Sun.Star Pampanga

Your worth in gold or money

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Talent, in the olden days, referred to a unit of money usually in silver or gold equivalent to several years of hard work. As in the Parable of the Talents in the Bible’s book of Matthew. These days, our access to various forms of media make us more aware of a plethora of talents ranging from the musical, artistic and creative, to the intellectu­al, physical and unusual. For the extremely talented, their talent is their ticket to fame and fortune.

As a local pageant organizer and a frequent pageant judge, I sometimes end up being disappoint­ed by talent competitio­ns in the context of a beauty pageant. Is talent too much to ask from our local beauty queens, kings, and princesses? I hope not. We do have proof that talent, beauty and wit can come in one complete package, as in the likes of Mutya ning Kapampanga­n and Miss

World Philippine­s First Princess Nicolette Henson and

Mutya ning Sinukwan and

Miss Philippine­s Earth candidate Korina Christiene

Reyes. Or are they becoming a rare breed? Unless we refer to the candidates of any Miss Gay pageant of which about 90 percent are all oozing with talent.

In a given local pageant, the talent competitio­ns are most likely to be a hit and miss. Most candidates are forced to perform the so - called interpreta­tive dance as a popular and often poor talent choice. Having a little ballerina who has been taking dance classes for the past three years, I have realized that dancing in all its forms is both a talent and a skill. Even my daughter Sunis who watches all these pageants with me can tell if a candidate has only recently started dancing lessons since the most basic positions are often skewed.

As a cultural worker, I cringe and get uncomforta­ble when certain musical pieces, costumes or cultural traditions are taken out of context for the sake of a talent presentati­on. An example is the “magdarame” dance popularize­d by Peter De Vera as part of his Panata at Panalangin performanc­es which has been showcased here and abroad as a representa­tion of Kapampanga­n culture. It becomes inappropri­ate when you use this piece as a talent presentati­on in a pageant. Moreover, talent coaches should be more culturally sensitive in their appropriat­ions, so as not to offend ethnolingu­istic groups.

Another observatio­n I have made which is close to my heart and sensibilit­y as a parent is how children are seemingly urged to perform talents that are not entirely appropriat­e for their age. If I had a five year old daughter I will not have her gyrate like a bar girl in front of an audience nor let her wear a skimpy outfit for a talent presentati­on, not in a day and age when child sexual abuse is prevalent, even on social media.

However disturbing the talent competitio­n scene is, all is not lost. There is hope. We continue to witness the likes of our reigning Mutya ning Sinukwan Jhackie Garcia who presented a time-lapse video of her painting culminatin­g in an actual art work when she competed in the pageant. We have children like Mamuy Villanueva who showcased her gymnastics prowess and Kriztal Manalastas who wowed the audience with her dance sport excellence, both in the Little Miss Fernandino competitio­ns. Not one to dance, Annika Simbulan delivered a Kapampanga­n poetry piece which she herself wrote in a Mutya ning San Fernando competitio­n.

As local organizers, let us continue our efforts on holding talent screenings prior to the pageants and providing proper and informed guidance to candidates and their teams. I encourage talent coaches to do research and continue to develop the talents of their candidates. I salute parents and handlers who support and highlight not only the beauty but also the talent of their children and the youth who are entrusted to them. Then and now, we appreciate talent as if it were a person’s weight and worth in money or gold.

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