6th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition Chooses 12 High School Acts for Final Event

ST. LOUIS - March 7, 2016 - PRLog -- On Saturday, March 5^th, 39 metro area high school acts competed in the Semi-final round of the 6^th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition (http://www.foxpacf.org/teen-talent-showcase.aspx).  St. Louis performing arts professionals judged the acts and narrowed the field to 22 finalists who will move on to the finals on Saturday, April 23^rd at 8pm at The Fabulous Fox Theatre (a list of acts can be found online).  These acts are one step closer to performing on the Fox Stage and winning college scholarships, prizes and performance opportunities.  The final competition is a Broadway-style show that is FREE and open to the public.  Tickets are required and available now at no charge at The Fox box office and through Metrotix.

More than $30,000 in scholarships and prizes will be distributed among the top competitors on April 23^rd.  A full list of prizes along with official event information can be found on the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation’s (FPACF) website (http://www.foxpacf.org/teen-talent-showcase.aspx).  Finalists will also have the opportunity to perform at area events throughout the year. 2016 public appearances scheduled to date include Webster Art & Air Fair, National Dance Week, Taste of Maplewood, African Arts Festival and the Muny.

The judges for the finals have careers spanning film, TV, and Broadway.  This year’s new special guest judges are Christine Brewer, Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Marie-Hélène Bernard. Brewer is a Grammy Award-winning soprano who began her career in the choruses of the St. Louis Symphony and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Douthit-Boyd is a former lead dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and received his early training with COCA and Alexandra School of Ballet.  Bernard is the President of the St. Louis Symphony.  Returning judges are Ken Page, a native St. Louisan and Broadway performer; Carl Nappa, an independent producer and Executive Director at Nelly’s ex’treme Institute in St. Louis; and Mike Isaacson, the Artistic Director and Executive Producer for The Muny and a Broadway producer with Fox Theatricals.  Students will be judged on technical ability, stage presence, interpretation and originality.

Tony Parise, Broadway actor, director, choreographer and St. Louis native, returns for his 6^th year to write the script and direct the finals. "The St. louis Teen Talent Competition renews my faith in our community and its future.  After a long and successful Broadway career, and having directed and choreographed all over the world, it is fantastic to bring it all back home and work with such wonderful local talent,” says Parise.  He will be working with choreographer Yvonne Meyer Hare (also a St. Louis native) to prepare the final acts to compete in front of a live audience at The Fox. Finalists include a variety of singers, classical and contemporary pianists and hip hop, contemporary and ballet dancers.

The FPACF reintroduced the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition in 2011 to showcase the St. Louis region’s most talented teens in the performing arts.  The 2015 winner was Tiala Taylor, a contemporary dancer from Ft. Zumwalt North High School.  Taylor, now a freshman dance major at Lindenwood University, will return for a special performance on April 23^rd.

Miano.tv produces videos of the competition process which will be available late March on our YouTube and SchoolTube channels.  Highlights of last year’s event, the winning performances from the 2011 through 2015 events, plus stories from the past five years are currently posted and provide viewers a glimpse of what the competition is all about.

The community response to this FREE event has been amazing and grown over the past five years with “sold out” crowds at The Fox.  Additionally, each year 120,000 viewers have watched the Nine Network’s hour-long program on the competition.   We are pleased that The Nine Network will once again broadcast an hour-long program on the 2016 competition.

PLEASE NOTE:  All seating is general admission. There is a limit of 10 tickets per transaction. Seating is first-come-first-seated, and is not guaranteed.  The theater will be over-sold to ensure a full house.  Please arrive early.

Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation fosters, promotes, and encourages young people in the St. Louis region to discover and participate in the joy and wonder of live performances.