Tops in Blue seeking talented Airmen

  • Published
  • By Steve VanWert
  • Air Force Services Agency
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  The annual search for Air Force talent during the Worldwide Talent Contest is scheduled Nov. 6 to 14 at nearby Lackland Air Force Base, and the deadline for submissions is Oct. 5.

Besides competing for the Roger Award, given to the best performers in five separate categories, participants also vie for positions on the 2006 Air Force Expeditionary Entertainment Troupe -- Tops in Blue.

“We need singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, and anyone else who has talent they’d like to share with the world,” said Jeri White, Tops in Blue production manager with the Air Force Services Agency here.

Contestants do not need professional training to qualify.

“They can be self-taught and don’t have to be able to read music,” Ms. White said. “All they need is talent and a strong desire to improve during the touring season.”

Applicants interested in competing in the Air Force Talent Contest and auditioning for Tops in Blue 2006 should submit a videotape of themselves performing, along with an entertainer application, to: HQ AFSVA,SVPCE; 10100 Reunion Place; Ste. 402; San Antonio, Texas 78216-4138. Airmen can obtain an application by calling (210) 652-6566 or through the Air Force Services Web site at www.afsv.af.mil.

Videotapes will be reviewed at the agency’s entertainment branch, and those individuals who display talents the judges feel can best support the team will be invited to compete at the Worldwide Talent Contest. Funding for the contest is provided by Air Force Services, including permissive temporary duty, travel and lodging.

Tops in Blue is the all-Air Force entertainment troupe that provides a free, high-energy 90-minute musical extravaganza to servicemembers worldwide, including war zones. In its mission to boost morale, the team visits more than 120 locations in more than 30 countries, entertaining more than 350,000 military and family members May to February each year.