Belly dancers, sword swallowers and fire breathers welcome at auditions

The third annual UW’s Got Talent competition, held on Thursday, Oct. 7, after Homecoming’s “Yell Like Hell” (approximately 8 p.m.), will bring people together to showcase unique, entertaining talents in a fun evening of unexpected surprises.

Preliminary auditions will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 29 and 30, and Sunday and Monday, Oct. 3 and 4, in the Humanities Building’s Mills Hall. All UW–Madison students and student groups are welcome to audition

The top 10 acts will advance to the Oct. 7 finals and have the chance to perform in front of a panel of judges, including Marching Band director Mike Leckrone and Dean of Students Lori Berquam. The audience will help choose the winner via text voting. Videos of the finalists will be sent to “America’s Got Talent” for review in the hope that one of UW’s talents will be picked for the show’s upcoming season. Jeff Vinokur, a junior at UW–Madison, recently finished in the top 100 of the “America’s Got Talent” competition after producers saw his 2008 UW audition.

Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.