5 minute read
America’s Got Noah
AMERICA’S GOT NOAH EPPS
By Michelle Elizabeth Photographers: Trae Patton (NBC Pics) & Rena Durham (@renadurham)
And Noah Epps definitely has talent! This 13 year old, 8th grader from Ashburn, Virginia is an accomplished dancer, model, and actor. He’s most well-known for his audition on America’s Got Talent, Season 15, episode 1504. That performance went viral, gaining him tons of new fans. Noah says, “The experience was terrific. I love being on stage, and the energy I felt from the audience was unreal. Also, I learned a lot about show business in the reality TV space.”
He was 11 at the time of the audition and 12 by the time it aired. Noah says, “ I auditioned three times for America's Got Talent. First, I auditioned in New York. They said that I should audition again for other seasons, so I auditioned in Charlotte the following year. I sent in an audition recording for the third time. So, if you want to be on that show, my advice would be never to give up and keep trying.” Noah’s viral performance starts with a quote from Pinocchio followed by eerie hypnotic carnival sounds while he dances like a marionette. Noah’s precision is so flawless that he truly looks like a puppet on strings. Infusing the marionette style with a robotic flavor, this magical mystical robot puppet character also glides across the stage so smoothly one can’t help but be reminded of the”Smooth Criminal” himself- Michael Jackson. The creepy yet cool Robot Puppet really takes on a life of its own as the music suddenly changes to dubstep banger “Exterminate” by Excision. Now Epps flips his game - literally! He contorts his body into terrifying yet beautiful shapes as the story continues. The entire performance was a true work of art.
Interacting with the celebrity judges can be a bit intimidating, but Noah wasn’t too scared. He says, “The judges were really nice! I was a little worried about what Simon would think of my audition initially, but it all worked out well. Meeting Terry Crews and Heidi was fantastic too!” Noah’s worry was for nothing, when show creator and judge, Simon Cowell, gave his review saying, “You’ve got fire in your eyes! That determination! I love that!”
Later on in the AGT season, Epps performed another amazingly creative dance routine set to “B2U” by Boombox Cartel. The performance was inspired by scary movies that send chills down your spine, yet at the same time are artistically intriguing. The massive set had a creepy arcade vibe and the special effects were absolutely breathtaking. Noah’s special brand of dance moves totally captured the whole “trapped in a video game” theme. When creating these elaborate characters, costumes, and dance routines, Noah draws inspiration from old halloween costumes, movies and tv shows. He says, “I try to think how these characters would move and I have to come up with a routine based on that. Dancing as these characters lets me express myself in a way I couldn't do in real life. It makes me feel like a super cool character with superpowers.” When coming up with a routine, Epps works with his choreographer for months. He explains, “He doesn't know many of my street styles, so he usually leaves a section of the routine open for me to freestyle or develop my choreography. So, it's a collaboration.” Noah has been dancing since he was 7 years old and is trained in ballet, lyrical, contemporary and hip-hop as well as street styles like bruk up, flexing, animation, and bone breaking. He trains for about 15-20 hours a week. In preparation for America’s Got
Talent he trained for about 25 or more hours per week. Recently, he started taking acting classes and auditioning more as an actor, so his dance training has been cut back a little.
To stay healthy enough to keep up the rigorous physical demands of dance, you’d think that Noah might follow a very specific diet or nutrition plan, right? Wrong. He jokes, “I am on the teenager diet, which consists of whatever I can get my hands on, I will eat! Just staying active with dance keeps me in pretty good shape. I hope to start lifting weights soon.”
Noah had been to Hollywood and LA. previously to perform at the World of Dance World Championships, but found It to be a totally different experience when he went back for AGT. He says, “It was very cool to see how the production team works behind the scenes. The best experience was meeting everyone from the show. Of course meeting the judges was cool, but it was great to know the other contestants. I hope we can all connect again in the future!” The most frustrating aspect of the whole experience was dealing with all the changes that had to be made due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Epps explains, “I would not change any of the precautions put in place, but I feel that the experience would have been different if we were able to have the live audience throughout the show. On the bright side, I think that I was able to get to know the other contestants since we were all going through it together.”
Since being on the show Noah’s life has changed a bit. His videos went viral and many new doors have opened for him. He explains, “I planned to participate in many events, but due to COVID, my family decided it would be safer not to. I'm a little shy, so life after the show has been somewhat weird. Sometimes when I go out, I get noticed by strangers because my audition video went viral”.
For Noah’s next career moves, he says, “It would be cool to book a dance, acting job. If that happens, great! If not, that's fine too. I'm not taking life too seriously. I'm just doing things I love, like dancing and acting, hanging with friends, and doing teenage things. But you never know, maybe one day you will see me on AGT-France. You never know. Stay tuned!”
