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Date: 12/5/2023
HOLYOKE — As the celebration of Holyoke’s 150th anniversary as a city nears a close, the “Paper City Talent Show” on Dec. 16 will be one of the last celebrations of the city as this community event aims to showcase talents within the city.
Auditions already took place in November, leaving a handful of acts prepared to perform at the talent show set for Saturday, Dec. 16 inside the Holyoke High School Auditorium from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event is presented by Star Dancer’s Unity and Nueva Esperanza Inc., and sponsored by Casella Waste Services.
Star Dancer’s Unity is a dance group committed to fostering unity through cultural expression. Nueva Esperanza Inc. is the local nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting arts and culture within the community. This collaboration exemplifies their shared commitment to showcasing and celebrating the diverse talents of Holyoke.
Nueva Esperanza Executive Director Kayla Rodriguez told Reminder Publishing the talent show is a great opportunity for the talents of Holyoke to get a spotlight shined on them. She added credit to Mayor Joshua Garcia for his role is pushing for this event.
“The mayor is always keeping us involved in stuff, so he thought about bringing the talent show here to Holyoke and he connected us with Star Dancer’s Unity,” Rodriguez said.
Four judges will evaluate performance based on criteria such as showmanship and entertainment value, creativity and originality, preparation and aesthetic appeal, and overall impression and audience appeal. Cash prices include $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place and additional prizes for outstanding performances in various categories.
Beyond the competition, Rodriguez said the “Paper City Talent Show” is an opportunity for the community to come together, support one another and celebrate the rich tapestry of talents within Holyoke.
“It motivates those silent talents that we have here in Holyoke. We have a lot of talent and a lot of potential here and they don’t have a place to show it off,” Rodriguez said. “Doing this is going to open up a door because we’re hoping this is not the first and only, it’s going to be the first for many other talent shows so hopefully this is motivating and encouraging others and maybe from here we can get more connections and grow.”