Comedic school talent show acts typically inspire moderate amusement in the audience, but few garner the wild enthusiasm that 4 fifth grade boys were met with during their performance at New Braunfels Christian Academy’s annual talent show in 2017. Randy Benson, a parent to one of the four boys, recorded the performance at the time, and the video is still available on several platforms online for the enjoyment of the public. While watching the video, the viewer can easily understand the reactions from the watching parents, teachers, siblings, and other students – the creativity of the costumes, use of props, diverse musical lineup, and endearing choreography involved in the performance really showcases the boys’ talents, especially at such a young age.
The clapping and giggling are immediate as the curtain is swept aside to reveal the boys. With only their arms and faces visible, they are clad in stuffed puppet bodies designed to look like babies in onesies and bibs in a crib together, with pacifiers in their mouths, heads down as if napping, and a pile of props on the floor. Then the music starts and they begin to stir. Giggles turn into cheers and outright laughter as the “babies” begin to wake up. One at a time, they remove their pacifiers and begin to sing and dance along with the music, starting with “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. The puppet’s legs are attached to their arms with strings, which adds an additional comedic effect as they move around to the music.
As the act progresses, the “babies” run through the various props at their feet while performing to a fun line-up of songs. On top of “Shake It Off”, the full playlist includes “Centerfield” by John Fogerty, “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas, “YMCA” by the Village People, and “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake. Upon the first song change, the boys swiftly and adeptly pick up baseball caps, bats, and balls to mimic playing ball as “Centerfield” plays. The caps, bats, and balls are abandoned when “Kung Fu Fighting” comes on and they begin to run through various Kung Fu stances, eventually progressing to harmless punches and kicks at each others’ stuffed puppet bellies. The choreography to “YMCA” is as expected, but watching out-of-proportion babies do the iconic dance ramps up the hilarity of the performance and the energy of the crowd. By the time “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” begins playing and the “babies” don sunglasses and start swinging their puppet bodies back and forth, the cheers are so loud that they often drown out the music. Overall, the video is a welcome diversion and the boys, Ryder, Hunter, Mason, and Grant, obviously have a bright future ahead of them.
