Salluit’s talent show draws bigger crowd for weekend event

Salluit’s Talent show and gala Dec. 5 and 6 will feature Nunavik singers Beatrice Deer and Elisapie Isaac.

Salluit’s Talent Show returns to the Hudson Strait community this weekend, promising to be bigger and better than ever.

The Nunavik community hosted the first show of its kind in 2013, drawing the musical talent of Salluit native Elisapie Isaac and a few dozen local youth.

The show was such a hit, the idea has spread to other Nunavik communities. This weekend, Salluit will host a two-day event, starting with a Dec. 5 Salluit talent show, featuring singer Beatrice Deer.

That will be followed by a regional talent show Dec. 6 with performers from five other communities, along with a return visit from Montreal-based singer Isaac.

Mary Argun, 12, played the 2013 show and will return to the stage Dec. 5 to sing in a couple duets, as well as a solo.

“I’m excited and nervous, because I think it will be a lot bigger [than last year],” said Argun. ”I’m just hoping the audience will love it, and that everyone has fun.”

Argun and about a dozen other students from Ikusivik school have been preparing for the show. It was first launched by a local youth protection worker, Emmanuel Morin, who has since gone on to work with Youth Fusion.

The Quebec organization now oversees the event, along with performing arts and science programs in five other Nunavik communities.

The goal of the program is to keep students interested in school.

Dylan Lord is the Youth Fusion coordinator in Salluit helping Ikusik students prepare for the weekend shows, which will also include music workshops throughout the day of Dec. 6.

“From what I’ve heard from the community, it was a really big event last year,” Lord said. “So I feel like there was a benchmark set.”

“For me, it’s about kids finding pride in what they do, seeing what they’re capable of and celebrating their accomplishments,” he said.

Young performers will also compete for prizes and recognition, decided by a panel of judges.

This year’s event hasn’t announced what prizes are up for grabs, but of the event’s prizes included a paid trip to Montreal to watch a Montreal Canadians hockey game from a private box suite.