TelCell’s Breakthrough Youth Talent Show finals, held for the first time at the Harbour Facility, Saturday, is being hailed the biggest and best to date by show organizers and an emotion-packed audience.
Once again the performance brought the audience to its feet and some to tears, with all youngsters performing to a very high professional level – leaving the panel of judges with a lot of work to do to select the winning acts.
At the end of the night and into the early hours of Sunday morning the organizers announced this year’s TelCell Breakthrough Youth Talent Search winners in their respective categories as:
TelCell Breakthrough 2017 Winners
Sinatra Bauld – vocals; Shakim York – Rapping; Temaia Dennis – Spoken Word; Manukiell Edwards – Dance (Urban); Jeremiah David- dance (technique); Tyler Percival – Instruments.
This year second place finalists were also named:
Quon Gordon – Singing; Niky Jean Charles aka (Dice) – Rapping;
Timothy da Silva – Dance (Urban); Ingemar Arndell- Dance (technique);
Gershwin Busby – Instruments.
Individual Awards:
Most developed artist – Stefanas Waakzaam; Best team spirit – Roan Soriano;
Telcell SMS campaign – Temaia Denis; Most Creative Perfomance – Tyler Percival; Best Promoter – Jason Brice.
Producer’s Pick – Tyler Percival
The winning acts will be the toast of TelCell for the next year with the TelCell Breakthrough winners already booked to assist the company with promotional spots along with promotion of their own performing schedules.
The winners will soon be featured on posters throughout the island delivering their own personal messages to their peers in schools and in the St. Maarten community generally.
They will top their year by collaborating on a CD and music video that they will write, perform and produce by themselves with the assistance of the show’s co-organizer and Producer, Berteaux “Mr. Rude” Fleming of Xtratight Entertainment.
This year’s event was hosted at the Harbour Facilities in Point Blanche for the first time and tickets were sold at a much reduced rate of $5 under the theme “#STAND” so that people affected by the passing of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria could attend.
“The decision to continue with the show this year despite having to move the venue, paid off with some really, really great acts and our best audience yet,” said co-organizer, Angel Richardson, of TelEm Group.
TelEm Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, and TelEm Group Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Brian Mingo both congratulated the winners during the awards presentation ceremony at the end of an exciting night of entertainment. Both however had equally warm words for all the performers who they both said had performed amazingly well on the night.
“I am so impressed that we have such talent amongst our youth on St. Maarten and I am especially proud that our mobile provider TelCell, is helping to showcase that talent;” said Mr. Dupersoy.
The TelEm Group CEO took the opportunity to announce that on the 5th anniversary of the TelCell Breakthrough event, the company will also be sponsoring a recording deal for the second placed winners so that they too will get a chance to collaborate on their own CD.
Both TelEm Group executives were joined by the organizers in congratulating the team of volunteers and sponsors who have all played their part in making the TelCell Breakthrough Talent Search event the number one youth event on St. Maarten.
“We could not do it without the performers, the audiences, the sponsors and most of all the volunteers who are so passionate about keeping the TelCell Breakthrough energy going throughout entire year, and every year for the past five years,” said co-organizer, Angel Richardson.
She said two new sponsors have come on board on the strength of Saturday’s show alone.
“We are very, very pleased and we want to thank TelEm Group Management once again for backing this event for St. Maarten’s Youth, who have once again hit the ball right out of the ballpark so far as their talent goes,” said Angel.