Judges Were Left Speechless As Ballerina Changed Her Performance Mid-Audition

Feb 03, 2021 by apost team

A young ballerina stunned the judges of "Britain's Got Talent" all the way back in 2009, when she switched gears in the middle of her performance. Hollie Steel, ten years old at the time, had come to show off her skills as a ballerina, it seemed. Dressed in a very classic tutu, she started on a set of dance moves that seemed rote and lackluster. However, she turned her performance around when she opened her mouth and started to sing. The judges certainly weren't expecting it!

 "Britain's Got Talent" first aired on British TV in 2007 and quickly turned into a nationwide hit. "America's Got Talent" had already proven to be a hit a year prior. By now, most people around the world will have already watched or at least heard about one of the many talent shows belonging to the "Got Talent" franchise. The brain behind and inventor of the popular talent show franchise is Simon Cowell, who had gathered experience within the entertainment industry as a talent scout, record producer, and previous judge on similar shows. What most people don't know, however, is that the British version of the franchise — and indeed the whole "Got Talent" series — almost never came to pass.

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Cowell first pitched the series to the British television network ITV all the way back in 2005, and a pilot episode was even made. The signs were all pointing towards a successful start of a new TV talent show. There was just one small catch: ITV wanted to have the English comedian & TV presenter Paul O'Grady as the host of the show and to name the show after him as well: "Paul O'Grady's Got Talent ." Neither Cowell nor O'Grady himself were fans of this idea. In fact, O'Grady categorically refused to put his name on the show, stating:

"I told the producers they were having a joke if they thought I would front a show with that title. The original panel of judges was going to be Simon Cowell, Fern Britton and Piers Morgan. I was the host. Then when I had the row with ITV I was banned from the studios. I remember I rang Simon and told him he had a huge hit on his hands, but there was no way I could do it."

Cowell then pitched the same idea to the U.S. network NBC, where the U.S. version soon took off in 2006. Seeing the success of the show, ITV caved in, and from 2007 onwards, the British version was finally realized.

Hollie Steel, then ten years old, seemed like a normal ballerina before her audition during the show's 2009 season. The young hopeful talent from Burnley, Lancashire England, had entered the show for a chance at showing off her skills. Her parents were standing by and supporting their daughter's wishes all the way. She was wearing a pink and purple tutu with a cute scrunchie in her hair, and she giggled when the hosts teased her about her admittedly cliché ensemble.

"Let me guess what you do," they said. "A bit of magic?" She laughed and said no. "Juggling?" they joked again. 

The judges were slightly less charmed. While they spoke to her in gentle tones, they didn't seem particularly excited for her performance, especially when the music started. The first minute of Steel's performance was admittedly pretty bland. She did some basic twirls and jumps, but they weren't very impressive.

She looked like a typical ten-year-old with a few dance practices under her belt. While dancing in front of such a huge audience definitely took courage and determination, she didn't really stand out from the rest of the hopeful young talents the judges had seen already. It was clear that they were going to let her down easy when she finished.

In fact, Cowell had already raised his hand to hit his buzzer, obviously ready to see her out. Before his hand could reach its target, however, Steel opened her mouth and started singing! With a deep, almost opera-like voice, she sang along to "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the play "My Fair Lady." The crowd gasped and cheered; the judges were absolutely bug-eyed. She had shocked them all. In an instant, she had gone from a small girl with some dance moves to a talented singer.

She finished her performance with a crystal-clear high note and had the entire audience surging to their feet to give her a standing ovation. The judges were also generous with their praise. "It's just ridiculous how much talent you have," said Amanda Holden, adding that she was "stunned" by the voice that came out of her tiny frame. And we certainly can't fault her; Steel's clear and powerful voice seemed to belong to an opera singer, not a young girl.

"We've seen lots of children on this show in three series now," said Piers Morgan. "I have never heard any of them sing as well as you."

Even Cowell, the notoriously hard to please judge, had positive words for Steel. He admitted that he'd made assumptions about her abilities because of her song and costume choice, but he said that he was blown away when she started to sing.

"I think, Hollie, that you've got a fantastic voice," he said, and the crowd went wild. Steel made it through to the next round, and the video of her audition quickly went viral. The public was just as stunned by her multi-faceted performance as everyone in the studio.

Eleven years later, Hollie is still performing. The 22-year-old gave an interview on the "Lorraine" show in 2019 where she shared how she just got back from a one-year cruise ship where she performed in the show "Grease" as Frenchy. She also added that people still recognize her from her performances on "Britain's Got Talent" and sometimes come up to talk to her. 2020 sadly saw no new content or exciting news from Steel. Still, considering the ongoing pandemic and the problems the entertainment industry has been facing, this is not surprising.

What do you think? Can you believe that amazing voice came from such a pint-sized voice box? Let us know in the comments!