The Riebeek Buzz Talent Show
by Candice Rossouw
The Riebeek Buzz Talent Show on 13 August was an initiative hosted by the Drama Society of Riebeek College.
The stage was set for many glorious performances by Riebeek girls from Juniors to Seniors and we could not have asked for a better way to showcase the wonderful talent we have at Riebeek. The categories varied from singing, dancing, dramatic poetry and gymnastics. The Riebeek Buzz Talent Show had a total of 33 contestants with 9 of those contestants being Juniors and the remaining were Seniors. The girls were well-prepared and set the stage ablaze with their jaw-dropping performances.
The night began with the MC's, Lisakhanya Maseti and Thulisa Jam welcoming the crowd and stating some house rules. They also introduced the adjudicators. The adjudicators were Miss Crystal Christoffels, Miss Hlumela Matika and Mr Bradley Felkers.
Miss Crystal Christoffels is the proud owner of Arts Life Academy School. Teaching and developing children's talents are her passions. She also owns her own dance school called Elroi Prophetic Dance. Miss Hlumela Matika is a Riebeek College Alumnus. She is a filmmaker and has recently completed her Masters in Fine Arts at Syracuse University, Upstate New York, which was an opportunity awarded to her by the Fulbright Scholarship Foundation. Mr Bradley Felkers is the new addition to the Riebeek family as the new choir conductor of Riebeek's Junior and Senior choir. He is an NMU graduate in Music Education and is originally from Port Elizabeth.
We were entertained by the Drama Society’s opening dance performance which definitely set the tone for the night! The night progressed as we began with the official line-up. The performances were meticulous and had the crowd begging for more. We were entertained by the lovely voices of the singers, lively and interpretative performances of the dancers and the expressive speech of the poets.
Many of the performances received standing ovations as the crowd was impressed with what they saw. Iviwe Majweta, a Riebeek learner who attended the Talent Show, said," All of the performances were mindblowing with some quite emotional like the poetry that just had a way of touching you."
Towards the end of the night, the Drama Society's dancers performed their closing dance which impressed the masses as it was everything one could expect and more. Thereafter, the adjudicators were left to decide who the winners were.
Miss Meyers, the teacher in-charge of the Drama Society, announced the winners. The announcement of the winners was met with much excitement and we are proud to announce that the second runner-up in the Junior category was Avuya Mkoko and Alitha Made who sang exceptionally as a duo. The first runner-up in the Junior category was Hope Ruiters whose dance moves impressed all and proved that dynamite comes in small packages. The overall winner in the Junior category was the dance trio of Amy Fischer, Lulibo Sam and Shia Jansen whose dance performance set the stage alight.
The Senior category was especially tough to adjudicate considering the big number of contestants and talent we had. We are proud to announce that the second runner-up in the Senior category was Musa Daweti whose heavenly voice was one to remember for ages to come. The first runner-up in the Senior category was Sarah-Leigh Thompson whose gymnastics and interpretative dance was creative and exposed us to the different styles of dancing that we thought could never be amalgamated in such a beautiful way. The overall winner in the Senior category was Ballerina Skippers whose powerful and soothing voice gave the crowd goose bumps.
The Riebeek Buzz Talent Show was a great success. A huge thank you to Miss R. Meyers for organising the event; Mrs K. Stear for supporting the Drama Society in this initiative by approving it; Mr. B. Maschaka for his outstanding piano accompaniment to some of the singers; the adjudicators for doing an excellent job; all school staff who were on duty to ensure the evening ran smoothly, Mrs Stark along with the cultural board for hospitality;  the media team under Mrs. S. Gerber’s supervision;  each and every contestant and their parents and guardians for allowing them to showcase their immeasurable talent; the audience at large; and lastly the exceptional work of each and every drama society member who worked together as strong team to ensure the huge success of the event.