This year’s American Idol contestants
David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado might be good, but they can’t hold a candle to the talent here at NCC. After all, did you ever hear an American Idol sing in Japanese or perform a comedy-dance skit that had the audience cracking up? If you missed NCC Idol on May 2, you missed out on all this and more!
The talented student singers and dancers performed for a panel of three judges: Mario Acerra, professor of communications/theatre, Julia Shade, instructor of communications/theatre, and Charles Barhight, professor of business/accounting. After performing, the students were critiqued by the judges, who were responsible for choosing the winners.
Up first was Maggie Zhang, who performed Kelly Clarkson’s hit “A Moment Like This.” She was commended by the judges for starting the show off with a confident performance. Stephen Serra (pictured left) sang a powerful rendition of “Lady Marmalade” and had the audience cheering as well as garnering accolades from the judges. Katie Wheeler chose to sing “Part of Your World” from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid a cappella. The judges told her she had an aptitude for musical theatre.
Dancers Keith Alford and Isaias Rosa (pictured right) took to the floor and wowed the crowd with their flips and tricks. Three brave audience members were called up to help out. They got down on their knees and one of the dancers somersaulted over all three of them in one leap!
The judges really liked the fact that Joel Potts performed an original song that he wrote himself. Lamar Miller changed it up by singing a love song – in Japanese! He was credited for choosing a song that would have been challenging in any language.
The crowd – and the judges – were blown away by Ja Lessa Dalam, who sang a cappella. “Your technique was flawless and powerful,” Acerra remarked. “You were absolutely on key.”
Shade said the performance “sounded marvelous” and Barhight had one word: “wow.”
After a short intermission, the Jam Dancers (left) kicked off the second half of the show with their combination of stepping and comedy bits. They cracked the crowd up with their sketches that utilized both physical comedy and props.
Before he began, Marvin Brown dedicated his performance to his mother, who was in the audience. Marvin covered Mario’s “Let Me Love You” and was a crowd favorite. The judges commented on his soulful voice. “He studies accounting, that’s where his soul comes from,” Barhight joked.
Kristine Donlon’s powerful voice drew praise from the judges. “I want your voice!” Shade said.
“How Could an Angel Break My Heart” was sung by Marian Veley. “You have a natural voice,” Acerra commented.
Kelly Quinn (right) closed the show with her rendition of “Bleeding Love.” She was complimented on both her song choice and her vocals.
Winners were announced in two categories: dance and vocals. Keith Alford and Isaias Rosa took top honors in the dance category, with the Jam Dancers coming in second. Ja Lessa Dalam won first place for her a cappella song, and Kristine Donlon earned second for her performance.
Winners Ja Lessa Dalam and Kristine Donlon.
Diana Hernandez was the energetic emcee of the event, which was sponsored by the Hispanic American Cultural Club, the International Student Organization, and Team Act 101. She surprised the audience by doing a lively belly-dance at the end of the show.
“It was hard to put it all together,” Diana, who is also HACC president, said. “We worked together. I had wonderful people helping me and they made this happen.”
From left to right: Maggie Zhang, Katie Weller, Kelly Quinn, Marvin Brown, Marian Veley, Kristine Donlon, and Joel Potts
From left to right: Ja Lessa Dalam, Lamar Miller, Maggie Zhang, and Katie Weller
