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To win one of five sets<br />
of tickets to Christina Bianco’s<br />
performance at Montecasino’s<br />
Teatro on <strong>April</strong> 11 at 3pm, simply<br />
visit our Get It <strong>Joburg</strong> <strong>North</strong><br />
Magazine Facebook page, like our<br />
page and competition post<br />
and tag a friend. Entries<br />
close on <strong>April</strong> 6.<br />
Christina<br />
the chameleon<br />
impressionist<br />
One woman. Many (singing) voices.<br />
Meet Christina Bianco who populates<br />
the stage all by herself.<br />
Most of us have a particular gift – could be hulahooping<br />
or maybe you really slay at beer pong. For<br />
New Yorker Christina Bianco, her talent has become<br />
her livelihood. It’s enabled her to travel the globe, meet<br />
popular celebrities and appear on talk shows watched<br />
by millions, thanks to her viral videos in which she does<br />
spot-on impressions of renowned divas.<br />
Where did it all start? At a high school party. ‘I remember<br />
being at a party in high school and That’s The Way It<br />
Is came on the radio,’ Christina says. ‘I started singing<br />
along, slipping into a Celine impression and everyone<br />
stopped talking. I remember seeing all their jaws drop<br />
and they all circled round me to listen. I had no idea<br />
what I was doing could be considered impressive. It was<br />
just something that came naturally.’ Fast forward a few<br />
years and these impressions became a career. ‘In 2007 I<br />
decided to audition for the long running off-Broadway<br />
show, Forbidden Broadway. I loved the show and grew<br />
up going to see it and listening to the cast albums.<br />
I’d never taken my impressions seriously before<br />
but I thought, ‘what the heck. Go for it!’ So I<br />
practised a few specific impressions for a<br />
week leading up to the audition. I never<br />
imagined I’d ultimately get the job and<br />
be blessed to get such great reviews<br />
and award nominations. It was only<br />
then that I realised I could do a lot<br />
more with impressions.’<br />
It took a lot of hard work and<br />
dedication to create an online<br />
presence, in addition to performances<br />
at various events and concerts. ‘Just<br />
like that, one of the most off-thecuff<br />
performance moments of my life<br />
changed everything. I decided to post a diva<br />
impression mash-up of Total Eclipse of the Heart<br />
that was filmed around midnight in a rowdy New<br />
York nightclub. I initially thought it was far too sloppy<br />
and long to post but I decided to press that upload<br />
button anyway and within a matter of minutes, it was<br />
16 Get It <strong>Joburg</strong> <strong>North</strong>ern Suburbs <strong>April</strong> 20
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