Help! Sunflower BGC Claims Lights On Talent Show Trophy
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Dancing to an incredibly-executed pairing of ‘Help!’ by The Beatles and ‘I’m In Love With A Monster’ by Fifth Harmony, the Sunflower Elementary Club was named the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence 2019 Lights On Talent Show champions, Friday night on the Liberty Memorial Central Middle School stage.
The 2019 talent show theme, “Boys & Girls Club Presents Boys & Girls Bands,” was inspired by the Club’s best feature – the boys and girls. Fourteen of 15 total Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence locations danced to a mash-up of songs from one boy band and one girl band.
Sunflower BGC wore masks to showcase their monster song, while mixing in clips from the original boy band, The Beatles. The Center for Great Futures came in as the runner-up, as the teens did an impressive routine to LFO and The Dixie Chicks that showed off how hard they practiced this fall. The New York BGC squad placed third, mixing B2K and The Bangles. The crowd went wild when the young man from first grade did a head spin and the splits to finish the number. All three of the top finishers will recreate their performances at the Lawrence Youth of the Year ceremony on Jan. 30.
“I am super proud of them,” said Amanda Montgomery, the Site Coordinator at Sunflower Elementary. “Especially of the way that they came together. They aren’t always in the same group at school or at BGC, but every time they practiced with Ms. Anna and Ms. Jordan, they got better and better and became a little family. I can’t express how proud I am of them.”
BGCLK prides itself on creating opportunities for youth that they may not get to experience otherwise. Such as the chance to shine on stage for hundreds of fans. The Lights On Talent Show does exactly that – as witnessed on Friday night.
Beyond the top-three finishers, every Club site put on a stellar performance. The LMCMS auditorium was nearly at capacity, and everybody in the building was singing and boogying in their seats. It was impossible not to. For instance, Prairie Park BGC danced to a mash-up Boyz II Men and Spice Girls, the Quail Run BGC team busted out their light-up shades for Hanson and Salt-N-Pepa and Deerfield held hands in a circle of dancing friendship to ‘Hold On’ by Wilson Phillips. That is only a mere selection of the creativity and awesomeness on display.
The night was everything the Club kids, staff and families could’ve hoped for. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Sean Kellerman, returned to his Boys & Girls Club home to host the show. He worked at BGCLK for several years before taking his talents to the IMG Jayhawk Radio Network. He added a familiar flair and lots of humor to make the performances all the more enjoyable.
The panel of judges had the most difficult job of the evening, as the deciding body on who would go home with the coveted Lights On trophy. Seven judges were tasked with scoring the dances in categories such as degree of difficulty, creativity, effort and overall flash. The 2019 Lights On judges were: Patrick Kelly (Theatre Lawrence), Hannan Misko (Lawrence Arts Center), Claire Johnston (Rock Chalk Dancer), Sophie Lawrence (Rock Chalk Dancer), Gracie Link (Rock Chalk Dancer) and Brandon Hutton (Kansas Enrichment Network).
Thankfully, the pressure was not too much for them. They tallied their scores quickly while every performer came back on stage for the award ceremony. After the show, each of them expressed interest in returning to the panel because they enjoyed the show so much.
Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is celebrating its 20th year. This is the only nationwide annual event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. The national celebration of Lights On Afterschool Day (Oct. 24) is a tribute to the organizations across the country that keep their “lights on” after school hours. Approximately 8,000 afterschool programs are expected to participate in the 20th annual Lights On Afterschool, holding rallies, science fairs, student performances, community service events, sports competitions and – in Lawrence’s case – a talent show.
The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool to draw attention to the many ways afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things—such as science, community service, robotics, theater and the experience of traveling sporting events. The events send a powerful message that millions more kids need quality afterschool programs. As a partner of the alliance and the largest afterschool program in Lawrence, the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence works every day to help fill that need.