Dixie’s Got Talent brought in another sold out show at the Cox Auditorium.
Dixie State University hosted the sixth annual Dixie’s Got Talent Thursday. More than 100 contestants auditioned in the open round in November, and of those, only half made the call backs. Only 20 performed in the finale to an audience of over finale 1,200.
“This has been our first experience with Dixie’s Got Talent, and we’ve had nothing but excitement and love for everyone and everything this event has done; what an amazing show to help others with scholarships,” said Kylee Jackson, 20, who was the runner-up in the adult category.
Jackson and her partner danced hip-hop and are both St. George natives.
With help from the DSU Alumni Association and Dixie Scholarship Associates, funds were raised from ticket sales to provide scholarships for those who have gone through a life-altering crisis, such as divorce or death of a loved one, and for those who would not be able to continue their education otherwise.
“We provide Dixie’s Got Talent every year in the hopes of raising large amounts of money for needs-based scholarships. The recipients are well deserved. They maintain their grade levels and are excellent people. They get a great start to a future that may not have come to fruition without these scholarships.” said Jan Sparks, who is on the board for Dixie Scholarship Associates.
The event not only helped those in need, but also the contestants. One such case is Bailey Carter, from Washington, who won Dixie’s Got Talent.
“If you have a dream, keep working at it no matter how many times you fail,” Carter said. “This has been one of my dreams to perform, and I got it.”
After winning, he said, “I’m so surprised, but I’m so happy this happened, and I hope everybody enjoyed the show.”
Carter plans on attending DSU next year after completing an LDS service mission.
Ashton Vandermyde, a senior majoring in finance from West Jordan, also competed in the event by singing.
“Having my friends see I made it to the finale when the posters went up on campus was a lot of fun. It hasn’t been too tough being a student while preparing for this. I had a tough time deciding what to do for the finale, but I’m happy with the song choice I made.” Said Vandermyde,
Vandermyde performed a mash-up of “I Dreamed a Dream” with “Dream On” as a tribute to victims of sexual abuse.
“It was all just really smooth and all in all just a fun process,” Vandermyde said.