Interviewed by Lito M. Velasco
What does WCOPA stand for?
•It’s the World Competition of Performing Arts.
How long have you been involved with this project?
•This is my first year as an active participant with WCOPA. I became an official Talent Scout in October last year, and only recently became a director.
How did you get connected with them?
•Because of my active involvement in the local entertainment scene, WCOPA was an easy transition for me. During this year’s competition I sent 4 talents I previously worked with or was referred to me: Cheenee Morales, Hannah Adamson, Alecs Bautista and QrtnyContado.
How did you learn of this project?
• To be a member of Team Canada, one has to be invited. We have talent scouts around the country, always looking for good talent to represent Canada. If you think you have what it takes to win that coveted GOLD MEDAL, call or text TONY SURTIDA 780.710.4895 or email me at tony.surtida@yahoo.ca.
How many participating Countries were there?
• The World Championship of Performing Arts was the brainchild of Griff O’Neil, and was an offshoot of the 1984 Olympics, held that year in Los Angeles. The idea was that…If sports has its OLYMPICS, why isn’t there one for the performing arts? That’s how it started and two years later, in 1986, WCOPA was launched. It has been full speed ahead since then. From a handful of countries in its maiden year, WCOPA had 62 countries this year, and a reported 73 countries will be participating next year. It is a business enterprise designed to discover, develop and provide employment for artists.
What are the usual categories being competed?
• Every year in July aspiring dancers, singers, actors, models, instrumentalists and variety artists of all ages converge on Long Beach, California to compete for medals, prizes, recording/movie contracts, and millions of dollars in scholarships.
• The following events are what delegates compete in:
Dance – 15 categories that include gymnastic, ballet, jazz, contemporary/modern, etc.
Vocal – 14 categories including Gospel, Country, Rock, R&B/Jazz, Broadway, Latin
Modeling – 6 categories including Casual, Formal, Spokes model, Photo, etc.
Acting – 5 categories including Contemporary, Classical, Drama, Comical and Open
Instrumentalists – 4 categories including Original, Classical, Contemporary and Open
Variety – 12 categories including Aerial Hoop, Contortion, Fire Open, Jugglers, Magicians, etc.
• The Philippines had the biggest contingent this year with 84 delegates. Other countries with sizeable delegations included South Africa, Australia, US, France and Germany. Other participating countries were Norway, Germany, Sweden, Namibia, Zimbabwe, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Hongkong, Brazil, Venezuela, Czech Republic, UK, Ireland, Estonia, Singapore, Latvia, etc.
How did you get there and what awards did they receive after the competition? Who supported your participants?
Canada came to Long Beach with a small contingent compared to other countries – 13 very talented artists, their families and team officials, headed by Canadian National Director Anton Tajanlangit, supported by a staff of directors – Janice Lozano (Vancouver), Darryl Quiambao (Vancouver), Tony Surtida (Edmonton) and Savhannah Crittenden (London). When everything was said and done, our medal haul – 15 Gold, 9 Silver, 10 Bronze, was very impressive.
Here’s the team’s individual medal count:
SENIOR DIVISION
4 Gold, 1 Bronze – Connor Way
2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze – Alecs Bautista
2 Gold, 1 Silver – Savhannah Crittenden
1 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze – Cheenee Morales
1 Gold, 2 Bronze – Paige Woodburn
1 Bronze – Airen Alexis Agasino
JUNIOR DIVISION
3 Gold, 1 Bronze – Lianna Peng
2 Gold, 2 Silver – Hannah Adamson
1 Silver, 1 Bronze – Kurt Agno
2 Bronze – Marissa Johnson
We also took home the following Division Winner titles:
Ground Variety Acts – Lianna Peng
Junior Vocals – Broadway – Hannah Adamson
Senior Vocals – Gospel – Alecs Bautista
And of course, the biggest award of all:
Junior Champion of the World – Variety Acts: Lianna Peng
Senior Champion of the World – Male Model: Connor Way
Grand Salute to you and the Canada Team!