For AMPA, Gala is one of the most awaited ceremonies of the year. Students from all disciplines are able to come together to perform on stage, representing their art. For some lucky few, scholarships are also offered under the name “Performer of the Year”.
This being said, it’s not a simple process to be given this title, and an audition is required. AMPA Performer of the Year is the chance to not only be recognized for being an amazing artist, but also be able to win $5,000 dollars.
Olivia Cromer, a junior in AMPA will be auditioning for this role. She will be auditioning with a dance she herself choreographed. “The song piece I am dancing to is IFHY (instrumental) by Tyler The Creator,” she said. “My piece is about trying to be accepted in a world that denies who you are for how you express yourself, but you still push all the outside opinions out your head to live in the world the way you want to.”
Olivia started dancing when she got to Hamilton her freshman year. Now as a junior, she is captain of Hamilton’s dance team and in the highest level of dance offered at the school. Through her piece, she wants to be able to showcase how hard she has worked for where she is as a dancer.
“I wanted to audition for AMPA Performer of the Year because after being in this amazing dance program I have really advanced in dance. I am very proud of how I’ve grown as a dancer,” she said.
For Olivia, being able to win the award is much deeper, as it gives her the opportunity to give herself credit for her talents, and also focus on her future education. “If I were to win this scholarship, I would 100% put it towards college tuition and future college expenses that this would help on and also continue my education journey,” Olivia said.
While her audition was a bit on a whim, like every other great artist, Olivia made sure to focus. “It’s taken me about a week and a half to prepare, since I decided to audition at the last minute,” she said.
Olivia is very excited for this opportunity and hopeful she will be a great contender for Performer of the Year. “Winning this means that the people can see the hard work and dedication I put in for not only this piece I am performing, but all the hard work I’ve put in for past performances,” she mentioned.
On the educators side, Latrece Douglas, dance extraordinaire, has always been partial to this time of year. “It’s been an ongoing tradition for as long as I’ve been here. I believe it’s the height of honor and compliment to be titled Performer of the Year because those students demonstrate the excellence of AMPA,” she said. “I’ve always known the performers of the year to be extraordinarily talented and it’s a pleasure to watch them perform.”
Every year the performances get even better. Ms Douglas said, “The pianist plays like Beethoven, these kids are incredible. So expect to see something incredible! Prepare to be amazed!”
If you’re still interested in auditioning for this outstanding title, you still have time! It’s a simple and easy audition that you can do in under ten minutes. “Students make a video of themselves performing, it should be less than five minutes and they should be demonstrating something exceptional,” she said.
Applications for auditions close May 1 at nine pm. Make sure to be at GALA on Saturday May 30th to support all of the amazing performers.
