14-year-old blind dancer with rare skin condition amazes ‘AGT’ judges with inspiring performance
A young dancer from Kalamazoo appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent’ with both the talent to impress the judges and a story that touched hearts. Benjamin Yonattan, a 14-year-old performer, danced to OneRepublic’s song ‘I Lived.’ According to MLive, the young one was blind and also suffered from a painful skin condition. He competed on Season 10 of the hit reality talent show.
When he stepped on stage, Mel B asked him if his cane, which she referred to as “stick,” was part of his performance. To everyone’s surprise, he explained that he used the cane due to his limited vision. Yonattan added that with the help of Google Glass, he had a narrow field of vision directly in front of him. He told Howie Mandel that he could barely see him and couldn’t see Mel B, seated to Mandel’s right. He also couldn’t see the audience at all.
Before his routine began, the host, Nick Cannon, helped him with his cane and mic. Moments later, Yonattan stunned the audience with his moves. Wearing all black, he leapt across the stage, spinning gracefully on one leg. His movements were both fluid and fierce, earning roaring applause from the audience. With a bright smile, he kept on spinning again, like a ballerina, to which the audience had no option but to scream and praise him loudly. The theater erupted in cheers as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. His proud mother stood beside Nick Cannon, beaming.
Yonattan was flexible and was wavy with his body, just like flowing water. After his performance, the judges were seen giving him a standing ovation. As per Fandom, he advanced past auditions but was eliminated in the Quarterfinals during Judges’ Choice. He received fewer online votes than Gary Vider during the Dunkin’ Save. In Week 3 of the Quarterfinals, he performed Boyce Avenue’s ‘One Life,’ earning more standing ovations from Klum, Mel B, and Mandel.
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Even though Klum voted for him, Howard Stern, Mel B, and Mandel backed out, ultimately eliminating the contestant. He was adopted from Guatemala at age four. As per M Live, Yonattan said he auditioned for ‘AGT’ because “it was a great chance to succeed in life and share my story.” He chose dance because he was unable to participate in contact sports. According to his mother, Erin Brown Conroy, Yonattan began losing his vision in 2013. He was later diagnosed with retinal dystrophy, a condition that gradually erodes peripheral vision, color perception, and overall clarity.