Grand Canyon University students have displayed enough talent to entertain a packed GCU Arena in two annual events.
One is the recent Lip Sync Battle. The other, Mr. GCU, will be replaced this March by an event called GCU’s Got Talent. (Here's a trailer.)
The idea for the March 7, 2023, event was solidified by the performance of last year’s Lip Sync-winning team, 6 Beats Apart, who did so well that they caught the attention of the NBC show “America’s Got Talent” and were invited to audition.
Though it didn’t work for the students' schedules, the Canyon Activities Board's idea was affirmed: AGT’s format might be perfect for GCU.
“There will be a way more diverse lineup, hopefully. This will be a platform for students who want to put themselves in front of 7,000 of their peers and do something fun, but not just in the Lip Sync-ing kind of boy band way,” said Austin Powell, CAB special events coordinator.
It’s open to any student who has a talent – the sky’s the limit. All they need is to submit a video of their talent to be considered, although audition rules are still being finalized.
“This is the first time in a while that our special events team has been part of a change. It’s an opportunity to start a new tradition,” Powell said. “There is also a lot of cool opportunities for my student leaders to add their flair to this event and jumpstart this whole new thing.”
Variety should increase, too. It’s not just for athletes who can dunk or students on the Chapel team who can sing well, he said. “Anybody can do anything.”
Rest assured, there won’t be any gongs or buzzers for less-than-stellar acts.
“We want to do it in a fun way that’s not mean to students on stage,” he said.
Many ideas are in the works, from adding CAB team members to utilizing University leadership as judges.
The big talent events go over well at GCU with students typically waiting in line much of the day to get a good seat at GCU Arena.
Powell was a student at GCU (2014-18) and was always eager to go to events of this nature because his fellow students were going up on a big stage.
“This is crazy. They were doing something in front of the thousands of students, and I can’t imagine doing something like that,” he said. “So I was going to cheer for them because that is the least I could do.”
Watch CAB’s Instagram account @cabgcu as more information emerges on how to audition following winter break.
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GCU’s Got Talent: 8-10 p.m. March 7, GCU Arena. Information on auditions is expected within the next few weeks.
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Related content:
GCU News: Lip Sync flies at high speed to delight crowd
GCU News: Brothers in sync: How a coach leads good men to a great dance
