WE SAW who made the Top 18 on SA’s Got Talent (SAGT) last night. We now speculate on why they made the cut and how well they will do going forward.
The Young Wheezy Boys
The Western Cape dancers have been together for five years. If they win the money, they plan to open a dance school for children. They live by the credo: Always seek the opportunity to build a better future for our coming generation through dancing.
Tessa Hijner
Also from the Western Cape, Hijner is a classically trained vocalist who has been singing professionally for five years. As history has shown on SAGT, singers are the most vulnerable as they are the most abundant among contestants. Yet Hijner is unfazed: “I work hard and, most importantly, I believe in myself and love what I do. I want to show South Africa what this Dutch girl has got.”
Jude Harpstar
Representing Gauteng is 27-year-old Jude Harpstar who entered the competition because “I feel that I am someone who could change people’s lives positively through my music and what I have learnt in life.
“Being in the public eye gives one that much more weight to make changes in society, and I believe I have what it takes to come out on top and win this SA’s Got Talent.”
Zakiya Brown
The Western Cape has another contestant in the form of Zakiya Brown, who promises to show yet more of her vocal prowess. By day she is a photography and graphic design student, but her real love is, and always has been, music.
Tholwana Mohale
The Northern Cape’s representative is guitar player and singer, Tholwana Mohale. The grade 9 pupil is a Beyonce fan and she won the Best Female category at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards which were hosted by a local radio station.
Mohale said: “The title of the competition is SA’s Got Talent, and I believe that I have the talent needed to win and that I can develop my talent even further through this competition.”
Joe Fredericks
Another Gautenger is Joe Fredericks who has been singing for 28 years. He’s been wanting to be on SAGT for a while, but never felt the time was right. He entered this year because he believes he is now ready.
Freeze Frame Crew
This Gauteng hip hop dance crew are by far the most determined in the competition. They travelled from Joburg to Cape Town to audition and have made it this far. The group have won a number of awards and have performed in South African films and TV adverts.
Airforce
Hailing from the Free State, Airforce are part of the rising a cappella movement and cite The Soil as their inspiration. These students said they had money to get to the SAGT auditions, but none to return home, so winning the competition could be the solution to their financial problems.
Lew Tasker
As the representative for KwaZulu-Natal, Lew Tasker will have to use his juggling skills to clinch a win. Interestingly, he is friends with past winner Darren Rajbal, but that won’t score him any points in the competition.
Arise
Gauteng is also counting on Arise, a dance crew comprised of kids from the Donald and Daisy Edu-Care Centre in Kempton Park. The crew was one of the first acts to get a “yes” from all three judges. Arise have made it to the national leg of the SA Championship of Performing Arts and became the youngest group to be named the Best Dance Group at a national competition. The members’ ages range from 6 to 9 years old.
Choppa Boys
If gumboot dancing is your thing, then Choppa Boys might be your choice. This crew has been dancing professionally for five years and regard Khabonina Qubheka as the best choreographer.
Noelle Thea Jansen
For those who love classical music with a hint of crossover comes Noelle Thea Jansen. At 17, Jansen is home-schooled, but unlike most kids her age, she’s taken a liking to opera. She entered SAGT to “gain recognition. To stand a chance to win the grand prize. To show the world that South Africa also has young, talented singers. I’m South Africa’s young singing sensation and it will be a dream come true to win SA’s Got Talent”.
Black Lace
Gauteng’s Black Lace is another a cappella group. They are really good at what they do… and they know it.
“We believe we should win this competition because we believe we are the best at what we do. There is no other act that does what we do at the level and intensity we do it.
“It is our lifelong dream to achieve greatness and we not only do this for ourselves, but to give back to people.”
New Creation and The Band
This crew comes from a church background and you can hear it in their sound. They have been performing together for two years and entered SAGT because “we believe that the nation needs to hear our fresh music, and we believe that it will touch lives. We will win because there will be no other act that will win the crowds like us and also because we are awesome”.
Honey
This group comprises Naami Lieberman, Sivan Patton and Sharon Wagner.
They say “there are challenges we face balancing motherhood, our artistic pursuits and providing for our families”.
They have the look and the talent, but is that enough to win?
Franklin Fredericks
This guy hails from the Northern Cape and is into balancing things.
He says: “I began to practise these circus acts on my own and saw that I could do it. Then as time passed I learnt to do various other acts as well. Then I also began doing magic to broaden my expertise.”
Matrix Aviators
What you need to know about the The Matrix Aviators is that they are a group of zombie dancers and their dance routines are inspired by TV programmes such as Dragon Ball Z.
They are looking into establishing a world-renowned dance studio called the Matrix Aviators Company one day.
Phelani and Jacobus
THE Western Cape has a circus act group, Phelani and Jacobus, and the members met at an orphanage and have been studying circus performance at the Zip Zap School.