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The Opening Dance of 2023 Little Sunshine Talent Search.

Photo courtesy Fairchild Radio

From left to right: People’s Choice Alexis Chang (aged 8), First Runner-up and Taken Award winner Tiffany Lin (aged 10), Champion Amber Chen (aged 12), Second Runner-up Edward Gootman (aged 7).

Photo courtesy Fairchild Radio

Big wins for Richmond kids! 4 Kids from Richmond win 5 titles in 2023 Little Sunshine Talent Search

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 3:24 PST, Thu November 16, 2023

Last Updated: 12:34 PST, Mon November 20, 2023

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Kids from Richmond were having a grand slam moment last Saturday at Aberdeen Centre, winning five out of five titles at the 2023 Little Sunshine Talent Search.

On Saturday, Nov. 11, four boys and four girls aged from five to twelve competed for five titles in front of the audience. After a series of competition ranging from Opening Dance, Catwalk, Self-introduction, Talent Show, and Q&A, the championship went to Amber Chan (age 12). Tiffany Lin (age 10) won two titles including the First Runner-up and the Talent Award while Edward Gootman (age 7) took home the Second Runner-up honour. Alexis Chang (age 8) gathered the most votes from netizens as she was named People’s Choice.

Organized by Fairchild Radio, Little Sunshine is an annual talent search for Chinese speaking kids between the ages of four to twelve. Recruitment started at the beginning of September and eight finalists were selected from over a hundred kids who live in Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Delta, and Surrey. After a month of intensive training and rehearsals , the finalists were given an opportunity to shine on stage, and they did not disappoint.

Amber Chen, who won the Champion title of 2023 Little Sunshine, is the oldest of the eight finalists. During an interview after the competition, she said she felt quite overwhelmed at times, as she had to guide the younger kids during the Opening Dance, telling them when to switch positions and where to stand for the final pose. But all the hard work paid off as the Opening Dance was impeccable, and Amber was particularly impressed as the younger kids did not forget their steps. Amber’s own talent performance was a routine that combined catwalk and dance.

First Runner-up and Talent Award winner Tiffany Lin has been learning violin since she was six years old, and she performs regularly in school and at various events. Tiffany is the eldest of three children, and her mom, dad, young brother and sister all came out to support her, and a big feast is planned to celebrate Tiffany’s achievement.

As the only boy amongst winners, Edward (Eddie) Gootman has all the cool moves and model poses up his sleeve. Eddie’s wish is to become a rich and famous star when he grows up, so he can buy a Mercedes Benz for this mom as present.

The soft-spoken Alexis Chang is a big fan of K-pop, especially the girl group Blackpink. She will watch Blackpink’s music videos on YouTube and practice their dances for hours. Alexis has won the People’s Choice Award, a titled voted by netizens on web and on app.

The winners and finalists of the 2023 Little Sunshine have been appointed the Goodwill Ambassadors of the Winter Warm Wave campaign, an annual clothing drive to benefit the Salvation Army. They will appear at Aberdeen Centre on Saturday, Dec. 16 between 12 to 4 p.m. to receive clothing donations from the general public. Come support the Little Sunshine and the Winter Warm Wave by taking the clothes, books and toys you no longer need to Aberdeen Centre on Dec. 16. A small souvenir will be given to you as a token of appreciation.

The 2023 Winter Warm Wave will run from Nov. 20, 2023 to Jan. 2, 2024 at various locations in Greater Vancouver including Richmond.