TWO dancesport virtuosos, Jasmer Labitad and Lorraine Mae Pacaña, brought home the bacon as they secured two gold medals in the Malaysia Negeri Sembilan International Dancesport Championship held on July 29, 2023.
Hailing from Cebu City, Labitad and Pacaña brought Cebuano pride, as they won gold medals in the Special Event 1C Latin and Pre-Amateur Rising Star Latin categories in Seremban, Malaysia.
The dancesport champions also clinched fourth place in the Amateur Rising Star Latin category of the same international competition.
“I feel really blessed and proud because I was able to bring pride not just to Cebu City and the country, but also to all the people who supported us before, during, and after the competition,” said Pacaña.
Labitad also expressed his gratitude to their private sponsors and the Cebu City Government for extending help in making their dreams come true.
“I am proud and overwhelmed as I was able to represent the talents [as an employee] of the Cebu City Hall. Together with my partner, we are beyond grateful and blessed to those who supported us since day one,” said Labitad.
The duo, who are also members of the Dancesport Team Cebu City, flew to Malaysia last July 27, and they were immediately faced with trials as soon as they joined the rehearsals.
Labitad and Pacaña told SunStar Cebu that they felt inferior to the other competitors coming from other participating countries.
The dancesports pair added that they also had a hard time rehearsing and executing their footwork in the venue’s slippery dance floor.
“The major challenge was dealing with competitors from other countries like Singapore, China and Malaysia,” said Labitad. “Another thing is the slippery dance floor. As a matter of fact, during rehearsals, I fell down on the floor twice. It was difficult to move around. I had to balance myself to get a better grip of the floor.”
Amid the challenges, though, the delegates rose to the occasion and accepted this as a driving force that led them to bag gold medals in the international competition.
“Seeing how good they [other competitors] were during the rehearsals was intimidating but at the same time, in a good way, challenging. We took the challenge positively,” said Pacaña.
The duo is preparing for the Korea Dancesport Open in South Korea and the World Dancesport Federation Championship (WDFC)-DanceSport sa Sugbo, which will start on Sept. 3 and 30, respectively. The WDFC will be hosted by the Dancesport Team Cebu City. (DENISE MAE CODIS, CNU INTERN)