Gothong pupils ready to dance

FOR the last two months, 11-year-old Angel Mae Laraño has been rehearsing after class for a performance to make her school proud.

It’s the first time for Don Carlos A. Gothong Elementary School to join the Sinulog.

Angel with 95 other pupils from grades four to six and almost 300 propsmen from Gothong High School have been hard at work.

Rain drenched the stage last Wednesday at the Cebu City Sports Center.

As drums beat in the back ground, the children balanced bright colored headdresses and baskets as they stomped their feet and clapped their hands to the cadence of the choreographer chanting: “one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight, and one…”

The dance routine features one of Cebu’s delicacies, “buwad” or dried fish, and has elements of Korean Superstar PSY’s “Gentleman” and “Cha-cha” of the noontime show Eat Bulaga.

When her teacher announced that they were joining the Sinulog parade for the first time, Angel and her classmates jumped with joy.

Her mother Merla, worries about the girl’s asthma and how it could be triggered by prolonged heat exposure and fatigue.

But Angel persisted until she got her mother’s approval.

“I couldn’t turn her down. She really insisted. She would cry every time I said ‘no.’” said the mother.

The group practices daily from 8 a.m. to 12 noon or from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. , a routine since November 2013.

Recently, rehearsals have extended till 9 pm.. or 10 p.m. When she comes home to V. Rama Avenue, Angel is too tired to help with housechores.

“I would just go straight to my room and sleep,” Angel said in Cebuano.

On Sunday, Gothong Elementary School will dance in front of thousands of spectators for the first time.

Angel said she and her friends are nervous.

“Mag-ampo lang gyud ko ni (I will just pray to) Sto. Niño,” she said.

Randyl June Villarosa, coordinator of Gothong’s contingent, said their performance is mainly an offer of thanksgiving to the Sto. Niño.

The school was able to raise pledges of P200,000 for costumes, props and food. Principal Cecilia Silorio said they didn’t expect to get this far.

“I’m just glad everybody is very supportive, including the barangay, the parents, the district supervisor as well as the high school,” she said.

Joining the competition will raise the profile of the school, which has 625 students and 17 faculty members.

“When we speak of Gothong, everybody thinks of the high school, but no, we exist. The elementary school exists,” she said.