News - March 31, 2010

They’ve Got Talent!

The first All-Florence Student Talent Show held on March 23 at Florence’s Palazzo Giovane exceeded all expectations. Originally an in-house SU Florence tradition, this year’s show included the participation of the Comune di Firenze and students from various study abroad programs throughout the city resulting in a huge success.

Fifteen acts consisting of both Italian and American students proved not only that these young adults are extremely talented, but that their talents cover a broad range of disciplines in the performing arts. The audience was ignited by exhibitions of break dancing, slam poetry recitation, piano-playing, guitar-strumming, a cappella singing, comedic rapping, psychedelic bolas-twirling, poetry reading and modern Indian dance. More than 100 enthusiastic students came to see what their friends and peers had in store for them.

SU Florence students Maya Pisciotto and Dylan Hogan were the perfect emcees for the evening. The two ran the show with Maya’s bilingual fluency and Dylan’s DJ experience making this a truly student-based event (although Jim Kauffman, SUF Asst. Director for Student Life, and Rosa Mannino, SUF Student Life Assistant, get credit as the behind-the-scenes organizers leading up to the show).

A committee of three judges consisting of Aaron Craig, actor and head of a student-oriented organization called Firenze Live; Benji Menchiari, a 20-year-old Italian/American whose parents are musicians; and Charlie Stevenson, co-fonder and owner of the culture-based travel group Snow or Sand, had a difficult time selecting just three winners. In the end, they based their decisions not only on how talented the performers were, but on how much originality, effort and dedication they put into the preparation of their acts.

Prizes were spread across three study abroad programs. Third place went to Syracuse University in Florence’s own Katie Perez who won a gift certificate to Paperback Exchange for her moving vocal and guitar rendition of Bruno Mars’ Grenade.

In second place the high-energy trio Camille Trazcinski, Michael Jobling and Kristen Wharton from Florida State University received a gift certificate to Edi House for their delightful “rock-and-rap” rendition of the Antoine Dodson Bed Intruder Song.

Daniel Radin of New York University took home first prize, a free trip to Morocco with Snow or Sand, for the “raw emotion,” vocal talent and musical skill he displayed in performing a piece written entirely by Daniel himself.

The first All Florence Student Talent Show is certain to be just the first of many more cross-campus, cross-cultural student events to come. It brought students, cultures, languages and talents together to produce an evening full of music, laughter and entertainment. It will continue to be a Syracuse University in Florence tradition and hopefully a Florentine one as well.

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