PERFORMANCE LEVELS, PINOY VICTORIES
Team Philippines won its first two awards in the ongoing 22nd Annual World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) last Monday.
The awards were Best in National Costume and Best Superior National Director for 2018.
It was stated in a shared post from the WCOPA Team Philippines page that the national costumes of Team PH were “a display of wardrobes that show the diverse culture of the Philippines: the elegance of the ‘sagalas’ of Luzon, the varied festivals of the Visayas and the royalties from the tribes of Mindanao.”
Gerry Mercado, the WCOPA Team Philippines national director, has been winning the Superior National Director award since 2013.
Meanwhile, another WCOPA Cebuano delegate, Jaienne Braveree Formoso Suralta, also known as Yesha, is improving her craft while living her dreams in Long Beach, California. She is one of 13 Cebuano members of Team Philippines in the talent Olympics.
Benilyn Suralta, Yesha’s mother, said that the 11-year-old did not have much experience joining singing competitions.
“When we auditioned her for WCOPA, it was just so she could gain more experience in singing in front of people, handling rejections, and learning to improve. We were really amazed to have received a callback slip,” said Benilyn.
Yesha started having ballet lessons at two years old, but she was kicked out after a few months because she was considered a distraction to other students for being hyperactive.
It was not too late for her though. She discovered her passion for music a year later. Because there was potential in her, she was enrolled in different schools including Huni School of Music, Brown Academy of Music, Cebu Music Learning Center and Ministry of Music and Performing Arts Academy, so she could hone her skills. However, her progress was really slow and she remained very shy.
Yesha’s WCOPA journey helped in improving her skills and especially in beating her stage fright.
“During their rehearsals, my daughter seemed to be the only one who was a novice. Most of her teammates were well trained, skilled and experienced in performing for people. She, however, was still very shy and inexperienced. It came to the point that she was about to give up because she felt like she was the weakest link,” said Benilyn.
“With prayers and practice, however, she learned to have courage and to conquer her fear of the audience. She improved, albeit slowly,” continued Benilyn.
For Benilyn, Yesha’s WCOPA experience is truly humbling. Seeking sponsors to support her financially was never easy. There were lots of rejections, but the support coming from their friends and relatives was overwhelming. This made Yesha proceed to the international competition.
“Now she’s finally here in Long Beach, California, with a heart filled with gratitude for the generosity and kindness of the people who believe in her. She doesn’t make any promises to bring home the gold, but she’ll surely return home as a new girl/performer who’s been trained and improved—all because of the people back home whose hearts are made of gold,” Benilyn said.
WCOPA will be concluded on Sunday.