On Friday April 11, the Kaneland High School Family and Consumer Science Department presented the thirteenth annual Kaneland talent show, featuring 19 unique performances that couldn’t have been any more entertaining.

During the entire performance, seniors Merk Wilkerson, Denise Gombar, Brandon Bishop and Gary Koehring split up the acts with witty entrance lines and amusing banter as they upheld their roles as the masters of ceremonies.

Breaking the entrance was Tom Dillivan with his KHS famous voice and sophomore Julia Pratt singing “A Song for Julia.” This particular act brought the crowd to its feet on the very first performance as the endearing duo sang into people’s hearts and set the tone for the rest of the show.

Junior Amy Croft took up the next show with her eye-catching dance to “Lyrical in this Shirt.” Her feet moved flawlessly as hands anxiously grasped blond hair, finally landing gracefully against the floor clutching her discarded cardigan.

The next of many solo singers to come, junior Samantha Martin dedicated the song “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” to her father who had never seen her perform before. Unfortunately she choked up before she could finish the piece, but it seemed planned according to the show at the moment.

Senior Antonio Cimmarrusti took the stage next in a storm of “yolo swags” as he rapped his “Self-Made Rap Song,” eventually finishing it with a well-designed piece on the popular game Pokémon.

Unfortunately senior Creston Saylors’ band was unable to make it, so seniors Garrett Patterson, Alex Buzenski and junior James Tockstein joined him on stage to sing “Holding on to You.” The group played well together, as if the entire thing had been rehearsed for much more than an hour.

Next, in his first appearance on the talent show stage, sophomore Landon Mosley played his guitar to “Wanted Dead or Alive,” enrapturing an audience with familiar chords to a great song. Freshman Julianna Klecka followed up this act by singing “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” her stage presence admirable as she played with each note.

The second group of the night featured senior Mitch Bateman along with Patterson, Buzenski and Tockstein in “Sax Man.” This unique piece both displayed their skills as well as amused the audience with a saxophone that just didn’t seem to play the right notes.

Junior Rachel Benson took her first stand under the spotlights as she played guitar and sang to “Hello I’m in Delaware.” Her soothing voice had a delicious Indie quality to it, and every note she hit seemed ideal for her voice.

Following Benson was sophomore McKenzie McMullan in a similar act of voice and guitar to the song “Stupid Boy.” This song also fit her voice like a glove and her soft sound rang out, singing the truth about a relationship gone awry.

The second dance act of the night consisted of seniors Alexa Parrenas, Melyssa Corcero and junior Sam Ciccone, otherwise known as the group Chug Life, performing to “Compilation.” Their hip-hop looks gave way to epic synchronisation and movements that seemed to be coming from a core the audience couldn’t see.

Up after was senior Matt Vander Sande for “In Your Atmosphere.” The unique wavering tone of his voice matched his own individual flair as he sang and played guitar.

Following was the XII Crew, a group that specializes in their hip-hop performances to Kpop songs. This large dance crew brought a piece of the Asian artistic singing and dancing culture to the show.

Once again Bateman, Patterson, Buzenski and Tockstein performed, joined by senior Maddie Heinzer and junior Rachel Miller for their group Business Casual. The six students presented the song “Story of My Life,” earning a stirring round of applause.

Chase Hittmeier, senior Chris Overstreet and freshman Jack Kilgore, making up the band Dandelion Apocalypse, performed “Your Time is Going to Come” in another distinctive group effort that showed the flair of Kaneland.

Senior Dominic Manzo followed the apocalypse by playing his instrumental guitar with nimble fingers that have clearly seen a lot of practice. Maddie Heinzer was up next, playing the piano and singing hit song “Let Her Go” in a voice easy on the ears.

Finally, closing off the night, senior Hayley Contorno performed her original dance routine in the dark. With an outfit consisting of glowsticks, she danced to some of the top songs and graced the audience with sticks that she threw out. The event ended in a cascade of applause and junior Kevin Fuch’s Prom proposal for Contorno, sending the audience to their feet before the cast of another amazing talent show reappeared to mingle with the viewers.