James Leming is a filmmaker and sang in the talent show.

Lauren Brady performed in the talent show and is now a dance instructor and owns a dance shop. (Photo courtesy of Lauren Brady.)

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The Ewing Talent Show started in 2005 as a way for artistically inclined students to stand in the spotlight normally reserved for sports heroes, but the annual show has turned into a launchpad for a number of performing careers.

Taylor Shimko, a 2010 Ewing High graduate is a member of the prestigious Rockette dance troupe at the Radio City Music Hall.

Lauren Brady, who performed dance routines at the talent show in 2005 and 2006, is an instructor at Glen Roc Dance Shoppe and now owns Center Stage Dancewear.

James Leming, who sang in the 2006 show, is studying to be a filmmaker, has made one short film, “The Writer,” and is releasing another, “Gummy Bears,” both available on Youtube.com.

Alison McMullen, who played piano in the 2006 show, works as a teacher for the deaf, directs the children’s choir at her church and performs in community theater productions. She has appeared in My Fair Lady, Seussical the Musical, the Wedding Singer and Urinetown at Kelsey Theater in West Windsor.

Former Ewing mayor Jack Ball, the founder of the talent show, said he was delighted so many students had continued performing after their talent show appearances.

“There’s no question that I’m totally elated and pleased and happy to hear that,” he said. “My thought was that if we could help one child for the future, that would be terrific. Knowing that we have helped several so far, that’s three times as good.”

The talent show is open to all school-age Ewingites regardless of what school they attend. Auditions are held in November for the February show, which usually includes, dancers, singers, musicians and other esoteric performances ranging from magic to karate. Winners, determined by a panel of judges, take home cash prizes and “Charlie” trophies named after Charles Ewing. The show is divided into an afternoon and an evening show, with elementary school students performing earlier in the day and is usually attended by hundreds of residents.

Brady, who has danced since she was 5, said the show was her “moment in the sun.”

“I’ve been dancing my whole life,” she said. “I just like to perform and I thought it was a good opportunity. At school, there’s so much with athletics and stuff, it was nice to have something for other people to be involved in.”

Brady was an entrepreneurial studies major and a dance minor at Rider, and combined both of those pursuits in her career as a dance teacher and shop owner. Brady said she has students now who are performing in the talent show, and she makes a point of going every year.

McMullen said she went on to graduate from The College of New Jersey and is now an itinerant teacher for the deaf at the Summit Speech School, and enjoys performing at the Kelsey Theatre.

Shimko said she did not have permission from the Rockettes to be interviewed for this story.

Leming said performing in the talent show was a major turning point in his life.

“I sang and played guitar to ‘Born to Run,’” he said. “From there, I actually started playing at Katmandu and Mama Flora’s in Ewing. I still write music and still play … I think the talent show definitely encouraged me because it kind of made me realize that people were liking what I was doing. It did make a difference to me.”