Mindanaotoday.com | Gusa dethrones Macabalan in Cagayan de Oro Street dancing
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Performers from Barangay Gusa, this city, dethroned defending champion Barangay Macabalan in the Cagayan de Oro Street Dancing competition on Sunday, August 27, at Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Complex.
The performance of Barangay Gusa, with their storyline showcasing Cagayan de Oro history, caught the attention of the judges, as the said champion barangay also bagged three special awards, such as the Best in Street Dancing, Best Choreographer, and Best in Musicality.
Johny Johnson Balatero, choreographer of Barangay Gusa performers, stated how hard their journey was, but they still continued despite having beginner dancers and the challenges they faced prior to the final competition.
“We offer our performance to our Lord and our patron Saint Augustine,” Balatero said in vernacular on Sunday, expressing also his gratitude to the Barangay Gusa officials and dancers, among other people.
The choreographer also said they only had nine practice days prior to delivering their final performance.
Meanwhile, Barangay Carmen, where Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy lives and previously served as village chief, was proclaimed the first runner-up. The barangay also got Best in Costume and Best in Storyline special awards.
Barangay Puerto was also the second runner-up of the competition and the barangay that got the Most Discipline Award.
The defending champion, Barangay Macabalan, ended the competition without a podium finish.
Mayor Uy commended all performers and organizers for continuing the street dancing competition despite the heavy rains for just a short period of time.
“I apologize if our back trap was destroyed due to strong winds and heavy rains. However, despite the heavy rains, the programs in the Higalaay Festival have been successful,” Uy said in his speech on Sunday.
Prior to the awarding ceremony, the audience inside the sports complex went wild the moment celebrity Joshua Garcia entered the center stage and serenaded the audience.
Jeansyl Saraniogon of Barangay Carmen told iFM Cagayan de Oro that she wouldn’t wash her hands after she got a handshake with Joshua.
The TV actor thanked the city government and the fans for the warm welcome, saying that Cagayan de Oro is indeed the “friendliest place.”
Earlier Sunday, another Higalaay Festival core event, the Civic Military Parade and Float, was also conducted. This was attended by 162 participants (eight had floats) from various government offices, barangays, schools, non-government organizations, and private companies.
The participants paraded 2.7 kilometers from the starting point in Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral to Kiosko Kagawasan in Divisoria.
After the parade, the private company Palawan Pawnshop was proclaimed champion, while Barangay Carmen was the first runner-up, and JE Hydro and Bio-Energy Corp. was the second runner-up. All the winners received huge cash prizes.
###