UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A new talent competition in Union County aims to help young people express themselves and learn life skills, and it's all virtual.

The competition, Union's Got Talent, is wrapping up its first year.

Currently, you can vote for the "People's Choice" award winner, here.

To vote, watch the various competition videos on YouTube and click the thumbs up icon on the videos you like. People's Choice voting is open through May 4, 2021.

 


What You Need To Know

  • Talent competition had roughly 20 entries from young people across Union County

  • First place winners, creativity awards and a People's Choice prize will be awarded

  • Organizers hope to bring it back next year, with a live show

 

Union's Got Talent was the brain child of Sarah Lantigua, director and owner of Lanti Performing Arts in Union County.

She said the idea was inspired by a friend in New Zealand, who was doing something similar, so she decided to bring it to the states.

Originally, it was going to be a live show featuring the performances, but due to COVID-19, Lantigua decided to hold the competition virtually instead.

"We decided, no, this is the time. This is when the kids need it," Lantigua said about the launch.

Some of the competitors are her students at Lanti Performing Arts, which Lantigua has owned with her husband for about seven years now. Other videos feature talented young people within the county.

Teaching and working with young people is not new to Lantigua. She moved to the area from New York in 2010, taking a break from her New York studio and teaching career. But, after getting back into teaching in North Carolina, she decided to create a new studio here, the Lanti Performing Arts location on Unionville-Indian Trail Road.

Now, she hopes the Union's Got Talent competition is a way to teach young people life skills while fostering their creativity.

"I think that giving them this platform to express themselves, especially in a day where expression is so important," Lantigua explained. "So, I feel that this is giving them this unique opportunity they might not get. And honestly, even though it’s virtual — I know one of our student’s parents said that they took multiple takes in order to get it right and that type of work to get an end result and that type of determination is a skill that we need to keep on teaching our children."

Even though it's virtual, Lantigua hopes it eliminates stage fright for the rest of their lives.

"How many adults do not want to talk in public? And if they had these experiences as children, to learn how to speak in front of people, to build that confidence, to fail and make mistakes and then realize that they're surviving? I think that is where we've got to start with children," Lantigua said.

With help from the Indian Trail Parks and Recreation department, as well as the nonprofit Sandbox, the competition became a reality. Not to mention, volunteer judges gave their time from New York to North Carolina in a variety of professional fields. 

"All together, it's just been a pool of resources within our community," Lantigua said. "We are just super thrilled about the support we received for it."

Do not forget, voting for People's Choice runs through May 4.

Lantigua plans on continuing the competition next year. She said she hopes the second year they are able to host a live show, after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this year's plans.

If you missed out on submitting a video for the competition, but still want to practice your skills or learn a new one, Lantigua said her Lanti Performing Arts studio is ramping up for summer camps, lessons and their new stage show, set to be announced soon.