14-year-old Kiemora Kinisky has been named the winner of the 2019 Peace Country Rising Stars talent competition.
Performing a solo to the song, “Hold On”, the eight-year dancer wowed the judges, including Director of Bright Live Broadway Ken Perry, Â Dance Director of the Academy Dance Program Carrie Robins and 2day FM’s own Erica Fisher. Kinisky overcame incredibly stiff competition from runner up Cecily Phelps and her original song “Won’t You Love Me Still” to take the $1,000 top prize donated by the Backman Family.
“It’s insane, definitely the best time I’ve done my solo, so I’m pretty proud of myself,” Kinisky says.
“I learned this solo in July, and I’ve been working on it ever since, definitely a good solo for me,” she adds.
Run by second-year Business Administration Students at the GPRC, the event formerly known as Peace Country Idol is now in its second year as Rising Stars.
Kinisky couldn’t quite put her finger on what gave her the idea to join the competition but says she kept a family member close at heart before making her appearance on the finals stage.
“I look up to my brother a lot, and he’s in Vancouver right now, so I always just think of him before I go on.”
Student Elizabeth Booth, who with her classmates in the Grande Prairie Regional College’s Marketing Project Management Class of 2019, helped organize and run the show, says it has been nearly a year of planning, but the result has been well worth the long nights.
“I’ve been looking forward to it since last year when I saw Piper win, so now to see the contestants and the winners, it’s been a truly amazing experience to help plan this and see it transform in front of us.”
Rounding out the winners, Camryn Winnicky-Lewis took home the bronze with her rendition of “Waving Through A Window. Makena Blais took home the Student’ Choice Award for a dance routine to “An Evening I Won’t Forget”, and the People’s Choice Award was handed out to Shay Mould who sang, and performed the original song “Hurricane”.
