For Austin Peay's homecoming week, the Govs Programming Council organized and held a talent show: AP Apollo. Fifteen acts performed, three made it to the finals, and the audience got to choose the #1, the winner of $500. For most of us, however, the experience is not about money or winning. It's about seeing how the people in our community express themselves, and I was stunned by what I experienced.

1. Jonathan Bunton

One of the names I recognized, Jonathan played "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" as the opening act. It was fast and fun; most people in the audience were singing along. He even pulled out some high notes to hit Mulan's line, which both impressed and amused me.

2. Amaya Sutphen

Singing "Au cinema," a song I was completely unfamiliar with, Amaya had the courage to restart the song after the first verse because she said it didn't turn out the way she wanted. I could see how she started to unwind the farther into the song she got; she took the microphone down and was moving and swaying from side to side. She had a very powerful voice, and I think the song choice projected the image of performing at a high class bar instead of a talent show.

3. Dylan Watson

I think it would be dishonest for me not to mention that this was my favorite act of the night. I miss watching color guard routines in general, but when Dylan dragged a mirror onstage along with the usual rifle, saber, and flag, I was intrigued. When a voice over the speakers starting saying "Mirror, mirror, on my wall, I just want to be thin, pretty and tall" I knew that we were all in trouble.

It was a moving performance. The choreagorphy was beautiful, the timing was precise and I nearly cried. What impressed me the most was how assured Dylan seemed- not once did he move foward or keep his eyes on whatever was in the air. He seemed to know exactly where it was going to land. But the message was the most powerful. As he left, he put a heart on the mirror, and while everyone might have gotten a different message, the love was there.

4. Spoken Peayce

I was so proud of these three representing APSU's spoken word community. They spoke to the politicians of this election, reminding us about what really matters and how we shouldn't let politics get in the way of our humanity. Their hard work and practice showed through their coordination and passion.Their "don't politicize my people" and "can you be human" refrains were powerful. I only wish more people were listening.

5. Nelson Jacob “niightts”

It was really interesting to see someone perform an original song. That takes a lot of creativity and bravery. The only way this one fell flat for me was the content. It turned into a song about alcholism (although I'm not sure that's the way most people saw it) and I just couldn't vibe with it.

6. Diamond Divas

I almost forgot that this was a college only performance, because a lot of the dancers in the Diamond Divas look very young. I always love watching dance teams because it's something I think I'd like to do...in another life perhaps. The first half of their performance was really fun, but I felt like the second song was too fast and lost some of the rhythm that made it really fun to dance to. I also loved their outfits.

7. Alison Pugh

Alison performed a song called "Dear No One," which, despite being a Tori Kelly song, I was completely unfamiliar with. It was a cute song, and a nice slow, acoustic performance that had people bringing out their cellphones as lighters.

8. Ben Goldberg

When Ben walked on stage, I admit that part of me thought this was going to be a nightmare. I was instantly proved wrong. His freestyle dancing was very entertaining, and it was refreshing to see him do what would be considered feminine moves (even if it seemed to be for comedy relief). His five minutes went by quickly and I wish there would have been a longer routine for him.

9. Justin and Jonathan

I was impressed when this duo was announced because of the huge applause they recieved...before they performed. I felt like having a following before performing gave them an edge (one I didn't particularly like) but I can't say they didn't deserve their praise. The twins performed "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" and they both hit high notes and growls that greatly improved the original song. They ended up winning first place!

10. Gaby Lee

I love hula hooping, and so Gaby's performance had me from the start. Then I heard someone say "Space Jam" and I lost my cool in the audience. With a coordinated outfit, she used one large color changing hoop and two smaller ones to light up the stage. Her rhythm was flawless, it must be incredibly hard to actually move the hoop to the beat but she did it. She juggled them, and when one fell away (which I assume was an accident) she kept going, without pause or fail. I very much enjoyed it.

11. Colin Crist

He performed "Free Fallin'" although I don't know which version he took more inspiration from. The song for me is something I listen to in the car, so I had a hard time keeping my eyes up on stage to focus. There were some strong vocal runs and high notes that brought me back to his performance.

12. Kayla Suttles

I loved this performance. It was a highly volitile spoken word about police brutality, and people had the audacity not to shut up when she got on stage. People - the same sororities and fraternities that were supposed to be there to represent- were laughing and talking over her even when she said "are you ready?" indicating that yes she was performing.

It was painful to listen to, because it's a harsh reality for some people. Then a girl beside me said "I am sick of politics." I had a hard time controlling my reaction, because I felt like there was something said there that wasn't in her words, an implication that made me angry. I imagine Kayla is sick of politics too, but they're hard to get rid of.

13. Sam Wooley

Another instance of me being biased was Sam's performance with quads and a snare (because I marched a bass drum in high school) but that doesn't mean that he didn't put on a great show. I loved how he played with the audience before launching into actually playing the drums, and he combined talent with humor for those who weren't going to be so enthusiastic about percussion.

14. Jess Brundige

Speed painting is really cool. The Mona Lisa is really cool. It's October. So what did that mean? Jess painted a minimalist Mona Lisa to "Song 2", and when the song stopped and the audience seemed confused, she pulled out a blacklight. Under the familiar portrait was a skeleton, and the crowd realized that they hard seriously underestimated this artist.

15. Conner Blakley

When I saw "Let It Go" my first thought was "please, not the Frozen one" and I was not let down. Playing the keyboard accompaniment, Conner played the popular (and sad) song with a very mellow, smooth voice. I was sad that he didn't do more with the song, though, because his ending showed a lot of potential.

I can't wait to go next year! Who knows what talent will surface then!

*I apologize if I got any details wrong!