Four Tri-City residents will be part of the annual Star Showdown at this and next week's Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver.
Tyson Venegas, Julia MacLean, Maddy Van Strien and Benjamin Freemantle will perform in the 40-year-old contest that includes cash prizes for the top winners.
Singers Venegas, seven, MacLean, 11, and Van Strien, 12, are in the kids' division (ages six to 12) on Saturday while Freemantle, 18, is registered in the youth category (ages 13 to 18) on Sunday.
Freemantle, a trainee with the San Francisco Ballet School who will dance a self-choreographed contemporary piece to The Cinematic Orchestra's To Build A Home, is one of two dancers competing in the Star Showdown - an event that has never seen a dancer take the title (past winners include Burnaby crooner Michael Buble and Mission's pop princess Carly Rae Jepsen).
Speaking from New York this week, Freemantle said he decided to apply to the contest "because this is hopefully going to be my last year as an amateur. Being as I already competed [last year] and did not win, I was hoping on coming back and giving it my all."
The Port Moody resident added, "This competition is based on talent. I doesn't matter whether or not you can sing, dance, juggle or even ride a unicycle. If you can show to the judges that you have the talent then it really shouldn't matter if you're out numbered."
The Star Showdown runs Aug. 17 to 21. Visit pne.ca for more details.
