F91 Rises to the Top
Teatro Vallarta’s lobby was all abuzz last Sunday evening, before the start of the RISE Grand Finale, with head paparazzi Josef Kandoll Wepplo snapping away, making all of us look better than we really do. Folks crowded the bar and the conversation levels were excited and loud. Towering over us all was the coach for contestant Natalia Juliet, Steven Retchless, dressed as Britney Spears in enormous heels, putting him between six and a half and seven feet tall.
The 4th Annual So, You Think You Can Rise talent competition was hosted by Nacho Granados and Jessy Ruiz, who kept the show moving quickly in two languages. This year, the esteemed judges – Eva Jimenez, Chris Lopez, and Al Carswell – did not comment after each performer, which lopped a good 45 minutes off the running time of the show. Their choices were F91, an all-girl dance troupe coached by New York City choreographer Kimberly LaRue and Vizente Cañas, coached by Lady Gaga herself, Maru Prado Conti, in the vocal category. Crunch time came after they each performed again, and the audience’s applause decided that F91 would take home first prize and 20,000 pesos.
Lisa Manoogian, who started this talent competition with her husband Billy Pilawski, reminded us that the reason we were gathered together was to raise money for the RISE Children’s Shelter. The number of kids currently living at RISE has nearly tripled this past year, from 14 to 38, and includes more than half a dozen newborns. They are severely underfunded and rely 100% on private donations, so if you can find it in your heart to help, the best way is to pledge a specific amount of money per month so the Shelter can plan accordingly. Billy and Lisa have made it very easy; check it out.
The annual budget at RISE has doubled to over 2 million pesos, and as they do not receive any government funding, it is up to us to support these cast-off kids who, through no fault of their own, have been removed from their homes by DIF (social services).
Volunteers are also needed, so if you have recently retired and are looking for something to do, get in touch with Lisa on Facebook. Kudos to her and Billy for another spectacular evening. The same goes for the coaches who did an amazing job of helping to create the performers we witnessed Sunday night. And the volunteers who helped with seating, gathering donations, and applying makeup backstage; we are the village.