From singing to dancing to Japanese cup-and-ball trickery, students showcased their skills and talents at “USC’s Got Talent” Tuesday evening in Russell House Theater.
World championship juggler and comedian Ivan Pecel hosted the event. Preceding the student acts, Pecel entertained the crowd by telling jokes while juggling items such as balls, pins and knives.
“I was on America’s Got Talent ... I didn’t win ... that’s why I’m here,” Pecel said.
A total of eight students performed One contestant, first-year mechanical engineering student Robert Carter, performed with kendama.
He described the concept of kendama: “It’s like a fancy Japanese ball-and-cup with three cups and a spike, and the ball has a hole in it,” Carter said. “You can just kind of catch the ball in all the cups or hold it by the spike.”
Carter came in second place at the event.
The third place contestant was second-year media arts student Patrick Rutledge, who performed his own rap verses. Rutledge goes by the stage name of “Pat,” and he has been rapping for two years and producing music for six years.
The first place winner was Greene Street, a three-man band. The band consists of second-year management student Ridge DeVuono, second-year public health student Ryan Anderson and first-year undeclared student Blaine Darling. The three students sang with Anderson playing the ukulele and DeVuono and Darling playing the guitar. They recounted their story of the band’s formation.
“Blaine and I have been playing together since high school. We got here and met Ryan ... We were all friends first ... and it was just like that,” DeVuono said. The band is named after the exact USC location at which it was founded.
Votes were tallied via text message codes, and Greene Street won first place by audience choice. The contests and the audience members alike had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of USC students’ talents.