DTCC’s Andrew Ysla and Noelyn Mae Pedrano perform during the 7th Dancesport sa Sugbu and Cebu Open Dancesport Championships. The pair won three medals for DTCC.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
Team Visayas won just one title late Saturday, but it was the title that mattered most.
Gerald Jamili and Cherry Clarice Parcon, both Bacolod City natives who are based in Manila, shone the brightest by capturing the prestigious Open Latin division title of the 7th Dancesport sa Sugbu and Cebu Open Dancesport Championships 2014 at the Grand Pacific Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
The 31-year-old Jamili and his 26-year-old partner Parcon rocked the floor when they performed the jive and delivered an emotion-packed Paso Doble dance to gain the nod of the 11 adjudicators and take home the most-sought after Open Latin division crown.
The duo also rendered exciting performances in samba, cha cha cha and rhumba in beating their formidable foes that include Dancesport Team Cebu City (DTCC) top bets Wilbert Aunzo and Pearl Marie Cañeda and Manila’s Juden Velasquez and Joana Niña Marciano.
This is the first time that Jamili and Parcon teamed up together for Team Visayas in the event after four years of competing. Both have joined the elite Cebu competitions before but with different partners.
But both have had international success together. The tandem had already reaped honors abroad, including the 2013 Asia Indoor and martial Arts Games in Incheon, Korea, where they won the gold in the Single Dance Jive competition and the bronze in the 5-dance competition of the same event.
Their latest international conquest this year was during the 2014 World Dance Sport Federation’s Hong Kong Asian Close Latin competition, where they also took home a gold medal, and the 2014 WDSF Japan Open Latin competition, where they pocketed the silver medal.
When asked what particular training they did in preparation for the event, Jamili and Parcon were one in saying that they just did their best.
“Ang amin naman ay sayaw lang kami talaga. Iyon din ang ma advice ko sa mga young dancesports athletes. I -give ninyo lang talaga yung best ninyo at saka sayaw lang,” Parcon said. (We just simply dance. That’s also the advice I could give to young dancesports athletes. Just give it your best and just dance.)
DTCC STILL DOMINATES
Cebu City’s Aunzo and Caneda, considerably the most attractive costumed pair in their glowing green sequined uniform, were also spectacular in the dancefloor with their athletic performances in the five dances to land in the second place, while Manila’s Velasquez and Marciano settled for the 3rd place.
DTCC still emerged as the most dominant team in the event as the host Cebuanos garnered a total of 21 gold medals out of the possible 45 gilts in both the Standard and Latin competitions peppered with 17 silvers and 18 bronzes.
Team Manila took second place with 15 golds, 13 silvers and 14 bronzes followed by Tagum City with 2-2-2, Dumaguete City and General Santos City with identical 2-1-0 each, Koronadal City with 2-0-1, Team Visayas with 1-0-0, Alfa Team with 0-4-0, Team Luzon with 0-2-0, Panabo City with 0-1-1, Cagayan de Oro City with 0-1-0 and Lucena City with 0-0-1.
DTCC’s most bemedalled tandems, who took home three gold medals each, are Davin Unabia and Kinue Sakurai, Andrew Ysla and Noelyn Mae Pedrano and Zjiane Troy and Zjiana Tracy Villarta.
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