The lights have dimmed. The room has gone silent. Not a word is spoken and anticipations run high as hundreds of eyes watch a young man as he approaches the stage with an acoustic guitar. He turns to face the crowd of over 200 people who anxiously await his performance. Among the crowd is a table containing a group of individuals who will judge the lad in terms of quality and deliverance of his performance. The young man gazes at his audience and he is instantly overcome by nervousness as questions begin to flood his mind. Will everyone like him? Did he practice enough? What if he messes up? What will his parents think? What if he forgets a part of the song? What if the judges give him the lowest score? In any case it didn’t matter now. At this point in the game, backing out and quitting is definitely not an option. His turn has come.

The young lad takes hold of his guitar with one hand, adjusts the microphone with the other, and after a deep breath...he begins to sing.

This may very well be a typical scene at an annual Yankton event known as Yankton’s Got Talent, a locally sponsored talent show involving middle and high school students within the local community. During this event, students come together at the First Assembly of God church to showcase their talents and abilities in front of the rest of the Yankton population. Annette Roux, main coordinator and organizer of Yankton’s Got Talent, began this event in October/November of 2014. “I love the arts,” she said. “In my job, I have met many talented people from this community. Students get involved in arts in school and this gives opportunity to use their talent in a community venue.”

Annette also says that a benefit students gain from partaking in Yankton’s Got Talent is that they get the opportunity to individualize their performance as well as obtain professional advice and coaching from individuals who judge their performance.

There is no limit to the number of students who wish to show off their talents. If the number of students is too high then the extras will be allowed to submit a video of their performance. Students can also enter either solo acts or groups. “We love to have variety,” said Annette.

The event takes place three Sunday’s in a row. During the first week, every student who has registered will stand in front of an audience and perform their talent which can range from a variety of sorts including vocal, band, dance, rap, juggling, or even yo-yo tricks. The students are then judged by local judges who have some sort of background in the arts within the community. Judging is based on different categories such as quality of performance, confidence, etc. Those who did exceptionally well will be chosen to continue their performances during the next week, during which finalists are chosen. On the third Sunday, the finalists compete in their final rounds and at the end of the night, the top four finalists will receive prizes that altogether are valued at $300. A grant is also given to the arts department of their choice.

Jennica Young, one of the many students who competed in Yankton’s Got Talent last year, was one of the four finalists of the event. “It is so much fun!” she said. “You get to be with all the people you connect with that also love to perform. I definitely recommend coming. If you have any kind of talent, you belong here! I’m really looking forward to this year!”

According to Annette, last year’s event was a big success. “We had a great turnout (about 200 people) every night. We saw some great talent and several performers are coming back this year.” Annette also said that she would love to feature a couple of local performers to open each live show. “I hope that last year will give us some traction to build this year.”

Yankton’s Got Talent will have begun its second annual event on January 17, 2016, and will continue on the 24th and then finally on the 31st.