The 14-year-old Mariandrea stunned the audience with her astounding dance routine on America’s Got Talent. The Mexican teen began her audition with a bubbly chat with the judges and told them she was there to “inspire all the younger women, Mexican women, to know they are limitless”. She certainly showed this to be the case with her routine, which began in a demure dress and initially featured a graceful and technically impressive ballet routine.
After the first verse to “Wild World” was complete, Mariandrea tore off her dress, revealing a one-piece costume and changing pace to a dramatic contemporary routine. Mariandrea contorted her body into various poses with real passion and intensity just pouring out from her, keeping the entire room on the edge of their seats.
Several audience members were seen letting their jaws hit the floor with shock when the routine changed pace, as it was such a contrast with how Mariandrea’s audition began. Judge Heidi Klum commented on this dichotomy, saying, “You stand there – you look like this cute girl. You have the most beautiful face and smile, and then all of a sudden she’s possessed. You will be dancing with amazing grown-up dancers in this competition and you can hold your own.”
Sofía Vergara was awed by Mariandrea, gushing, “That was so wow! What a surprise that was. That was spectacular. You were like dancing and acting at the same time – the passion, the intention. [I’m] speechless.” Simon Cowell agreed, saying, “You have a real presence about you, and I loved the choice of music as well. I think you’re unbelievably talented. This is what you’re meant to be doing.” Mariandrea delivered another show-stopping dance routine in the semi-finals, which you can see below.
Howie Mandell had plenty of kind words for the talented señorita, saying, “It was like magic watching you. Your facial expressions, the energy. You owned the stage, you owned the building, you owned the show. You were magnificent.” With that kind of unqualified praise, it was no surprise that Mariandrea quickly received four yes votes from the judges.
Fans online were also very impressed with Mariandrea, adding comments such as, “The way she moved her body around so fast was hard to believe! Her facial expressions and overall presence were mesmerizing. The whole performance was captivating” and “She didn’t just dance, she told a story through her movements, body and emotional expressions! To achieve this level after just nine years of dancing is incredible.” If you’d like to keep up with the breathtaking performances of Mariandrea, don’t forget to follow her on her Instagram.