The first of the semi-finals for a million dollars aired on August 24th. A variety of talented performers gave everything they had to impress the judges and America. There were dancers, illusionists, singers, and magicians. Each act brought something unique to the stage and it is impossible to tell who will continue on to the next level. A recap of the performances awaits below.
Anna and Patryk blew the judges away with utter perfection in their dancing technique. The audio track was up beat and popular and the two young stars nailed both the attitude and the costumes for their performance. Prior to going on stage they claimed they wanted to tell a story and they certainly told the story of two young dancing stars who may have what it takes to bring home the million dollar prize.
Christina and Ali are two sisters who share a love for singing. They brought inspiration to the stage with the song Believe. They certainly dressed to impress the judges but some think they fell short in the talent department. It was a nice song but it wasn’t great and perhaps their inspiration will put them through to the next round.
Antonio Restivo the illusionist pulled off the hardest trick he had ever tried. He was placed in a box under chains and shut in. He lit the stage on fire quite literally and escaped from the box to another area on the stage. He will surely not be denied acceptance into the next level because his tricks are too small and the show is too boring because that certainly is not the case.
Future Funk are two very young children who excel at break dancing. The kids are absolutely adorable and their show is funny and talented. The question is will cute win it for them? They brought a little more than cute to the stage as they incorporated break dancing, the robot, and several hit hip hop songs into their routine. Pierce didn’t think it was enough to put them through to the next level. Will America prove them wrong?
Taylor Mathews is a guitar playing popstar in training. He’s been practicing 2-3 hours a day for this performance. He really needed to bring it to the stage and he sure did with an original song and busting out some piano skills. He made it through his song without getting a buzz but it’s unsure whether he has what it takes to belong at this level of the competition. Howie and Pierce were simply not wow’d.
Connor Doran brought his inspirational kiting back to the stage. He did an excellent job but the problem is it is ultimately a similar routine each time. There’s only so many maneuvers you can do with the kite. With the right music choice it is truly beautiful. Perhaps this song choice will send him home or maybe he’ll have another chance to bring it all.
Dan Sperry is a magician that likes to shake people to the core instead of simply be main stream. He attempted to push the audience past the limit. He used the host in his performance as he cut off the arm of Nick Cannon. Although there were severed limbs and a tattoo signing machine it still wasn’t enough to wow any of the judges.
Christina Young sang for the whole country to try and make it to the next round in the competition. This basement singer from South Dakota sand Poker Face and ended up with three buzzes. First time this happened in the semi-finals. She couldn’t compare to Lady Gaga and fell very short.
Arcattack is a group of self-proclaimed geeks utilize technology and visual effects to provide an original performance. The show was interesting but the main performers maintained in the same position the entire time. The act is fresh and original and was a surprising hit with the judges. Apparently the show is received much better life than it is on television.
Michael Grimm is another male vocalist that made it to the semi-finals. He had to miss the rehearsal to head to the doctor. Despite his missed rehearsal he did exceptionally well. His voice is unparalleled in the competition. The judges believe he has what it takes to win the competition and his comfort and ease on stage makes him a true performer.
AscenDance have continuously improved with each round of the competition. The judges were worried that they wouldn’t be able to take their performance up a notch but they needed to in order to make it to the next round. There performance was unique but a little on the dull side. It required a lot of talent and strength but essentially it was repetitive.
Prince Poppycock can best be described as a talented crazy character. Excessive makeup and over the top costumes could be just what the Las Vegas stage is looking for. He has an excellent voice and his performance was one of a kind. He received a standing ovation from the entire crowd as well as all three judges. Not a negative word could be said about this performance as the entire audience was wow’d. If he can bring it just like he did tonight he is the number one contender. He has been deemed the male Lady Gaga.
