
There are many talent shows that go beyond the usual acting, singing, dancing. Some go off the beaten track, but don’t fail to entertain you.
Most people have no idea about what they are capable of, until they step onstage and present their first performance. Finding your voice and talent is a beautiful feeling, which boosts confidence. It can also be a great stress buster.
Talent stays latent until it gets an opportunity to bloom. Talent shows have often been the trigger that’s required by inherent creative tendencies to bloom and reach their full stature.
Talent shows give you that opportunity. Many renowned artists of today were first discovered at talent shows organized in schools or other competitions. So it’s important that initiative be taken to organize such events and participate in them with gusto.
Here are some talent show ideas, ranging from the offbeat to popular ones.
Ideas For a Talent Show
Painting
Picture this. A lush green park with a lot of blank canvases spread out, each well-stocked with colors and brushes. A beautiful Mozart symphony playing in the background. That’s a perfect setting for a painting talent show, ain’t it? Who doesn’t love to play with colors on the canvas? All you need to arrange for is color supplies and canvases, depending on the expected participation number. You may choose a theme for the competition or just let people give free rein to their imagination.
Mime It
Miming is a performing art where a person narrates a story, a scene, or a situation through body language and facial expressions. It is a great creative challenge, for any group of budding actors and makes for a great talent show idea. All you need is a makeshift stage, lighting for a theatrical effect if need be, with a makeup artist in the wings to aid those who would like to perform with the traditional white mime face. It’s bound to be a very enjoyable show!
Instrumental Music
The soul-stirring saxophone, violin pulling at your heart strings, the rebellious drum beat and the glorious guitar – you can have all of them and more at an instrumental music talent show. Not only would it be a treat for music lovers, but also a great opportunity for budding musicians. An auditorium with good acoustic qualities or an open air stage with a microphone and speaker system is all you need for the show.
Face Painting
This one’s a popular attraction for kids and adults alike. The basic idea is this – you paint a face creatively and the best one wins a prize. As an organizer you will have to provide the paint and the brushes. Make sure that you use skin-friendly paint, which can be washed off easily. You can have multiple themes like ‘Best scary face’, ‘Best funny face’ and ‘Most creative face’. Enjoy.
Cooking
The art of creating gastronomic delights is always a great idea for a talent show. Not only does cooking brings forth excellence in the most ancient and vital skill, but it can also revive an art that is largely losing practitioners in the age of packaged food. You can have a theme-based contest devoted to particular cuisines or focus on healthy yet delicious food variety. This one will need a lot of setup including the cooking supplies, a stove and tables for the chefs to work their magic on.
Oratory
Nothing tests your guts like a good old-fashioned oratory talent show. Most great leaders have had an ability to inspire their followers with words. Being able to wield the word is a powerful skill to possess. Be it school, your workplace or community, an oratory competition can be a great idea to spot leadership material. This one is highly recommended for academic setups.
Graffiti
Nothing liberates the urge to paint and express yourself like a spray paint can and a blank wall! Humans seem to have a primal urge to paint walls. Pre-historic caves are testimony to this. If you can have a wall to spare, a live graffiti painting show is a great idea. All you will have to provide are spray paint bottles and the wall. You can decide on a theme and by the end of the day, you will have a painted wall with depictions related to its various aspects.
Stand-Up Comedy
Humor in general is very serious business and to write and deliver a good comic standup isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you can get your act together, nothing can be more entertaining and engaging. A stand-up comedy talent show will draw a good crowd and will test the comic timing and narration skills of your participants. It’s a whole lot of fun and that’s why, you should definitely try organizing it.
Hacking
If you happen to plan a talent show for a community related to geeks or computer science students, a hacker showdown is the perfect idea. All participants will be challenged by a sufficiently complex computing problem, for which they must code a solution, in the form of a program, which runs efficiently. The entire coding could be done in any programming language of the participant’s choice, in a fixed period of time. Announce the winners as they complete the problems.
Singing
There is no better way to bring out genuine crooning talent, than a singing talent show. Be it classical, R&B, pop, blues or enchanting jazz, there are a host of styles which you could base the talent show upon. If you are lucky enough to find some good vocalists, it’s guaranteed to be a memorable evening. You may need to arrange for instrumental accompaniment if any singer needs it.
Karaoke
Who doesn’t like to croon their favorite numbers with in-sync background music? If you are looking for nothing more than a relaxing event for everyone, to let their hair down, a karaoke night is just what you are looking for. All you need to do is arrange for a karaoke machine, a mic and a makeshift stage with room for audience. Get diverse tracks for people to choose from and get as many people as you can, to sing!
Bartending Acrobatics
Yes, bartending acrobatics is a real sport for some and it can make for a great talent show. You could have a contest to judge budding candidates for the title of most crafty and acrobatic bartenders, who can mix a mean martini and juggle, throw and catch bottles with practiced ease. Hoteliers and restaurateurs looking for bartenders can find some real talent through such shows.
Acting
There are various ways in which acting shows could be arranged. You could have a live improvisation, a monologue show, or a short skit. All you need to provide is stage space for performance, a microphone, as well as lighting for effects. This is one of the most enjoyable of talent shows, if you have some great performers in the lot.
The Impersonator
They say there are seven people who resemble you exactly in this world. What better way to find out than have a lookalike or ‘impersonator’ contest. In no time, you’ll have Elvises and Marilyns parading in droves. Besides the looking alike being mandatory, you can also ask the participants to perform something from the work of any famous personality they are impersonating.
Dancing
Dancing is a singularly consuming passion for many and a talent show based on it would surely be popular. From hip-hop, salsa, zumba, tango, contemporary, ballroom, classical, ballet, street, Latin to even belly dance, there are many options to choose from, for a theme-based show. Besides a stage, you will need to arrange for the audio equipment and the tracks which participants would need.
Whistling
A rare talent, whistling can have a show for itself. There are artists who can whistle an entire song, complete with all the ups and downs in tone variation for an audience. If there are enough participants in your community or group, this can be a very enjoyable show to organize.
Every one of us is born with an intrinsic share of talents. Some find it early on, believe in it and nurture it to create their own unique persona. Most don’t and it’s a tragedy. Talent shows are not only great fun activities, but a necessary challenge which the hidden neglected genius within us needs, to find a voice. They also grant you an opportunity to bring forth hidden talents of people around you. Here’s wishing you good luck with organizing your own talent show. May it be a rousing success!