Photo by  Shawn Paik/WSN

 

In its 11th year, the UltraViolet Live Competition hit the stage at NYU New York on Thursday, March 6. The performances included dances, songs and acts by talented students from NYU’s global network, including the portal campuses. With his beatboxing show, NYU Abu Dhabi’s Temirlan Akimtegi won Best Variety Performance. The Grand Prize Winner was singer-songwriter NYUNY freshman Jonathan Evans.

The hosts for UVL 2014 were two NYU alumni: Mara Wilson, best known for her roles in Matilda and in Mrs. Doubtfire, and Jenny Jaffe, a writer and comedian affiliated with CollegeHumor and MTV.

“The MCs … were super funny and energetic,” wrote NYUAD sophomore Lucia Salem, who is currently studying abroad in New York. “I think the best part about UVL was that the performances [were] so varied, and some of them [were] incredibly good.”

Deciding on the award winners were four judges from the entertainment industry, including Cynthia Germanotta, the mother of the singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, who was once a Tisch student. Germanotta is the first parent of an alumna to act as judge for the show. The audience also participated in the judging, choosing the recipient of the Audience Choice Award.

NYUAD students were especially excited about Akimtegi’s success.

“[Tima] was great because he engaged the audience and had them participate in his performance, and also because he beat-boxed beats to popular songs so everyone was having fun,” said Salem. “The judges loved him!”