Performances draw crowd

A flag twirler, a ukulele player, a flautist, a pair of piano playing brothers and a couple of friends singing a song from a Disney classic were only a handful of the acts to take the stage at the fifth annual BC’s Got Talent on Saturday night.

The diversity of performances, according to master of ceremonies Justin Keogh, is one of the reasons BC’s Got Talent is the Friends of the Arts’ most popular event.

“This is easily by far our most popular event,” Keogh said. “Every year it’s getting better.”

Hundreds of residents sat outside at the Boulder City Library Amphitheater under the warm, night sky to watch the 18 performances in this year’s competition.

Nearly 40 people auditioned for the show, but only 18 made the cut. The contestants were broken down into three categories: child, youth and adult.

Brendan Aginiga and his younger sister Bailey took home third and second place, respectively, in the child category. Brendan opened the show with a “robot” dance, while Bailey danced to the song “A Little Party.”

A tie for first place between Isabella Leavitt and Julia Gomez featured two very different performances in the winner’s circle.

Leavitt sang, “When Will My Life Begin” from Disney’s “Tangled,” while Gomez serenaded the crowd as she played “La Siciliana” on the harp.

A myriad of acts took home the prizes in the youth category, as the audience was treated to three performances.

Sara Merritt sang an a capella version of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” while Kendra Bacon played the ukulele and sang the song “Rip Tide.”

But brothers Charles and Caleb Alger took home first place for their version of “Cancan.” The Alger brothers took turns playing the song in different keys on the piano as well as playing simultaneously. Then, they turned to face the audience, continued playing the song and danced the cancan.

The adults also provided an assortment of performances, something Keogh said has evolved as the years have gone by.

“This year we’ve had more variety than ever before,” he said. “It’s getting better, and even though we get repeat performances, they’ve become a lot more polished.”

Jack Saturday took home third place in the adult category for their performance of “God Bless the U.S.A.,” which closed the show, and Maureen Wheeler came in second for her flag-twirling performance that captivated the audience as she tossed her 6-foot flag straight in the air, only to catch it and spin it behind her back.

But it was David Nilsen and Jordan Honey who stole the show with their version of “Under the Sea” from Disney’s classic animated film “The Little Mermaid.”

Dressed in board shorts and summer shirts, the duo belted the famous Disney song, while Honey channeled his inner Louie Armstrong during his backup vocals, sending the crowd into an eruption of applause and laughter.

“It feels so amazingly cool,” Nilsen said about winning first place. “We started (performing) in 2011, so this year is a cool year.”

Nilsen, who credited his love for Disney movies as the catalyst for their winning performance, said he and Honey had been practicing their routine since February.

“I’m lovin’ it,” Honey said. “It was awesome.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of this story served as a judge in BC’s Got Talent.