PH dance troupe El Gamma Penumbra’s journey on ‘Asia’s Got Talent’

MANILA, Philippines – Fans of shadow play group El Gamma Penumbra are often brought to tears because of their constantly moving performances. And beyond their success, the group has always remained focused on their goal: to dance for the nation. (READ: PH dance troupe El Gamma Penumbra wins ‘Asia’s Got Talent’)

As the winners of the first ever season of reality show Asia’s Got Talent, let’s celebrate their triumph by revisiting their awe-inspiring journey throughout the competition below: (READ: FULL RECAP: ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ grand finals) 

Auditions: Hope through dance

Before they presented their audition performance in front of judges David Foster, Anggun, Melanie C, and Van Ness Wu, they said, “Ang main goal po talaga is to inspire the audience. Kung sa panahon na ‘to na nawawalan ka nang pag-asa, magbibigay kami ng performance na magpapalakas-loob sa ‘yo.” (READ: Meet the 2 PH ‘Golden Buzzer’ acts on ‘Asia’s Got Talent’)

 

(The main goal is to inspire the audience. During this time, when you feel that there is little hope, we will give a performance that will empower you.)

They kicked off what would be a flawless and inspiring journey, with a shadow play showcase of the world’s different cultures, which brought Anggun to tears.

 

David also commented on how amazed he was by the performance, and said, “One of the beautiful things about sitting in this chair is that I get to see things that I would never see in my life. I have no idea how you did it, no idea how it works, but I know that it was absolutely magical. Thank you for a beautiful experience.”

Anggun used her Golden Buzzer to push the group to the semi-finals, and the group joined fellow Filipino classical singer Gerphil-Geraldine Flores as the Golden Acts.

Semis: An advocacy of peace

In an interview with Rappler, their manager Dong Pilotos firmly highlighted what they wanted to accomplish on the show.

“Ang gagawin namin (What we’re going to do), especially sa (for the) semi-finals, is to dedicate our performance to the nation,” he said.

For their semi-finals performance, they performed a tribute performance to advocate peace, by acting out stories of families and areas affected by war. 

 

The performance again brought Anggun to tears, which prompted her to say, “I’m sorry, I’m just extremely moved from what I just saw. It was really emotional and you make me really proud tonight, and I’m sure you made [the Philippines] proud tonight.”

The group got the Golden Buzzer from the judges once again, which sent them straight to the grand finals. After receiving the honor, they said, “We are very overwhelmed because we got the ‘Gold’ again. We will take this Gold as our inspiration to give a more meaningful performance.”

Finals: Care for the Earth

The group did not stop with their awe-inspiring performances, and gave it their all during their last shot at winning with a tribute to Mother Earth to the song “Colors of the Wind” from the Disney movie Pocahontas.(READ: Meet the 4 Pinoy grand finalists of ‘Asia’s Got Talent’)

 

Anggun said she promised she wouldn’t cry, but she couldn’t stop herself from not doing so.

“I actually promised not to cry tonight. What really made me fall in love with your performance was the possibility of messages that you can put is endless. And tonight, you raised awareness of the importance of Mother Nature and animals[…] Our job as entertainers – we are here to entertain people, but if we can raise awareness on subjects that really matter, that makes our job more noble. Wonderful, wonderful performance! Amazing!” she said.

Congratulations, El Gamma Penumbra! – Rappler.com