America’s Got Talent held its last of the four open auditions of 2018 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Skewed and Reviewed got to stop by and take a look behind the scenes.
Auditions began at eight in the morning and continued through the evening. Everyone who got through the doors before cut off time were seen.
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The steady flow of contestants were directed through check in, registration, and then into the waiting area. It was packed with the contestants, their family and friends as well as the AGT Crew filming all of the activity and warm up performances going around. The entire process felt quite organized and ran very smoothly, with people in place to direct the performers.
Various types of talent were on display. They were either on the center stage area performing acrobatics, tumbling, dance, singing and playing their instruments. In observing the people while they waited for their numbers to be called up, the environment was upbeat tinged with a bit of anxiety. It was wonderful to see people meet and have wonderful conversations. Most were curious about each other’s talent.
Walking around the room gave the opportunity to chat with a couple of the contestants. The three acts, each one with unique talents that hopefully takes them to the next round.
Mary Jane Baetz – Theremin
Three years ago, Mary Jane became obsessed with the Theremin after watching a performance from Clara Rockmore. She has dedicated every day since to learn the instrument with hours long practice sessions. She was drawn to the sound of the Theremin, comparing it to a cross between a voice and a string instrument. She is entirely self taught, a wonderful ambassador for the instrument and very excited to perform for the judges. We wish her the best of luck in the audition!
Kishan and Prasad Thorat – Acrobats
Kishan and Prasad flew all the way from India the day before in order to audition for America’s Got Talent. They had been watching AGT for years and have dreamt of performing here. The brothers do an acrobatic yoga act on a small platform raised 35 feet in the air. It takes a lot of strength and trust to perform these moves on a stage that is about 5’X5′. Fingers crossed that we will see the Thorat brothers reach their dream of performing on AGT!
Kevin Siflett – Balancing Act
Kevin is Phoenician who developed his talent for balancing items after a trip to the circus when he was ten years old. His motto is: “If I can lift it, I can balance it”. As you see in the photo, he has a variety of items that he uses for his act. His talent has taken him across the country to do NBA halftime shows. His Talent is quite unique and entertaining. Hopefully, we get to see Kevin perform for the AGT Judges!
