Hip-hop group wins IU's Got Talent

Singing, dancing, free bite-size Jimmy John’s sandwiches — at the second annual IU’s Got Talent on Wednesday, anything was possible.

The showcase at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater was part of 2012 Homecoming Week, embodying this year’s theme of “Lights, Camera, Action.”

Last year’s show was featured at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. Though there were considerably more seats to fill at the Buskirk-Chumley, the theater was packed and the crowd was raucous.

This year’s lineup featured 14 competing musical acts plus three guest performances by InMotion Dance Company, Ladies First and Another Round, formerly IU’s Straight No Chaser. Before, after and even during each performance, audience members hooted and hollered, occasionally shouting words of encouragement to the artists they supported.

The crowd went wild when emcees Neil Johnson and Nikki Labaschin announced IU Essence, IU’s Got Talent’s first all-black hip-hop group. The performers entered the stage wearing chrome facemasks and were dressed in gray clothing with colorful decoration on the front resembling a control panel.

The hip-hop robots pulsed with energy and received some standing ovation. IU Essence won the top prize of $325, as well as the Audience Choice Award of an additional $100.

Brandon Broadus, a freshman member of IU Essence, said it was surreal to win after practicing for three hours a day for two weeks straight.

“I thought it was a great production,” he said. “I didn’t know IU had this much talent.”

Other performers included Melanie Zdanowicz, a freshman who sang an original tune she wrote with a friend, The Promised Band, a group of three singing a medley of Israeli songs in Hebrew and JMUSE Productionz, a step team.

Assorted bands and solo singers performed covers of popular songs, such as Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar,” as well as songs they had written themselves.

The Andrew Simmerman Trio, a band with six members, performed a jazzed-up version of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with a saxophone and trumpet.

Each act seemed to have its own fan club, most notably the duet of Josephine Kim, a resident assistant in Teter, and Sung Won Chung. Fans of Kim were there to cheer her on, bearing large red signs that said, “Go Jo!” and “#1!”

Junior Robert Gilbert demonstrated his spirit throughout the show, standing and clapping whenever a singer would hit a high note.

“I think the crowd here was energized, and that really helped the performers,” he said.

Brother-sister duo Annette and Luke Offerle took the third-place prize of $100 for their performance of “Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)” by The Script. At the end of the song, Luke kissed his guitar pick and threw it into the audience.

Nick Caputo won the $225 second-place prize for his acoustic remix of Flo Rida’s “Whistle.” Before he played, he told the audience there would be a surprise in store, and sure enough, he interrupted “Whistle” with a verse from 3 Doors Down’s song “Kryptonite,” turning it into a mashup.

Sophomore Sharissa Guerrero, one of the dancers for Hip Hop Connxion, said she loved how the show was revamped in the Buskirk-Chumley.

“It was way better than last year,” she said. “I thought the show was fantastic.”