By Jake Dobbs:

The lights dimmed, the crowd grew silent, it was show time for theater ensemble’s talent show.

This was the fifth talent show that Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) has hosted, but the first sponsored by the school’s theater ensemble. It was held in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) on March 21.

This year’s show comprised of many vocalists.

Sophomores Aerielle Gundayao, Beatrix Castro and Jessica Longboy were among these vocalists. The group sang “Price Tag” by Jessie J, with Longboy on the ukulele.

Afterwards, freshman Sandra Aguilar took the stage singing ”Dancing With Another Man” by Bruno Mars.

“I liked her because she has a beautiful voice and she is a powerhouse vocalist,” said freshman David Flores.

A returning act this year was yo-yoist Cedric Santos.

“I’ve never seen anyone do something like that before,” said sophomore Morgan Marin.

His stunts mesmerized the crowd, his tricks in sync with the background music for his act.

After Santos, junior Michela Mousaed  performed “I Dreamed a Dream” from the movie “Les Miserables” and “Over the Rainbow” by E.Y. Harburg.

She sang without musical accompaniment, her powerful classical voice standing alone.

Another addition to the music-oriented lineup was senior Vanessa Yu.

Yu performed a contemporary piece to Regina Spektor’s “Eet.” Everything, from Yu’s costume to her interpretive choreography, made for a graceful piece.

The evening ended with veteran vocalist Patrick Avognon. He, along with seniors Jennifer Berrios and Patrick Ewing, performed “The Cup Song” from the 2012 film “Pitch Perfect.”

“I really liked it because it required a lot of work and practice to get it perfect,” said sophomore Yasmine Saraf.

The last act of the night was Theater Director Jamie Whitmarsh singing “Danny Boy” by Frederic Weatherly.