BYU students have talent

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Bright Bollywood music played and sequins spun at the Varsity Theatre during the opening act of BYU’s Got Talent on Wednesday.

Students watched their peers sing a Chinese rap, tell jokes and solve a Rubik’s cube in exactly two minutes and 15 seconds. Sounds of a mandolin, a ukulele, a piano and several unique voices were heard among the variety acts of the night, and free T-shirts were thrown into the crowd during breaks in performances.

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Andrew Justvig performs stand up comedy at BYU’s Got Talent Wednesday night. Andrew won the top prize with his routine.

A crowd favorite was Andrew Justvig’s comedy routine. Justvig has cerebral palsy and has conquered it by becoming an independent walker and improving his speech. He joked about his condition during his routine, saying some people feel bad for him because of his condition. His response: “You don’t know how much stuff I get away with.”

Another performer, Katherine Roemer, played the ukulele and sang an original song, “Sunrise.”

“I love the crowd,” Roemer said. “They had a really good energy. I just love performing at BYU.”

Jillian Hale, a singer/songwriter, also performed an original song and played guitar, which she said she recently picked up over the summer.

“I am looking for a chance for people to hear my music,” Hale said. “I use every chance I get to perform.”

A panel of three judges commented after each performer. First- and second- place winners were determined through a decibel reader as the audience cheered for their favorite performer of the night. Third place was determined by the judging panel.

Several of the performers received standing ovations, but nothing compared to the noise that erupted when it was time to cheer for Justvig. Justvig came away with first place for his comedy routine. Roemer won second place with her original song and Supriya Singh Kanyal’s Bollywood routine won third place.

“It felt great to get out there and have fun,” Justvig said. “I don’t care about winning, I just want to have fun.”

BYU’s Got Talent is a chance for students to see their peers in a slightly different way, said Glo Kamae, program coordinator. She said there have always been a lot of really talented students at BYU; in past year’s there have been yo-yo experts, a beat boxer, an interpretive dancer, magic acts and comedians.

The preliminary round winners will perform a second time in the finale of BYU’s Got Talent on Dec. 7.

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