Throughout the week, these young artists have been hard at work and Thursday they were able to showcase their talents at The Berman Center for the Performing Arts.
Photography by Corrie Colf
The JCC Maccabi ArtsFest gives Jewish teens an opportunity to participate in workshops during the week led by some of the most highly regarded artists in their fields.
It concluded Thursday in The Berman Center for the Performing Arts with a final showcase featuring dancing, acting, musical theater and even rock band!
Dance:
The dancers started off the ArtsFest Final Showcase on the right foot with a performance called “Maccabi Remix” by Janzzy Delgado. They brought so much energy to the stage. Later, they performed two additional songs, “Me’cha’ke (Waiting)” by Idan Raichel and “Do You Think About Me” by Captain Cuts and Zookeeper.
Acting/Improv:
The acting and improv group took the stage three times throughout the showcase. They were very engaging with the audience, asking for suggestions on what to perform. Their opening act included three members who were ice skating and saw an octopus under the ice. One even fell in love with the octopus. Unfortunately, the octopus was killed but don’t worry, the actors had a proper funeral for it.
The next improv group was told by the audience to build a tree fort while speaking Mandarin. Of course, three of the actors were professional translators so the audience was able to understand what the builders were talking about.
Musical Theater:
These performers got the crowd dancing and singing to their first performance, “Nicest Kids in Town” from Hairspray! They then went on to perform Freedom Run” from Urinetown and “Come On in From the Outside” from Taboo!
Rock Band:
Two bands, Good Spin and Bedrock, debuted songs that they had a chance to write during the week and also sang some of their favorite cover songs.
The JCC Maccabi ArtsFest Final Showcase concluded with a company finale to the song “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga.
Congrats to all the artists who participated in events throughout the week!