Vail Valley Foundation Announces First YouthPower365 Stars Variety Show

Performers of every ilk have been itching to get back on stage over the past 15 months, and now, anyone who has a talent they have been vying to unveil to an actual audience has a unique opportunity to do so this summer in Vail.

The largest annual fundraising event of the Vail Valley Foundation (VVF)’s YouthPower365 – the Star Dancing Gala – is morphing beyond fancy footwork this year to the Stars Variety Show and is seeking community members equipped with spectacle-oriented talents.

The first of its kind, the YouthPower365 Stars Variety Show on July 13 will take place at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and will be a professional display of local talent and will consider anyone and everyone with a special flair for entertainment. Dancers, musicians, comedians, magicians, jugglers, acrobats, actors, speed painters – anyone with an act that can be delivered in three minutes or less – is encouraged to submit a short video sampling their performance.

“For the last decade, the Star Dancing Gala has been a big thing, a Dancing with the Stars-esque display of talent and one of the most successful fundraising events in the valley,” said VVF’s Amy Vogt, marketing manager for YouthPower365, the key beneficiary of the performance event. “This is a re-imagining of that famous event that allows us to not only see phenomenal dancing but also a wide array of talents from this amazing community.”

The concept is essentially a super-sized talent show, so if you’ve always thought you deserved to shine with your a cappella voice, your knife juggling prowess, your sidle hustle as a magician, or your posse’s casual beat-boxing hobby, you have until May 15 to submit a 90-second video of yourself or your crew in action.

The top displays of talent will be selected to perform on the big stage for the YouthPower365 Stars Variety Show on July 13.

The term “big stage” is no misnomer. While the Dancing Gala has historically taken place indoors at the Vail Valley Jet Center in Gypsum, the Stars Variety Show lands at the largest venue in town – Vail’s ~2,600-seat Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.

“It’s time to ask yourself: what’s your secret talent? We know we have so much talent in our own backyard. This is a real chance to entertain folks and contribute via your artistry and skill to YouthPower365. We’re gearing up for the most important summer in the history of the organization. Due to COVID-19 impacts, learning loss is at an all-time high and student engagement at a remarkable low. This is about coming together for a really good cause and showing off your high level talent to a real audience,” Vogt said. “It’s for all ages and all talents. We want lively stuff. If we’ve got an Amanda Gorman-esque poet or a speed-painting Bob Ross living in our community, we want to see you. If you want to perform, come on up.”