by: Mia Bueta, Christine Casido, and Catherine Uy
Amidst the gloomy weather, the General Paciano Rizal Park was still jampacked with people on the night of September 19 at 6:00 in the evening. The people were patiently waiting for the annual Bailamos Dance Contest: Make Your Move, which is one of the most awaited activities in the known Bañamos Festival, in celebration of its 18th year anniversary, held in Los Baños, Laguna.
The main goal of Bailamos is to showcase the different talents not just of Los Baños locals but also other towns around Laguna as well. However, this year most of the contestants were from Calamba and Los Baños only. Top priority of this event said by Mr. Jonathan Natividad, OIC in Los Banos Tourism, is the safety of the contestants, so as much as possible death defying stunts are prohibited.
The group should have at most 15 members with the age range of 16 years old and above. Each group should not exceed to five minutes and must showcase street style, hiphop, locking, etc. Dangerous stunts are strictly prohibited. Moreover, dance, steps, body movements, choice of music are signs of morality and good conduct, stated by Mr. Natividad.
This year’s set of judges are Mr. Pinch Araneta, Mr. Jayson Lagrada and Mrs. Jocelyn Ann Luna. Expectations from this year’s contestants are higher as Mrs. Luna said, “last year judge rin ako dito, so dapat mas level up ang performance nila”, and the contestants did not disappoint.
There are a total of 10 contestants who joined this year’s competition. But among the groups, only three have met beyond the judges’ expectations, namely: Nazty Boys (2nd runner-up), Scammaz (1st runner-up), and G7 (Champion).
Having the least number of members, G7 still managed to win the judges’ heart through strictly following the criteria. Clean dance moves, safe stunts and facial expressions are what made them stand out. Bringing home 20,000 cash prize and certificate, half of this will be given to their parents to give back as being their inspiration, stated by Mark Justine Likayman, one of the members of G7. Their win was unexpected for they are just newly formed last March and it was their first time joining the dance battle.
After all the performances, a unity dance was presented showcasing the 10 groups in one dance number. A special award was given to Scammaz, the group who won 1st runner up, as the Dancer of The Year.
In celebration of the 404th founding anniversary of Los Baños Laguna, the annual Bailamos Dance Contest is a great opportunity for the youth to showcase their talents in dancing as stated by Mr. Natividad. The event have highlighted the culture of the people of Los Baños as their supportiveness and loud cheers were evident throughout the evident.
Mia Carmela 