Talent wins out for Brevard teens who land silver medals at NAACP competition in Vegas

Five creative Brevard teens took their talents — and a lot of ambition — to Las Vegas earlier this month.

They returned with two silver medals, bolstered confidence in their abilities and memories of exciting new experiences they might not have otherwise enjoyed.

They did it through ACT-SO, or the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. It's a program that's part of the NAACP, with a yearly competition at the organization's national convention, and allows students to show off their skills in areas ranging from visual arts to dance to acting to business and more.

While the convention was scheduled July 11 through July 17, the awards ceremony took place July 14, featuring actress Laya Deleon Hayes, actor Michael Rainey Jr. and ACT-SO contestants. During the ceremony, $400,000 in scholarships was awarded to ACT-SO graduates through the Write Your Future Scholarship Program.

"If you come here and you don't place, you have done what a host of students never do," said Thelma Bryan, South Brevard NAACP's chair of ACT-SO information.

"You have had an opportunity that many never have, or they never take advantage of. So we are all winners here. Some get gold, and some don't, but you are still a winner."

Bryan, who has worked with students through ACT-SO for about 23 years, took the team to Las Vegas, accompanied by several other ACT-SO coordinators and students' family members.

The teens had already competed in a Brevard ACT-SO competition, and based on their placement, had earned the marks to compete at the national level.

Two of them — Jaden Smith and Xzhariya Henderson — brought home the silver medals.

Jaden: 'American Psycho' monologue

Jaden, a rising senior at Palm Bay Magnet High, chose to perform a monologue from the musical adaptation of "American Psycho," a choice he made because the monologue is sentimental to him, he said.

He's been performing iterations of it since his freshman year of high school, when he performed the movie version of the monologue and won best in show in his class and earned him a spot in the theatre troupe the following year.

When he was deciding what to perform at the local ACT-SO competition — which he would later take to the national competition in Las Vegas — the monologue seemed like an obvious choice.

"I knew the monologue, of all the monologues I've done throughout my years in theatre, would take me the (farthest) in this new local competition, mainly because it would do exactly what I wanted it to do when I first did it: shock people," he said.

And he was right: He won gold at the local competition here in Brevard, then silver this month at the national level.

Between competitions, he worked hard to push himself to play with the monologue — to find new ways to execute his performance and push the envelope.

"I aimed to take more time with it, but also make it a lot more intense, letting every micro facial expression and beat and emotion take its time to breathe, and really let the audience feel every bit of intensity as they are transported head-first into the fractured mind of Patrick Bateman," Jaden said.

"It was a fun challenge for me personally, and the general note from everyone who saw it says that it payed off."

Xzhariya: a dance to remember her by

For 18-year-old Xzhariya Henderson, this year wasn't just about preparing for the competition — it was also about getting ready for college.

This fall, she'll begin her freshman year at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she'll major in dance. ACT-SO was a huge part in helping her get there, she said.

"It helped me pursue my passions, as I was able to make it to the national level," she said. "That that (level), I was able to network with a lot of important people in the dance industry."

For the national competition, Xzhariya chose to perform a contemporary dance piece called "Remember Me this Way." She chose it because it would be her last performance as a high school senior, she said.

Practicing the dance, auditioning and being part of a showcase with the NAACP at the competition were all highlights of the experience, she said.

In addition, she was able to connect to dancers like Anthony Burrell, a creative at E! Entertainment whose choreography has been featured on shows such as "Dance Moms," "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Glee."

"I was able to tap into the professional side of my career before I go into it," she said.

"It definitely prepared me in many ways."

She was chosen to perform in a group as part of a showcase in addition to her solo, which won her that silver medal.

"Placing in that national level was the best feeling ever, especially since you’re against the best of the best," she said. "(It) lifted me up as ... someone who struggles with not having the confidence of knowing that I have talent."

And being in Las Vegas was a chance for her feel a sense of community, Xzhariya said.

"Being from and living in a small town, it’s hard to find us Black people with amazing talent," she said.

"Being surrounded with them was amazing as is, let alone with feeling amazed for just being there."

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at [email protected]. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Winning ways: Brevard teens snare silver at Las Vegas ACT-SO contest