58 gold, 99 silver and 48 bronze medals.
Filipino delegates with the largest pool of grand finalists won big at the 21st World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach, California last June 30 to July 9.
The team has 11 finalists who only had 60 seconds each to display the richness of their talents and skills, and leave impressive marks on the judges on the final night of performances last July 7.
Among the finalists is Nhikzy Vheench Calma, the eight-year-old dance wunderkid who won this year’s Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World and Junior Champion for Dance Solo. He did dance renditions of Michael Jackson songs (of course, he moonwalked to Billie Jean). Calma is not new to performing as he has been appearing in a weekend noontime show in ABS-CBN.
Singer Cristiani Rebada, on the other hand, secured the Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World and Senior Vocal Soloist awards. The opera singer has also been performing and teaching at the Philippine Opera Company.
It was a back-to-back win for the country as dance group Junior New System won last year’s Senior Grand Champion Performers of the World.
Singer Hannah Korin Castillo also won the Junior Grand Champion Vocalist of the World award. Vocalist Madonna Dacena, who got a standing ovation at the Britain’s Got Talent in 2008, won six medals in different categories.
In addition, the team nabbed 22 division plaques and seven industry awards. The delegates were also bestowed with scholarships from Indasoul records, Shelly Sondheim, Millennium Dance, and New York Film Academy.
Also dubbed as the “Olympics of performing arts,” WCOPA confers hopeful superstars with prestigious titles and awards $400,000 worth of scholarships to the winners. Aspirants from over 50 countries are screened by 75 judges.
Header image courtesy of the Asianjournal.com
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Writer: YAZHMIN MALAJITO
