“Artistic” is not an adjective stereotypically associated with the Faculty of EBIT (Engineering, Built Environment, and Information Technology). This year, however, EBIT bridged the gap between the arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by sponsoring ShowUP, a performing arts festival organised by Stage Alive Production House. The finals for the first annual ShowUP took place at 16:00 on 13 July at the Aula, where contestants dominated the stage with powerful songs, mesmerising dances, catchy melodies, and even a dystopian short film.
Adriana Faling, the ShowUP production manager, explained, “This unique competition was born out of the idea of the performing arts marrying technology. We realised that the way forward in the arts is to embrace the mediums that technology offer.” One way that the event embraced technology was by using a moving camera onstage that broadcasted live to screens in front of the stage. According to Faling, the judges highly valued the contestants’ interaction with the camera as it orbited around them.
High school learners and TuksRes students were allowed to apply and could enter one of the following categories: musical instrument performances, dance, singing, drama/theatre productions, and short films. After the preliminary rounds on 13 to 17 May, the judges had the challenging task of whittling the initial 250 participants down to only 25 finalists. Mortimer Williams, David Brink, and Heidi Edeling served on the panel of judges for both the prelims and the finals. None of them took on the role of Simon Cowell, as they all gave positive feedback, seeking to nurture and encourage each young talent by highlighting their strengths.
The exhilarating finals included an Elvis playing drums, a strong rendition of “Never Enough”, and more than one break-dancing sensation. After much deliberation, the judges announced the top three acts in the high school and TuksRes categories respectively. The three best student performers each walked away with a Karl Lagerfeld fragrance, a RVLRI watch, and an EBIT laptop tray or togbag. TuksRes bursaries of R 5000,
R 3000, and R2 000 were also awarded to first, second, and third place respectively.
The third place for res students went to Ntokozo Shabalala, a wordsmith who moved the audience and earned snaps with his original poem set to music. In second place was Lutendo Tshikwatamba, who left his heart on the stage with his fusion of contemporary and break dance. (Tshikwatamba showed his grit when he continued going all out despite hurting his knee mid-performance.) And the winning res student was Justin Zulu. Zulu’s commanding stage presence was undeniable as he played guitar and sang an original song titled “African Skies”. Judge Brink described him as a “young Johnny Clegg”, while Williams commented that it felt as though he had just attended a professional concert.
Zulu, who is a third-year music student, spoke to PDBY about his experience of ShowUP. “Being able to participate in ShowUP was such a cool experience and gave me a glimpse of what it’s really like to be an artist and perform in front of cameras, lighting and a proper audience. I loved it!” he commented.
PDBY also spoke to finalist saxophone player Tendaishe Mhuriro. Mhuriro is a second-year student in industrial engineering. “It was quite the privilege for me to be a finalist for ShowUP in more ways than just the exposure that came from the competition,” Mhuriro said. “I got the opportunity to bask in the talent of many other young people just like me and people even younger than me. It was definitely an unrivalled experience.”
Next year ShowUP will continue to provide an opportunity for young performing artists to showcase their talents while embracing technology. Students who are interested in applying for ShowUP in 2025 can follow ShowUP on Facebook or @showup.fest on Tiktok and Instagram for more information.
