Mary Strauss, who along with her late husband Leon helped restore the Fabulous Fox Theatre to its former splendor, is now ready to welcome fifty high school acts onstage as the semi-final round of the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation’s (FoxPACF) 11th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition gets underway on Sunday, February 28, 2021.

The finalists will compete for $50,000 in scholarships and prizes.

“We are so pleased with the positive response to the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition from students, parents, arts organizations, and the community,” said Strauss, St. Louis Teen Talent Competition creator, FoxPACF Founder and Board President. “The Foundation is happy to be able to provide this opportunity for students and to give students the opportunity to shine.”

The Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation reintroduced the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition in 2011 to showcase the St. Louis region’s most talented teens in the performing arts. Due to the Pandemic, the preliminary and semi-final rounds are conducted by video submissions; judging and feedback to contestants is completed on a virtual platform. Contestants will receive feedback and insight from panels of arts professionals to encourage, inspire and improve these high school students’ craft.

The finals of the St. Louis Teen Talent Final Competition will be taped live on stage at the Fox Theatre for a special broadcast to air on the NineNetwork. Complete guidelines and information about the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition can be found on the FoxPACF website, as well as their social media pages.

123 acts submitted recorded performances, representing 77 bi-state high schools and homeschoolers. Semi-finalist acts will be judged on technical ability, interpretation, stage presence, and originality. Artists in the semi-finals include singers, musicians, dancers, aerialists, jugglers, and a beatboxer. A complete list of students/schools can be found here.

“Performance art is more important than ever, and our next generation of artists are ready to launch their careers when our stages reopen,” stated Judy Cullen, the Foundation’s Executive Director.

The finals of the St. Louis Teen Talent Final Competition will be taped live on stage at the Fox Theatre for a special broadcast to air on the NineNetwork. Complete guidelines and information about the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition can be found on the FoxPACF website, as well as their social media pages.

The 2020 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition winner was DemBari Taneh, a freestyle hip hop dancer from Kirkwood High School. Other past participants have been seen on NBC’s The Voice (Joanna Serenko 2019 and Audriana Bartholomew 2017), American Idol (Christina Jones 2017), and toured with the Broadway shows like Hamilton (Yvette Lu 2013). A complete list of the past ten years of winners and finalists can be found on the FoxPACF website.