Awesome Talents

Electric violinist Bryson Andres turns in an impressive and unique arrangement of Sia’s powerful hit track Chandelier using a combination of live string playing and his digital loop pedal. Check out more of his tracks on YouTube.

In response to a note from a high school music teacher looking for safe-for-school lyrics, Mac Lethal proves his rap prowess knows no bounds, as he spits his rapid-fire rhymes over Mozart’s Turkish March Piano Sonata No. 11.

Dancers Ricardo Walker and Poppin John show off their incredible control as they perform to a dubstep remix of Michael Jackson’s Beat It. But instead of a dance battle breaking out, it’s a seamless collaboration between the two.

While the details and secondary colors are painted with additional brushstrokes, we’re still amazed by how artists, such as those at Japan’s Kousyuuya can create such impressive dragon bodies with a single stroke of a brush. More here.

…is none other than the man who plays The Mountain in Game of Thrones, Hafþór Júlíus “Thor” Björnsson. Thor displayed his skull-crushing power and tore through the events in the competition to take first place.

As we sat and stared at this masked speed painter work his magic, we tried to figure out who his subject was the whole time. But it’s not until the last few seconds that his true ability to render portraits is revealed.

Watch as this woman chops up traditional Korean candies, while at the same time creating a percussive backbeat with her kitchen tools. If you’re not bouncing your head from side to side by the middle of the clip, we’ll be surprised.

Australian breakdancer Simon Ata demonstrates some of the exercises he does to keep in shape for his dance routines, with precision control over muscles we didn’t even knew existed. Seriously, this is some next level Cirque du Soleil sh*t.

Benedikt Magnusson set a new world record for deadlifting at the Europe’s Strongest Man event, lifting 461kg (1016lb). As a Redditor put it, that’s like having an adult lion in each of your hands. And yep, he’s bros with The Mountain.

Volkswagen tested if its rally drivers can name cars by their sound witht the help of Daniel Jovanov, who has the uncanny ability to imitate vehicle sounds. Seriously, considering he doesn’t have reverb that’s a damn good Polo R sound.

We’ve seen dolphins playing with underwater bubble rings, but freediver David Helderle has honed the act of making underwater vortexes into a fine craft. Aquaman should have had this power. (Thanks Michael!)

Another impressive performance from Enra, combining projected animations with live action – in this case precisely matching the timing of Yusaku Mochizuki’s diabolo juggling with the digital images on screen.

Chris Ott has a talent for playing toy musical instruments. We first heard him play Sandstorm on a toy trumpet, and here he plays Maynard Ferguson’s Birdland on the world’s smallest trumpet. Note: it might drive your dog crazy.

Just when you think you’ve hit the heights by being the world’s fastest clapper, someone has to come around and show you up. Oh wait – it’s just Bryan Bednarek outdoing himself with a new clapping record. Good job, bro. (Thanks Rob!)

Three-year-old Lyonya Shilovskya was invited to join the stage with a symphony orchestra in Russia to perform a section of Offenbach’s classic Orpheus in the Underworld. We’re still convinced he’s an adult in a little kid costume.

While a few too many of his voices sound like Muppets, you’ve got to hand it to impressionist Rob Cantor for singing his song Perfect in the voices of 29 different characters. Surprisingly, his women’s voices are some of the best.