10... 10... 10... .... 10! As each judge's scores were revealed... a PERFECT 10!
Bacolod MassKara is the current and the 6th grand champion of ABS-CBN noontime show, It's Showtime. The grand champion of It's Showtime Inter-Town Competition that we all witnessed last April 28, 2012.
At the Remote Area... Despite the technical problems with the signal transmission of the remote feed because of the power interruption, it never did make the joyful and hopeful spirits of the Bacoleños down. Everyone is still in positive and happy vibe even under a weird weather condition that mixed the scorching heat, humid air and scattered drizzle on that day. With all the props ready, combined forces of Bacolod MassKara dancers coming from different Barangays of the City, the Elvises (yes, Elvis Presley mascots) of last year's Electric MassKara, beautiful ladies that ramped at the fountain area, students and Bacolod's City officials, staff and common people grouped together were all ready and made sure that the championship title will just be within reach. The Yuri Crew of Barangay Bata, Bacolod City who also made it as a grand finalist of It's Showtime last Season 4 also showed their support by being present at venue.
The Studio Performance... Equally ready with all the new props, colorful costumes, energetic dancers, stilt performers and giant puppets made the studio audience feel that they are also part of the performance.
The Bacolod MassKara even got a "take 2" at the very start of their performance when it was their time to perform. "Sige lang, Sige na, Bacolod Bato Kita" is the battle cry, it means "It's okay... it's alright! No matter what adversity, Bacolod fights on." The Bacolod MassKara dancers still gave their very best and proved everyone: the remote audience, the TV viewers, the madlang people (studio audience-judges) and the It's Showtime judges that they truly deserve to win.
The show-stealer is the helicopter-confetti thrower at the remote performance. Who would have thought of that for the competition? The Bacolod City Government Officials set aside politics for that day as they helped each other show everyone what the MassKara Festival is all about.
The judges and even the madlang people at the studio gave the Bacolod MassKara a standing ovation.
As grand champion of the inter-town competition, the Bacolod MassKara group got to take home a total of Php3M cash prize. The Php2M will go straight to the performers and the Php1M was awarded to the City Government of Bacolod.
Groups that joined the It's Showtime Inter-Town Grand Finals:
1. Amazing Paper Dolls (Olongapo City, Zambales)
2. Tiklad (San Pablo, Laguna)
3. Infinite Reform (Taytay, Rizal)
4. Lahing Anda (Anda, Pangasinan)
5. Next Level Octomix (Caloocan City)
6. Bailes de Luces (La Castellana, Negros Occidental)
7. Dumaguete's Pride (Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental)
8. Bacolod MassKara (Bacolod City, Negros Occidental)
Out of 8 towns, only 1 came out victorious! That is the Bacolod MassKara!
It's Showtime past winners are:
1. Season 1 - XB Gensan
2. Season 2 - Laoag City Gymnastics Group
3. Season 3 - True Colors
4. Season 4 - Astig Pinoy
5. Campus Clash Edition - CCP Bobcats
The Bacolod MassKara is the 6th grand champion of It's Showtime.
You have only seen a fraction of MassKara Festival at It's Showtime. How about booking a ticket on October to experience the actual MassKara Festival where you'll see the different groups compete and composed by hundreds of dancers.
For more info about the Bacolod MassKara, visit their website at www.themasskarafestival.com. There, you will know the history and everything about the MassKara Festival.
Each character and component that you saw during the grand finals of It's Showtime got its own story. No need to elaborate each one of them but for Bacoleños, MassKara is a celebration and expression of thanks and for the abundance of blessing life brings them.
"MassKara, in other words, is a celebration of our culture, our zest for life, our sense of style, our different ways of doing things." ~Bacolod Lifestyles
TRIVIA: MassKara is coined from two words: Mass, which means "many, or multitude," and Kara, a Spanish word for "face," thus MassKara is a mass or multitude of smiling faces.
How to Get There:
From Manila, you can fly to Bacolod (Php2500++, round trip, 45 minutes). From Bacolod-Silay Airport, you can take a shuttle (Php75-100 per head), or a cab and ask to be dropped off to your hotel.
You can also go to Bacolod via ferry (estimated cost of Php2700++ with meal, round trip, 20-22 hours) from Manila.
TIP: If you plan to visit Bacolod in time for the MassKara Festival in October, better book your flights and hotels as early as January or at least 2-months before the festival. You'll have a hard time looking for a good place to stay if you opt for a hotel when you book late or plan to "walk-in". Most of the hotels are already fully booked by September.
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photos/source/reference: www.abs-cbnnews.com | www.themasskarafestival.com | Public Information Office - Bacolod
