Cultural Event #2 - Fort Dorchester Talent Show

Summary

On Friday, April 4, 2008, I attended the Talent Show at Fort Dorchester High School. It was an in-school event held at the gymnasium that showcased nearly a dozen myriad musical acts. The show was hosted by a charismatic DJ who took the microphone at certain intervals to pump up the crowd. There were also a number of faux celebrity presenters who attempted to announce each act amidst all the incessant noise. The affair was capped by an impromptu address notifying the audience of the winners nominated by the panel of judges.

The Talent Show opened with a performance by a male step team, which conspicuously featured a white guy. This was followed by a female step team; their routine was more elaborate and longer. Then one of the showcase acts, Shooting Shiloh, took the stage. Jerry Jacobs had singing and keyboard duties. They performed a brief romantic ballad, which segued into a rock-oriented version of Usher’s “Yeah,” which allowed Jerry to flesh out his white-boy rap skills. After that band’s bombastic performance, an onslaught of hip-hop-themed dance acts marched out to the stage. Each of them was received with riotous acclaim from the black portion of the student audience, while achieving a noticeably cold reception by the white students. In between the innumerable rap interpretations, other acts who had mustered up the courage to perform displayed their varied musical talents. A rock band did a technically proficient but impassive, with exception to the drummer, rendition of Metallica’s “One.” Out of nowhere, the spotlight was shone on flamenco music when a student wielded an acoustic guitar to play an intricate, instrumental number that was ill-suited to the raucous crowd. There were also girls willing to display their singing prowess during the show. Their songs were characteristically romantic ballads that struggled to capture the attention of the audience.

The talent show ended with yet another overblown dance routine, which ended abruptly. This allowed the DJ to announce the winners. His words fell on deaf ears, though, as students had already begun to file out of the school.

Critique

The Fort Dorchester Talent Show underwhelmed me on all accounts. It pounded me into submission with its monotonous and jumbled cacophony. On the most part, it seemed that the show’s list of performers was specifically catered to appeal to the hip-hop-loving crowd, who responded vivaciously to every pop music reference. Personally, the lack of variety and originality left me numb and blasé; I was left feeling more disappointed than my feeble expectations had prepared me for.

The event began with an impromptu dance performance by the male step team. They did a mix of a capella and music-accompanied steps. This act set the template for many more performances to come. Though these step performances appeared technically proficient, they came off as showboating operations designed to win over a crowd eager for in-your-face visual spectacles. Many of the talents showcased delved into the same genre. I could have just turned on MTV and gotten the same entertainment, except cheaper and with better clarity.

The most disappointing aspect of the over-hyped talent show was the acoustics of the venue. Held in the auditorium, where the cavernous ceiling made it nearly impossible for a performer to project any subtlety or atmosphere whatsoever, I felt sympathetic towards those who tried to connect intimately with the crowd while slightly resentful towards those who exploited the opportunity to revel in unchecked mediocrity. One girl tried to do a coffeehouse-style acoustic number, but was drowned out by the poor sound setup and an indifferent audience. The acts that bravely tried to differ from the predetermined ringtone-rap theme were dismissed as bland and unworthy of the crowd’s attention, which vexed me terribly.

Overall, I could have been spared the over-the-top theatrics, one-note setlist, and dispassionate aura. I felt like this whole show was cunningly designed to exploit a ridiculous fad in entertainment today, that is, a fascination with the mass-produced, degenerative rap genre.