PNG talent search

For the first few seconds, Izzy stands in front of his dance crew, swinging the knife in between both hands, as fierce like a warrior.

The room lights up and Vigilante breaks into traditional dance moves synchronising then forms a pyramid moving forward.

Reaching the stage front, the group then transit into a more modern routine, bringing flips and spins and incorporating acrobatic shapes in between.

As the name says it, they took the stage, killed their moves, had fun, and took out K5000 in third place.

The first-of-its-kind show was launched in October 2016 to showcase and profile Papua New Guineas most talented, unique and brightest entertainers.

The talent show started from Port Moresby, travelling to Lae, Mt Hagen and Kokopo in search of unique talents, bringing singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, poets, illusionists and magicians on the same stage.

Winners from each heat competed in Port Moresby where three acts were identified from each semi-final event.

Semi-final 1: NoiZiiK, Vigilante dance crew and Jack Spade the magician.

The locally-produced TV show is a first of its kind talent show profiling Papua New Guinea’s most talented, unique and brightest entertainers.

Viewers were treated to an enthralling 90-minute episode, with nine of the final 18 contestants trying their best to impress the judges to make it to the show’s grand final on Saturday 28 January.

And he sure is different.

Deviating from the usual bad boy aura most male dancers possess on stage, Bradley’s moves tend to be more feminine.

“I don’t just entertain by dancing but by having a comedy side to it. It’s a combination of break-dance moves, traditional dance moves and fun,” he explains.

Kanao, from Central and Chimbu Province, is 19 years old and has been dancing for more than 10 years.

“I see a dance move, I’ll get that idea and then have my own twist to it,” he said.

To be aired on Saturday, January 21, this semi-final will bring another variety of acts including solo dance acts, something not seen in the first semi-final.

Three from the Port Moresby Heat will see a singing act, magic/illusion and solo dance, two from the  Lae Heat will see a dance crew and a comedian, another two from Mount Hagen Heat with magic/illusion and a singing act and two more from the Kokopo Heat with a solo dance act and a signing act.

It is a race to snatch K20,000, and requires the best of what each contestant has got.

NoiZiiK is made up of two beatboxers – Lazor Marx and beatboxer_steve, Vigilante is a dance crew of five male dancers and Jack Spade is a solo magician from Oro, Northern Province.

The three acts have secured a spot in the grand final for the race to get a portion of the total K35,000 grand prize.

The ultimate winner receives K20,000, the first runner up gets K10,000 and the third place act will be awarded K5,000.

Aired on the TVWan Life channel last Saturday, 7.30pm, all contestants stepped on stage prepared to give their best.

He says trying out for the auditions in the Lae heat was just for fun.

But his story tells us otherwise, because he had to travel 265km from Popondetta in Northern Province to Lae, in Morobe Province, for the auditions.

And this time, it’s 143km from Popondetta to the capital city, Port Moresby, for semi-final 1, where he will be competing with eight other acts.

Judges of the show say the semi-finals will be tough and Jack Spade has come a long way to turn back now.

The locally-produced show is a first of its kind talent show profiling Papua New Guinea’s most talented, unique and brightest entertainers.

Live auditions for the show took place around the country in November and December, 2016 and saw hundreds of people turn up to try out for a spot on the coveted show. 

Six singers, four dancers, three magicians, three comedians, one beat box group and one theatrical artist impressed the judges in Port Moresby, Lae, Mt Hagen and Kokopo made it through to the televised heats late last year.

Digicel Play’s newest home-grown show, Yu Em Khax, is a reality television talent show displaying PNG’s most talented entertainers. 

Jack Spade will shine the light on this newest show on the TVWAN Life channel, bringing a class of his own, as super judge Calextus Simeon describes.

“So far, if we have to put all our contestants together, he’s actually at the moment leading,” Simeon said, referring to Jack Spade.

He acknowledged the skills put into play by the aspiring magician, who is focused on being the one unique talent in PNG.