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There was no more suspense as magician Dustin Tavella was named the season 16 winner of America's Got Talent.
POTTSGROVE, WEST — Stowe native Dustin Tavella, winner of the 16th season of NBC's "America's Got Talent," is now a millionaire. But his path to stardom began with a few balloons and a preacher.
"My father was on 'Puttin on the Hits,'" a lip-sync show that ran for four seasons in the 1980s. As Tavella pointed out, his father pretended to sing the Warren Zevon classic "Werewolves of London" while wearing his costume, which was made by his mother. There's no news yet on whether or not Dad won.
Tavella claims he's had the impulse to make balloon creatures since he was seven years old after watching his parents make them. After his parents "bought him a DVD," he began to train. His hand went up when the pastor asked for volunteers to perform for homeless children at a Reading church service when he was nine. Although he was expecting grownups, "he took me seriously and asked whether I would be willing to don a clown suit." I suppose he expected adults.
As a result, Tavella's lifelong passion for performance was paired with the warm sensation in his chest he receives whenever he assists someone. All of his television appearances this year have incorporated messages of kindness, including a trick that finished with everyone in the crowd holding up a piece of paper reading, "Be Kind."
Another trick featured a statement encouraging people to donate garments to those in need, which was matched with an identical message hidden inside a balloon since the beginning of the show.
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According to Tavella, he intended his performance to show people "the power of giving and that a simple act of kindness can go a long way." When he was younger, "someone stepped in to assist us out," he told the television audience. And ever since that day, he's had a tremendous desire to help people. After graduating from high school, he headed to Texas to serve a Christian mission. "When I was in high school, I went on a mission trip and fell in love with the notion. I thought, 'that's what I want to do with my life, travel and assist others.'
Summer camps were held, mission trips to Mexico and Germany were taken, and relief operations were assisted by the mission. He said, "We weren't getting paid and we were continuously trying to raise money." When he looks back on that day, he says, "I chose not to live my life regularly." When he first met his wife Kari, "when she found out I was a magician, she was like 'Oh my God, you've got to use this to help others,'" he recollected.
Tavella owes a debt of gratitude to her for igniting his desire to use magic to better the lives of others. "They ask if she supports my work and I respond by saying that she is the reason I do what I do. There are times when I feel like I'm standing at her side, besides her." When Kari's pregnancy ended in miscarriage at four months, they needed that support more than before.
But as soon as that one closed, another one sprung open. The pair was in Texas volunteering at a shelter for women in need. So that's how they ended up having children of their own. A woman approached the couple and requested that they adopt her son Xander, which they did. Xander had an older brother "who was in the system," as the saying goes. And then his grandma called and asked if they could adopt Sylas, too," Pete Tavella told The Mercury last month.
According to Pete Tavella, the first meeting between the Tavella brothers was between the first and second episodes of NBC's "America's Got Talent." To celebrate their son winning a national talent contest, Pete and Patti Tavella travelled to California to spend time with both of their grandkids, which will provide Pete with some additional storage space in his parents' basement. "And I believe being with my parents has been extremely beneficial for Sylas, for him to realise that he has a broader family he can rely on," Dustin added.
Hence, it was only fitting that America's Got Talent's last episode featured a performance by magicians Tavella and Mat Franco, the show's first-ever grand prize winner, as well as guest judges Rico Rodriguez and Sophia Vergara, who play Manny, Gloria's son on the long-running comedy Modern Family. When asked about performing with Franco, Tavella said she was "eager to follow his example." After a brainstorming session with many producers, the two came up with the concept for their trick, which involves more teddy bears than you've ever seen on stage at once.
On those occasions when Tavella performs alone, Tavella says he devises his own illusions by "trying not to think like a magician" in order for the tricks to not appear fabricated. "Occasionally, I'll begin with the trick and then consider the tale that goes along with it. However, for the last one, I already had an idea of the tale I wanted to convey and the effects that would go with it "Tavella made a statement to that effect. However, he said that "things have been going so rapidly, I had some help" in the last episodes of the show.
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Tavella has benefited from the support of many people along the road, especially her extended Pottsgrove family.
"I used to hang out at the Vine Street Deli," he said, "which my aunt and uncle operated." Even though it's gone now, I recall spending a lot of time there and going to West Pottsgrove Elementary School every day."
In high school, he participated in T-ball, football, and wrestling, when he "broke my collar bone." He was the drummer for a band named "Avenfield" that he formed with several of his pals.
When Tavella learned that Pottsgrove High School Principal William Ziegler was one of the first individuals to announce his victory through Twitter, he erupted in excitement "You're the best, Dr. Z! He was one of the many wonderful people I've met in my life. Since the beginning, he's been a solid source of encouragement and guidance "when Tavella first met him as Pottsgrove Middle School's vice-principal.
Since his victory, "I've got hundreds of text messages from folks back home and it's been extremely chaotic, doing interviews, taking photographs, and sorting out details, I don't sure how I am going to get back to them all."
As a result, he took advantage of the opportunity provided by his local newspaper to send a message home: "I'd want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to each and every one of you. I didn't feel alone when I was up there. I could feel the support of everyone from my hometown, as well as my friends and family and the people who had voted for me, up there with me "Tavella made a statement to that effect.
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