What Clubs Got Talent is all about and how to participate with information from Student Leadership and Service
Winners of the 2024 Clubs Got Talent could win cash prizes up to $2,500 divided into three categories and one overall winner, said Jacquie Alisa, the event planner. Clubs Got Talent, organized by the Student Leadership and Services, or SLAS, will be held on June 5 at the Cannon Activities Center with performances from various clubs showcasing their talents.
Last Culture Night only cultural clubs performed. Jacquie Alisa, the student activities coordinator at BYU–Hawaii, said, “Clubs Got Talent is a signature event that BYUH has asked us to hold so that all the other clubs that are not country related can also showcase their talents.” She added this event is different from Culture Night in that Culture Night is all about showcasing various culture clubs, but Clubs Got Talent gives opportunities to every club on campus. She said before the day of the show, there will be auditions to filter through all the different acts and organize them into categories.
Fatima Dagohoy, a senior from the Philippines majoring in biology, said she works as one of the Club Leadership Team members and is working closely with all the clubs that wish to participate. Dagohoy said another thing that sets Clubs Got Talent apart from Culture Night is the cash prizes. There are three categories: Solo acts, group acts and other genres with each winner having a chance to win $500, she explained. “There’s also a $1,000 prize for the overall winner who receives the most votes from the audience,” said Fatima. A single club, she said, could have up to 10 performances. “This means that each club can have a chance to win all the winning prizes, which is extremely exciting for everyone involved.” She added, “The winning prize does not go straight to individual performers but to the club account because it is an opportunity for a club to raise money.”
“It is completely up to the audience to decide who wins,” said Alisa when asked about the criteria for winners. When audiences enter the CAC, she added, they will be given an access code that will take them to the voting polls. Alisa said while the audiences get to decide who the winners are, they still need a panel of judges. “We are also looking for judges who will mainly be the commentators for the event to help make this even more exciting,” she explained.
For performance preparation, said Dagohoy, each club can request up to $500 to fund costumes and props. She said the SLAS will also help them by booking rooms for rehearsals and anything else they need to make the event go smoothly. Dagohoy added performers can also make other special requests regarding the sound, lighting and special effects.
Alisa said this is the second time they’ve done Clubs Got Talent. The first time, in 2022, was very successful. They had performers do everything from singing and dancing to poetry and magic tricks. She said she is excited for this year’s Clubs Got Talent because there are more students and more clubs on campus this year. She added she hopes the school lets them do this every year because she believes this event, just like Culture Night, is a great opportunity for students to build relationships and make university life more entertaining.
Caroline James, a senior from India majoring in information technology, said she represented the Hip Hop Club for the 2022 Clubs Got Talent. She said they performed a combination of hip hop dances and the audience loved it. James said she used to participate in talent shows back in India, but this was her first time performing in front of an international crowd.
James said she is choreographing for the Bollywood Club this year, and they are going to participate in the Clubs Got Talent. She said, “It’s going to be a blockbuster as they say at the cinemas!”
The clubs that will perform this year have just been announced by SLS. They are: Korea group, India group, Hip Hop (Diversity) Hip Hop (K-Crew), China group, K-Pop group, Filipino group, Entrepreneurship (Midnight), Bollywood group, Skills Development group, Hong Kong group, Taiwan solo, Public speaking solo, China solo and Mongolia.