PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. - Presidio of Monterey community members participated in the Army Festival of the Arts for the fifth time at the Hobson Student Activity Center here May 7 and at the Porter Youth Center on Ord Military Community May 8.
The first day was a competition with Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center students displaying their talents to a panel of judges made up of Presidio officers and civilian employee.
Displayed were various singing acts, stand-up comedy routines, a guitar solo and a beat boxer, with the latter winning first place in the competition and the eye of Army Soldier Show and Family, Morale, Welfare, Recreation talent coordinator Joe Leavell.
"I found five students who were pretty good, actually," said Leavell. "I always get intrigued when I see so much talent under one roof."
The theme for this year's festival was "The World Through Our Eyes," and was promoted with students featuring three cultural arts acts, performed by Tagalog and Chinese faculty and students, that included two traditional dances and a Chinese dragon performance.
The next day was a chance for the PYC children to strut their stuff for the enjoyment of their peers and parents. The children were able to show off their singing and dancing skills with a little bit of acting and magic thrown in.
Leavell said that he was pleased to see such a large group of community members who supported the arts.
"It is said that the smaller installations don't get involved in events like this," Leavell said. "But, I think this one has shown that it can be just as big as installations such as Fort Bragg."
Jaeson Lim, a six-year-old veteran of the festival, arguably stole the show by being featured in not one performance but two.
With a display of youthful charisma and experienced showmanship, Lim received a standing ovation for his performance in a Star Wars-themed routine and his rendition of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal."
Lim said he used a unique idea to get over the nerves he felt when he participated in last year's routine, when he was what he described as a "not too good" Indiana Jones.
"I had heard from a friend that I should think of the (audience) as something that I would not be scared (in front of)," Lim said. "So everyone was like stuffed animals."
The much-improved performance led Leavell to talk to Lim's parents and praise them for their son's work.
"It's good to see the kids get involved. I usually don't get to see that," Leavell said.
He added that he was always impressed with the Presidio's involvement with the festival and hopes to continue seeing new acts.
"I hope they (POM community members) keep entering every year," he said. "The momentum has already been built by the community and I was glad to be a part of it."
Social Sharing