On August 8th, the Arts of Council of Greater Kalamazoo will hold its United Teens Talent Show. It’s an idea that crept into the mind of Kalamazoo educator Mary Blakely about eleven years ago. She was working with at-risk kids across the county, and she wanted a place for them to go to stay out of trouble during the summer. A talent show, she thought, would be perfect.
She brought the idea to theatre director Ben Zylman.
“And I told her I had absolutely no desire to direct a talent show," Zylman says. "But if she wanted to create an educationally based program, I would be very interested in participating in that.”
Blakely agreed. And on the spot, the two hashed out what would become the program you see today. Zylman says that they purposely made sure the program was nothing like American Idol. Instead he says, he wants kids from all kinds of backgrounds to learn about teamwork and self-esteem. It’s the reason that for two straight weeks before the show, the roughly 25 participants work together to craft three big song and dance numbers.
“And I have always said that I have been successful as an adult because I experienced success when I was their age. And I knew that success that wasn't something that only happened to other people," he says. "So I really do feel that the talent show and work that goes into it is kind of an experiential exercise that we use to develop these life skills. That's what the show is all about.
Inside the muggy rehearsal space, the teens line up and stretch their bodies and voices. Standing in the back row is sophomore Jencien Honeycutt. With her lanky limbs, you can immediately tell she’s a dancer. Or, at least, she was.
“I was dancing ever since I was three," she says. "It was a day to day basis. So I would dance from the beginning of the day to the end. Dance was my whole entire life. I loved it more than anything and being able to share my gift with people was always my favorite thing to do.”
'And I have always said that I have been successful as an adult because I experienced success when I was their age. And I knew that success that wasn't something that only happened to other people.'
But one doctor’s visit changed everything. Honeycutt had felt a pain in her knee for years, but she never thought much of it. When she visited a doctor two years ago, though, she got bad news. That pain was arthritis. After three or four months of trying to push it, the arthritis spread.
Honeycutt had to quit dancing. But she had one performance left in her: last year’s talent show.
"I remember being up there, having the light shine on me, and just to feel nothing but pure happiness," she says. "And of course getting offstage was a little rough because I was in a little bit of pain, but there's nothing that I would take away from that day."
A few feet away is Kalamazoo Central Junior Curt Johnson, dancing smoothly in his Converse high tops. He’s here to sing.
"I’ve done it since I was like five," he says. "It was just singing, singing everywhere. My mom said I just got in front of the TV one day and started singing, and it’s been happening ever since."
Johnson says he’s rarely shown off that voice before. But he says simply being around other artists has taught him that he’s got something to offer.
"Probably, cause I never really liked, like, in choirs, chorus," Johnson explains. "I mean, it's fun sometimes. But being in here, it makes it feel better. You're with the most talented people that there is that's around your area! So it's more fun."
This year, Jencein Honeycutt is back in the show. But there’s no dancing anymore. Instead, Honeycutt is performing her own poem. It’s all about her last two years -- about dancing and disease and how she fought through it.
"But then this year I went into this with the hope to let people know that you can't just judge somebody by looking at them and thinking you know all their life problems," she says. "And to help people have an insight of what people do have to deal with, even though they might seem like they're just fine."
Zylman says that by the end of the program, none of the students are thinking about whether they won or lost. It’s these stories that they remember.