First-time performer at Juneau's Got Talent wins first place
- Jasz Garrett
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
11-year-old’s cover of ‘Mama Song’ by Benson Boone moves audience to tears
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
After 11-year-old Ian Czesar Daguimol Jr.’s performance of “Mama Song” by Benson Boone at the eighth annual Juneau’s Got Talent on Saturday won first place, his mama wiped away her tears for the second time.
“He did put a lot of work into his performance,” said Sheila Daguimol. “He practiced a lot and we shed some tears. But he did really great. Just a proud momma here.”
Daguimol Jr.’s stage name is “Ice.” He said he chose the emotional song about loving his mom and home because it was within his range and allowed him to connect with the audience. Heavy applause and cheers followed the heartfelt performance. Daguimol Jr. said he is inspired by his parents and family sing-alongs. He has been singing professionally for three years. This was his first time performing in front of a large crowd.
“I really loved it. I sing for the community. I sing for the people,” he said.
Daguimol said she planned to save the $1,000 prize for her son’s college fund. She added she appreciated Juneau Dance Theatre’s fundraising event for allowing emerging talents to shine.
JDT Executive Director Bridget Lujan said the talent show is the theatre’s only hosted event, with other fundraisers taking place through raffles. Raffled door prizes and a dessert auction were also a part of the fundraiser.
“From JDT’s standpoint it’s a performance opportunity too because our dancers are performing — not a part of the competition, they are a part of the entertainment,” Lujan said. “For me, it’s the cross-section of talent.”
Auditions for Juneau’s Got Talent took place in December, with director Flordelino Lagundino giving performers notes soon after. The 12 finalists rehearsed for the last two weeks. Acts ranged from vocals, musicians, dances, and a clown duo who hoped their third time in the show would come with the charm they needed to win.
“I just think it’s a really great community event,” Lagundino said. “What I love about it is that you have little kids that are performing, and then you have older adults who have much more experience, but you have also kids that are performing for the first time in front of people. So it’s a really great place for people to grow and to also show off their professionalism.”
Second place went to dancer Khloe Guevarra for her hip-hop dance. She said she began dancing 11 years ago with JDT’s Fusion Dance Team and she now practices ballet almost every day. Guevarra said the dance she chose for the show was mostly choreographed by Christa Baxter, but she tweaked it a bit for fun.
“I like the experience, the people, the support. It makes me feel loved,” Guevarra said about her love for dancing. “Dance is a great way to express yourself and I think many of my fellow dancers express themselves through this. So I think it’s really important for people to be able to do that.”
Guevarra also danced during two special performances at the show with other JDT dancers: the Encore Team’s performance of “The Search,” choreographed by Logan Holst, and JDT dancers’ performance of “Next To Me,” choreographed by Viktor Bell. All tickets and donations at the event went to support JDT.
Guevarra said she didn’t expect to win second place because she was impressed by every performer. There were six guest judges and each act was judged based on technical skill, delivery, originality, enthusiasm, preparation and overall performance. The seventh judge was the audience who could vote for their favorite performer by donation. The money donated to each performer was converted to points.
Third place went to Erin Banaszak and Dawson Packer for their percussion performance of “Losa” composed by Emmanuel Sejourne. The duo flew from Anchorage to compete in the event and rehearsed with Lagundino over Zoom. Banaszak said she is from Juneau and now studies music education with an emphasis in percussion at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She played the vibraphone on Saturday.
“My sister is one of the dancers here so they said we should come down,” Banaszak said. “We’ve been working on this duet for a while, three months.”
Packer, who is from Eagle River, said he majors in mechanical engineering and has been playing the marimba for the past 10 years. He said he and Banaszak will play in UAA’s “Symphony of Sounds” concert together soon, so the talent show was good practice.
“I came down here just wanting to have fun. So it’s kind of a bonus to win,” Packer said.
JDT dancers will next open the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council’s “Wearable Art Extravaganza” this weekend at Centennial Hall. Later this spring, the JDT Fusion Dance Team will perform at the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé’s “Showtime” on April 4, and in May, ballet students of all ages will perform the comedy ballet “Coppelia” for the theatre’s spring showcase.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
