I always get a lot of texts and tweets while New Zealand’s Got Talent is on air – and this week, I was getting even more.
The public are right behind these contestants, particularly the younger kids – many of whom are very talented.
The 10-year-old Russian gymnast Varya Milkova had her coach cheering for her from the side of the stage, while contemporary dancer Natasha Boon (13) said she practices for 30 hours a week.
I know there will always be some who think kids shouldn’t be pushed at an early age, and I’m all for making the most of their childhood, but the fact is the big superstars of the world often start really young.
I’ve just finished reading Andre Agassi’s book, Open, where he talks about training drills with his dad when he was really little – Venus and Serena Williams took a similar path.
Dan Carter had a footie goal in his back garden, in order for him to practice, practice, practice, too.
Varya twirled her way to the top.
I think there’s a fine line between wanting your kids to do well and pushing them too hard. If I had a child who had a dream, and they wanted to take up, say, ballet, I’d help.
I’d get them into classes, let them learn, and get them competing as soon as possible. I believe that to really achieve your goals, you have to aim to be the best and only learn to bring your “A game” when you compete with others.
That’s what this competition is all about – bringing your A game. The difficulty is how to judge them. How do you judge a baton twirler compared to a rock singer or a magician?
That, to me, is the hard part because the baton twirler was amazing, but is what he or she does entertainment?
The other interesting element is seeing which songs musicians choose to cover. Last week, Gabriella Atkinson went for the John Lennon classic, Imagine.
Natasha was on point with her contemporary dance.
It was such a brave choice. Whenever an artist covers an iconic song like that and puts their own spin on it, it can be amazing – but it can also be horrible! Hallelujah is the other one I feel strongly about – you had better do it well! But I thought Gabriella did an amazing job.
So far, while we’ve seen some fantastic talent, at the moment I think the Diamond Divas, two Wellington mums who auditioned in episode two, are worth a watch.
They are great singers and also entertainers – which to me is what makes them the whole package.
Catch Tamati and the judges on New Zealand’s Got Talent on TV One, Sundays, at 7.30pm.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
