BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) - Casey Haynes of Brattleboro, a circus performer who taught himself how to use what is called a cyr wheel and won $1,000 in Windham County’s Got Talent, spun himself around on the acrobatic apparatus that looks like a giant hula hoop and did other tricks along the way. He said he choreographed all the moves himself.
“I was literally jealous of what your body felt like doing that,” Kristen Ziter Taylor, a judge, told him.
Haynes called it “the best feeling in the world.”
“I think I sprained an eyelid watching,” said William Forchion, show host.
Haynes said he will probably spend the $1,000 he won Thursday at the Brattleboro Reformer’s Windham County’s Got Talent at the Latchis Theatre on “something really boring.”
“I enjoy treating my friends to meals and taking my friends on adventures so it will probably go toward the people I care about,” he told the Reformer.
Haynes was impressed by the show.
“Incredible musicians, unbelievable dancers,” he said. “It was a real pleasure to play alongside them.”
The winner of Windham County’s Got Talent is determined by four judges and the audience.
Seats were filled with attendees, cheering and clapping for the performers. Forchion said they are “all winners.”
“Keep doing what you’re doing,” he told them. “Do not get discouraged.”
Roger Mensa of Whitingham, a pianist who attends the Academy of Charlemont in Massachusetts, was first to take the stage.
“I’m so happy to be here and I really enjoyed playing here,” he told the crowd.
Nola Sciacca, one of the judges, called his performance “thoughtful and great.”
“We’re all born with talent,” Forchion said. “We all have things we can do but it’s the skill involved. It’s the practice and practice that brings out the skill.”
Forchion said he can tell Mensa practices a lot.
“Roger is definitely going somewhere,” added Taylor.
Tess Bogart of Marlboro said she practiced the dance she performed five or more times before the show. She attends Marlboro Elementary School and the Brattleboro School of Dance, and “doesn’t let Down syndrome define her,” states a program for the event.
“That was powerful,” Forchion said. “I’m tearing up. She took my breath away.”
He said performing from the stage in front of a room full of people can be scary.
“I am so proud of you,” Tonya Lee, a judge, told Bogart. “I’m a dancer, too. I loved your performance.”
Briana Chowning of Brookline, a junior at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School, recalled starting to sing at the age of 5. She said she wants to be a musician after she graduates.
“You’re on your way,” Taylor told her. “You’re amazing.”
Ben Pratt of Stoddard, N.H., estimated that he probably has a couple hundred magic tricks in addition to what he performed Thursday. Sciacca told him, “It was really cool that you pulled a group of people from the audience into your act because they had no idea what you were doing and that made it so much better.”
Sofia Bianconi of Rockingham, eighth grader, played ukulele and sang something she arranged herself. It featured parts of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” and Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me.”
The crowd clapped along with her through one section. Jon Stafford, a judge, described seeing Bianconi smile as she got the crowd involved as “amazing.”
FlyBoy MyStro of Brattleboro told the crowd to expect “a lit show.” As he sang a hip hop song, Forchion and other performers could be seen dancing backstage.
“We were bouncing in the wings,” Forchion said. “It was fantastic.”
Decked out in neon and tie-dye attire, Crazefaze Dance Crew of western Massachusetts made use of the whole stage to showcase their moves. The crew featured six dancers who caught their breath as the judges complimented them.
“It was really amazing to see you all work together in your own unique ways,” Sciacca told them. “It was really cool.”
Lee described the choreography and performance of the Kurn Haittin Monarchs Ensemble as “graceful and stunning.”
“I love how elegant you guys were,” Sciacca told the four dancers who all wore red. “And I loved your dresses.”
Singer Julie Cermola and guitarist Neil Blanchette of Springfield played a soulful rendition of A-ha’s “Take On Me.”
“You guys sounded great,” Taylor told them.
Lee said the song had been one of her favorites in college.
Carly Gallivan of West Dover, who attends Brattleboro Union High School, combined gymnastics and dance in her performance. She recalled starting to dance at the age of 2.
“You dance on your hands. It’s unbelievable,” Forchion told Gallivan.
Taylor said Gallivan’s ability to hold a smile while being involved in such cardiovascular activity is “a miracle.”
“Sister, you are dangerous,” Lee told Gallivan, referring to the Michael Jackson song that played during the act.
Logan Boyd of Wilmington, who sang and played guitar, ended the show with two songs - one of which was an original named “Summertime.”
“That is amazing that you wrote that, performed that the way you did,” Taylor told him. “It was flawless. It was beautiful.”
Stafford said he could envision music written by Logan being played by his wife in three years.
Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery, Old Mill Road Recording, Brattleboro Area Realty and the Latchis Theatre sponsored the event.
Online: https://bit.ly/2GNnMv4
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