BACOLOD’S MASSKARA DANCERS SHINE IN NEW YORK, BUSAN
BACOLOD CITY—MassKara Festival dancers from this city gave lively and glittering performances that wowed audiences at the New York State Capitol in the United States and in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday and Friday.
The multiawarded Barangay Granada MassKara dancers were in New York City for the 125th Philippine Independence Anniversary commemoration parade along Madison Avenue on June 4.
On Thursday, they performed before state senators and assemblymen and the Filipino community at the New York State Capitol in Albany.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez presented a token of appreciation to Assemblyman Steven Raga for inviting the MassKara dancers to perform inside the New York State Capitol.
The other Bacolod officials in the delegation were Councilors Em Ang, Jason Villarosa, Celia Flor, Simplicia Distrito and Granada Barangay Captain Alfredo Talimodao.
Caesar Distrito, a former city councilor, said no government funds were used for the trip, as Benitez and the city’s Rep. Greg Gasataya raised the funds for the entire delegation.
‘Real essence’
Benitez said the cultural event was an opportunity to promote the city.
“When we promote Bacolod City, awareness about the city will increase. It will bring in tourism. It will bring in investments and will redound to deaca-Unayan, velopment and benefit for all of us,” he said here before leaving for New York.
On the other hand, MassKara dancers from Barangay Sum-ag performed at the Busan International Dance Festival 2023 at the Cinema Mountain Theater in Busan on Friday.
“The stage was impeccable. It’s huge and the lighting and sounds were amazing. The festival was well organized with amiable staff members,” said Segundo Jesus “Panoy” Cabalcar, Sum-ag choreographer and head of delegation to Busan.
Prior to their gala performance, the group also visited Sinjin Elementary School for a dance workshop.
“I taught them some basic steps of street dancing and explained what is the real essence of the MassKara Festival. The students were very participative, curious and eager to learn about our festival,” Cabalcar said.
The MassKara Festival, which is held in this city every fourth Sunday of October, started in 1980 as a way to lift the spirits of Negrosanons amid a crisis in the sugar industry, Negros Occidental’s top source of income, and the sinking of MV Don Juan that took the lives of some 700 passengers, most of whom are from Negros.
The word “Masskara” came from the word “mass” (a multitude of people), and the Spanish word “cara” (face), thus forming MassKara (a multitude of faces). The word is also a pun on maskara, Filipino for mask since it is a prominent feature of the festival and are always adorned with smiling faces, giving rise to Bacolod being called the “City of Smiles.”