Many hopefuls have auditioned in the prestigious AGT, or America’s Got Talent.
Through the years, we’ve seen so many touching, funny, unbelievable, and unique talents, but there are quite a few that stay in our memories and our hearts.
In 2017, twelve-year-old Merrick Hanna auditioned for the 12th season of “America’s Got Talent.”
He impressed the judges with his stellar performance.
Born in San Diego, California, to Shawn and Aletha Hanna, Merrick had always loved dancing.
When asked who influenced him in his chosen craft, he proudly said that it was his grandma.
At the age of 80, she was taking four dance classes each week.
When asked about his talent, he said he would dance for them and described his performance as an impersonation of a robot who was broken and floppy.
Everyone was excited to see the adorable and energetic little boy with his “robotic” dance, but they didn’t know they were about to see something different.
The song “I Built a Friend” by Alec Benjamin started playing.
As the song starts, we hear a story about a young boy who created a robot friend, putting pieces of plastic and an old cellphone for its head.
Merrick portrayed each sentence perfectly. Even that head wobble was so convincing.
The mellow song continues, describing how the young boy and his robot shared so many fun things, and all the while, you see the story unfold through Merrick’s dance steps.
His moves were smooth and accurate for the lyrics. Let’s not forget his facial expressions that added depth to the emotional song.
Little by little, you understand how the story unfolds.
As the boy grew up and went to college, he left his robot friend alone. Soon, the young man met a young lady and fell in love.
One day, upon returning home, he saw a scribbled letter next to his friend, who waited for him to come home.
His old friend said that he wasn’t well, and beside him, water spilled, causing him to short-circuit.
They remembered the time that they had spent before finally saying goodbye.
We then hear the audience say “aw” and some of them cried as they realized what happened to the robot friend.
After his emotional interpretative dance, everyone gave him a round of applause, and even Simon and Howie stood up to commend the young boy.
Simon was the first to give his verdict, and everyone agreed when he said that Merrick’s dance was one of the best for him.
For Howie, it was a first, as well. No one has come up to their stage, told a story, danced, and shared such powerful emotions.
When he realized how the robot died, Howie got teary-eyed.
The two beautiful lady judges both agreed that the young boy was incredible. You’ve guessed it, Merrick got all four yeses.
Merrick told the story through his expressions, dance moves, and timing, and that made his performance emotional and exceptional.
This talented boy made it to the finals and finished in the top 5.
He also competed in the second season of “World of Dance” in 2018. Merrick made it to the Divisional Finals.
As of now, this young man has achieved a lot, but he continues to inspire others with his unique dance style and commitment to sharing a positive impact in the world.
Watch his emotional yet impressive dance below.
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