Moments before the show, performers were jittery with anticipation for the big moment. I, too, was uneasy, as I watched more and more people file into the theater. I tapped my fingers on my knees, reciting the Chopin piano piece in my head. I anxiously flipped through my music book, making sure that I remembered all the notes. Then, suddenly, the theater became silent, as the spotlights gradually lit the stage.

     Illuminations is an annual talent show that has long been part of South tradition. This year, it was presented on Feb. 28, with performances by a teacher, freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

     “This is a project that our administrators have given to the junior classes,” said Christopher Trefz. He and Danielle Buggé are faculty advisors for the class of 2021. 

     The juniors ran the stage crew. In return for their work organizing and running the show, their class received all the money raised.

     “The junior class officers actually ran it. We were there to help advise them,” Mr. Trefz said. 

     “Not only does the event serve as an important fundraiser for the junior class,” Vinayak Nair wrote in an email, “but it is also a longstanding tradition that has allowed kids to express themselves through their passions and entertain our local community.” He is a junior student council member and MC of the show.

     Earlier in the week, as we rehearsed our acts onstage, I could see everyone’s enthusiasm, whether they were singing, playing the guitar or the piano. Each person had a desire to perform, and the talent show allowed us to share our skills with our peers.

     I was excited to take part in this school tradition as a freshman. For my act, I played the piano piece “Aeolian Harp” by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin because it was the right length at three minutes and had a beautiful melody. Although I have been in other piano performances, I was excited to play for a school audience. 

     One student performer, junior Jackson Lemmond, played a Spanish guitar song dedicated to his class. 

     “To have your friends come in and cheer you on is what makes Illuminations special to me,” Lemmond said. 

     Nair sang a parody of a song sung by a merchant in Disney’s Aladdin that was re-written specially for Illuminations.

     Jyotika “Jo” Aggarwal, a freshman, sang “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato.

     “Stagefright is real,” she wrote in an email.  This is especially true, she added, “when the performance is something as raw and exposed as singing for a crowd of mostly strangers.” But she was not the only person who was nervous that night.

     Lemmond said, “I was very nervous before my performance but once I started playing and getting into the groove of the song, especially since my friends were there, I started having fun.”     

      Unlike the stifling silence of other competitions, the Illuminations audience was clapping and laughing along during the acts, easing the performers’ pressure. 

     But I was still anxious. 

     Afterwards, the judges asked the performers questions and a winner was picked at the end. For my performance, they asked what I would aspire for my piano playing to become in the future.

     We all waited in anticipation as the judges made their decision. 

      To my surprise, I was chosen as the winner of the talent show. I had planned on writing this article as a participant in Illuminations. I never expected to be voted the winner of the talent show. 

     Illuminations is not simply about performing an act and getting votes; it is an opportunity to showcase one’s passion.