(Click on the the Burnaby's Got Talent link at the end of this story for more photos.)
A Byrne Creek sister duo belted out a pair of show-stealing duets to take top honours at this year’s Burnaby’s Got Talent student talent show at the Michael J. Fox Theatre Tuesday, but the real winners of this year’s contest were Burnaby’s youth.
The competition – organized by the Burnaby District Student Advisory Council (DSAC) – raised nearly $5,000 for the Burnaby Youth Hub, a Metrotown centre where local youth can go to access an alternate education program, health clinic, counselling, life-skills information, emergency food bank, showers, recreational activities and more.
DSAC has raised more than $20,000 with Burnaby’s Got Talent over the last four years, contributing the proceeds to a different local charity each year.
This year’s show featured 16 acts from all of Burnaby’s eight high schools, performing in front of an audience of about 530.
A panel of judges – school board trustee Harman Pandher, New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian, spoken poet Kevan “Scruffmouth” Cameron, CarterHales Design Lab principle Ross Hales and NOW education reporter Cornelia Naylor – whittled the pack down to four finalist.
Among the final four were Burnaby South dancer Ai Okanaka, Moscrop poppers Stanley Ho and Louis Blanco, Byrne Creek singers Avery and Veronica Amores and Burnaby Mountain beatboxer Jonathan Clavez.
After an encore performance by each finalist, the Amores sisters – Avery, in Grade 9, and Veronica, in Grade 11 – won the audience vote.
