An Auckland-based contortionist says it would be "crazy and amazing" if she won a $5000 top prize at one of Aotearoa's newest talent shows this weekend.
Thirty-five finalists have been selected for the first ever Armageddon Talent Contest in Auckland over the coming King's Birthday Weekend.
From musicians to dancers, expo organisers are optimistic the spectacle will be unlike anything ever seen at the New Zealand equivalent of Comic-Con. There is a first prize of $5000 up for grabs at the Saturday competition.
Contortionist and circus performer Gemma Taylor, an 18-year-old who has been doing her in-the-air act for half her life, is one of the finalists whittled down from hundreds who submitted entries..
She started aerial hooping and acrobatics after taking part in a show at school when she was just 9 years old.
"I've always been very into climbing," she told Newshub.
"[From] hanging upside down to doing things like an acrobat. I was very much, like, drawn to it. I just got really into it as it sounded really fun."
Taylor said she had been inspired by a school teacher who spotted her love for the act, and has been learning the trade at Auckland's Flip N Fly's Circus School for the past six years. But she confessed she hadn't given the Armageddon Talent Quest a second thought until someone pushed her into it.
"My friend actually sent it to me and said 'You should do this, I think you'd be able to do that' ' because we both go to Armageddon a lot," she laughed, while admitting her friend won't be taking part.
However, she told Newshub she also has to take extreme care while performing in the air, because any injuries she gets could take her out of competition for a long time.
"Especially as a contortionist, you do have to be quite careful how far you're pushing yourself. You have to make sure you're able to control your flexibility, which I'm getting better at - so that means making sure you can easily get out of those positions with enough strength to kind of keep you safe."
Taylor, who has performed at Splore, revealed to Newshub she has even themed her act to fit the Armageddon festival.
"I have an Attack on Titan theme - it's kind of just kind of spinning around and flipping and swinging and that kind of stuff. I thought it would suit it quite well, and I love the show. I thought it would be good to kind of bring that into an act like that. It'll be fun to try something different. I've never really had a character for an act like that before," she said.
"I like to choose music that has lots of ups and downs, songs that build up but also have slow moments to rest. I'm performing to 'Ashes on the Fire' from the Attack on Titan soundtrack which fits that criteria very well."
Auckland's Winter Armageddon Festival takes place at the ASB Showgrounds from June 3 - 5, with the Armageddon Talent Contest happening on Saturday, June 3.
