As the curtains drew back and the lights hit history teacher Mike Gianelli, the long-awaited annual Talent Show commenced, featuring more than 10 student and teacher acts. The night of Feb. 4, 2026 was filled with anticipation as the performers took to the auditorium stage. Singers, dancers, cheerleaders, guitarists and even a hypnosis act dazzled the crowd.
Opening the talent show, Gianelli played guitar and sang an original song, “Island Hopping Blues”, covering world history topics that he covers in his classes. The crowd went wild for the popular teacher and his songs, starting off the show with a bang.
“I [was mostly] looking…forward to Gianelli’s performance,” senior Mia Martinez said.
The emcee’s followed, seniors Naima Dickerson and Nicolas Faught, hyping up the crowd and preparing for the rest of the show. The Buena dance team took the stage next with a high-energy performance to keep the fun going.
Following the dance team, a series of singers and duet dance numbers dazzled the audience. Senior Tegan Farnesworth, Rae Alvarez and freshman Scarlett White all performed songs ranging from pieces by Adele to Vicente Fernandez. The wide variety of songs made every performance unforgettable.
Dancers junior Breena Elliott and sophomore Soren Bentancourt took the stage with a dancing duet to Tyler, the Creator, making for a unique performance for the lovebirds.
To close the first half of the show, senior Giselle Medina performed a hypnosis skit with ASB members. The audience chuckled as the students fell asleep and woke up not knowing where they were or speaking in gibberish. Applause erupted, and act one officially came to a close.
After 10 minutes of pictures, congratulating friends and grabbing snacks, the show was back on the road! Kicking off the second act was senior Haeun Puengrod singing “Before He Cheats”, followed by freshman Eric Garcia rapping “Heartless” and finally junior Lily Beck singing “Jackie and Wilson”. The soloists wowed and kept the crowd engaged as the show transitioned into the cheer team performance.
With two more singing performances from junior Dominick Sharif and senior Jazmmn Viot-Preciado, the night was packed with talent.
“The experience was nerve wracking but very fun,” Viot-Preciado said. “There were some students that I didn’t even know could sing or dance, so it was a great surprise and to see everyone’s performances was really cool.”
A special melody played on guitar by freshman Grace Hespenheide created a calm atmosphere to welcome the final act.
Faught, who had been emceeing throughout the show, performed “Loose” and “We Find Love” by Daniel Caesar, closing the night off with the final singing performance. The crowd erupted giving one large round of applause for all of the 14 acts in the show.
“Talent shows here are so different from Germany or Europe. It is nice to see how much effort the kids put into them,“ Oliver Knaack, a German visitor said.
