It hurt deeply that I couldn’t be there to say goodbye to her.

For that matter, the lyrics of the first song, “HABA HABA” by Stella Mwangi from Kenya, resonated with me deeply because they say: “When as a little girl, my grandma told me that I could be anything I wanted to. When as a little girl, my grandma told me that it’s the little things in life that will make you happy.”

The second song, “WAKA WAKA,” is a rendition by Shakira, but the original song, titled “Zangalewa,” was sung by Cameroonian military men during the fight for independence. Growing up in the 90s, this music always played in our homes. We loved it, especially those whose fathers served in the army.

The final part of the song was a beat from Congo. In the 90s, all African children danced to Congolese music. The sound of Congolese music brings instant joy. At the sound of that African drum, adults become children again, and their feet and waists begin to move.

How did you feel when you were announced the winner? Do you have a message for the other participants? 

My heart was already fulfilled when I was announced as the 3rd prize winner. My greatest joy was hearing the roar of friends and colleagues during the performance. My hope was for everyone to have fun and relieve stress. As soon as they started cheering, all the nerves lifted. They fueled the performance, and I thank them for that. The prize was only a cherry on top. I dedicate it to all my friends who have since become family through our shared struggles at KDIS.

All the acts were incredible. It was amazing to see a different side of my colleagues. I especially enjoyed the group acts because I love seeing families come together. I believe I saw all the members of the Filipino and Indonesian families on stage. I could only imagine how much fun they must have had during their group practices.

Salim’s act was such a shock to many people, perhaps because he is so tall. He was incredible. Valentina should add a dance routine to her policymaking because they will pass faster that way; she was simply amazing. Everyone should visit Fiji and the Maldives; Olivia brought us instant peace and grace with her act.