Lydenburg’s Got Talent a lavish, sparkling event
Lights, camera, action... tomorrow's stars.
To experience the joy and power of a live production on stage, is more than just choreographed steps and costumes decorated with sequins!
More than a hundred dancers, singers, pianists and aspiring actors took to the stage over three days, their excited parents waiting in the wings and adrenaline filling the air. Lydenburg’s Got Talent showcased performers with courage and an abundance of talent last week.
It kicked off with a stage introduction class by actor and singer Ian Roberts on Tuesday August 16. Contestants had the opportunity to become familiar with the stage – some of them had never performed in front of a live audience.
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Over the course of the next two days, Wednesday and Thursday August 17 and 18, various genres of the entertainment industry were showcased. The event was organised by the Rosemarie Middleton Dance Centre (RMDC) and hosted at Hoërskool Lydenburg. Middleton and Brendan McLaren (co-organiser and dance instructor) invited judges who were impartial and were assisted by a group of volunteers backstage.
The judges were Jan Neethling, Elsabé Malan and Ian Roberts. Local artist Pieter Krügel judged the visual arts in which learners drew, painted and sculptured a variety of artworks and even entered extraordinary photography. The contestants with the highest scores took to the stage again at the gala event on Saturday August 20. The celebrity judge for the evening was Salome Sechele. She is a former SA Latin champion dancer, actor, choreographer, dance teacher and national adjudicator.
As a special surprise, the master of ceremonies on Saturday, Jacques Lombard from Mbombela, captivated the audience with his rendition of hits from The Greatest Showman, among other songs. Elsabé Malan and Rochelle du Preez were the guest artists for the evening. Malan, also an adjudicator during the week, performed a special classical ballet. Du Preez won a year’s bursary at the RMDC at Lydenburg’s Got Talent 2018 and is currently a student at the Hope School of Arts in Johannesburg.
The 2022 winner of the RMDC bursary was Ceane Meeser. Middleton said, “Ceane is one of those children who actually says thank you when we correct her mistakes.”
The winners were: Ilse Roos (dance winner), Lianie Luies (dance runner-up), Cheru Swart (vocal winner), Ilanca van Wyk (vocal runner-up), Estralita Special School (best choir), Jada Hamman (instrumental winner), Irene Verster (instrumental runner-up), Ngabile Mafane (speech and drama winner), Sunél Joubert (speech and drama winner up), Anke Louise van der Nest (physically challenged winner), Party Rock dance (overall best junior performance), Celtic Dance Group (overall best senior performance), Ilse Roos (versatility award winner), Tebo Simelane (personality award winner), Louné Esser (most promising junior dancer), Illezy Spies (most promising senior dancer), Ernst van der Merwe (junior most promising artist) and Shawn van Heerden (senior most promising artists), and Christelle and Christo Fuls (student choreography winners). The creative arts winners were Beate du Toit (seniors) and Ruhan Broekman (juniors). The judges decided to give Tebo the best personality award for a special hip-hop routine at the gala event.
“There aren’t enough words to adequately thank the amazing team that worked so effectively in putting together Lydenburg’s Got Talent 2022. Thank you to our main sponsor, A&E Switch, for their generous sponsorship, and Hoërskool Lydenburg for allowing us to host the event at this amazing school. The team of volunteers who worked behind the stage, the ladies who made costumes and did the make-up and hair, and the wonderful snacks and meals that were prepared. Thank you also to all our trophy sponsors. And thank you to our wonderfully acclaimed panel for judging the magnificent talent Lydenburg has to offer, not forgetting the charming compère, Jacques Lombard,” said Middleton.
See more photos here (the week leading up to the gala event):
Gala event and prize-giving gallery:
