‘Apollo’ talent show sees large turnout, high energy
Germanie Dickerson and Kela Lester walk out on to stage to begin the Apollo 2014 at the Singletary Center in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday February 8, 2014. Photo by Joel Repoley
February 10, 2014
By Anne Halliwell
Women in dresses and men in suits and ties walked a red carpet in the Singletary Center on Saturday night for a talent show that drew 600 audience members.
The interactive talent show, “Apollo: The Nightclub Show with Uptown Style,” included singers, poets and dancers.
“Our main purpose was to build an atmosphere for people to come and experience an event in a way that they never have before,” said co-chair Germanie Dickerson.
Organizers wanted to build anticipation, he said.
Eleven acts were selected from tryouts held in November, Dickerson said. The artists competed for a free consultation session with Atlantic Records executive Amir Windom.
Apollo brought in students and competitors from all over Kentucky.
Former UK students Dukk Deuce and Miss Mykie hosted the event, livened up the audience and explaining the rules. Each act had 30 seconds to win over the audience, after which the participants could be booed off stage.
“The crowd was ruthless tonight,” said co-chair Kela Lester after several of the contestants were booed off stage.
The audience chose the winner at the end by standing and cheering for the acts it liked best.
Nzuri Music, a four-person ensemble from Louisville, narrowly won the competition in a finale.
“The energy was very high,” Miss Black UK winner Morgan McCutchen said. “This is a big thing on campus.”
Although the event has been held at UK for years, recently its attendance had declined, Dickerson said.
About 100 people attended last year’s show, Lester said. Dickerson credited the celebrity hosts and performers for the increased attendance.
“We really just put in the thought about what the people who attended the event wanted to see,” Dickerson said. “That allowed the expectations of the audience not only to be met, but … (it) raised the anticipation to a level where they couldn’t not come because the anticipation is so high.”
Lester thought that the event succeeded in drawing a substantial crowd and had high hopes for the future of the event.
“I hope next year we can make it even bigger,” Lester said. “Maybe bring Beyonce.”