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Sky Elements Will Bring You to Tears with Semifinal Drone Show (WATCH)
The AGT Semifinals were host to a touching tribute written on the stars by Sky Elements.
At the America’s Got Talent Semifinals, the competition is heating up as the best that AGT has to offer compete for the top spot of Season 19. Twelve Acts performed September 11, 2024, at AGT Pasadena Civic Auditorium but only six of them survived the evening.
One of those Acts, who viewers will see at the Season 19 Finals, was Sky Elements from Dallas, Texas. Sky Elements is no stranger to the AGT stage, having performed once during the Audition phase and again during the Live Shows. In both cases, the show was too big to fit inside the auditorium, taking the Judges and the audience outside to watch a technological light show in the night sky.
The group, which uses hundreds of synchronized drones to paint pictures on the sky, was launched by a couple of college best friends, combining their love of programming and entertainment to create interactive holiday displays set to music. Hoping to raise the stakes, literally, they transitioned from decorations to drones.
Sky Elements' Emotional Light Show Dedicated to Member's Late Daughter
Before the drones (approximately 1,200 of them) launched, co-founder of Sky Elements, Preston Ward, talked about his daughter Briley Rose, who died in 2020. He describes grief as a fire, one capable of burning you down or fueling a new passion.
RELATED: Sky Elements' Drone Show Puts the Judges Faces in the Sky (WATCH)
After Briley’s death, the first thing that really brought him a sense of joy and wonder was a drone show, Ward said, and it sparked a desire to recreate that joy himself.
“This performance is definitely a love letter to my daughter, and what better place to tell the story of Briley, my rose, than Pasadena, the city of roses,” Ward said.
Through tears, Ward talked about finding ways to remember and honor the people we’ve lost in our everyday lives; he's chosen to do that with drones.
The first drones flickered to light, like a scattered field of stars, as Lily Meola’s “Butterfly” played throughout the crowd. Those stars resolved into a hill with a tree, a parent and child walking beneath the shade of its leaves. Then the child drifts away. Wordlessly, through the combination of light and music, Sky Elements told a story of love and loss.
A single flower appears, a rose, before enlarging to stretch across the sky, a perch for butterflies. First one, then several, their vibrantly colored wings vibrant against the dark. Finally, a phoenix arises, the universal symbol of rebirth. Even without the personal story connected to the performance, the Act communicates it through pure, concentrated emotion and clever, artful use of the technology. You can feel the ache of loss and the slow blooming rebirth that follows.
What did the Judges say about Sky Elements’ AGT Semifinals Performance?
Tears ran down the faces of the Judges, as the song faded out and the last drones vanished into the dark.
“I mean, who knew that drones could make you so emotional? That was a surprise, it was so beautiful,” said Sofia Vergara. “That was heartfelt, I don’t even know what to say. Congratulations, what a beautiful, beautiful job.”
“It is emotional, it was absolutely beautiful,” Howie Mandel agreed, before noting the serendipity of the Act taking place on the anniversary of 9/11, a date associated with so much pain and loss. “What an emotional, beautiful moment. I can’t thank you enough for this. There isn’t an Act that just moves your heart this much, and you just broke us.”
Those sentiments were, perhaps, best encapsulated by Simon Cowell’s commentary. Or, rather, his lack of commentary. When host Terry Crews asked him for his feelings, Cowell squeaked out a timid “That was … oh god,” before passing the baton to the other Judges.
“What a beautiful tribute to your daughter,” Heidi Klum said through tears. “It was absolutely amazing; we all have the most emotions and feelings for you. I just want to give you a big hug right now. Thank you for sharing that with us.”
Watch America's Got Talent on Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
