■ Ofelia C. Empian
Baguio City’s breaking team has hit the podium as the competitive dance debuted in the recent Philippine National Games.
Michelle Dysangco bagged silver for the B-girl category while Karl Alexandre Bugaoan settled for the bronze in the B-boy category.
Both represented the city during the PNG held in Pasig City from Dec. 18 to 22.
Coach Jade Guinyang said it was on a short notice that breakdancing was announced to be part of the PNG, so they spent three months practicing prior to the event.
Guinyang, who is also one of the country’s top B-girl champions, said it was this year that the duo trained under her as they need to have a coach.
The 26-year-old Bugaoan, a graduating student of the University of the Cordilleras, competed in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games team Philippines qualifier. She was also silver medalist in the North Luzon Philippine Dancesports Federation national team qualifiers last August.
Twenty seven-year-old Dysangco, a licensed teacher and a graduate of Saint Louis University, meanwhile, has been participating in various local and international street dance tilts, as part of a group and as an individual athlete.
In the 2022 Cordillera Dance Festival Dysangco secured the first place in the one-on-one B-girl closed category, third place in the B-girl open, and part of the sole duo in the two versus two B-girl category.
“Breaking has been a competitive sport and it will always be. I believe that it is one of the challenging sports that everyone should consider and give recognition since the athletes are giving their best to represent, not just our city but our country.
I hope you give more support to breaking as we all continue this journey,” she said.
The 24-year-old Guinyang have been competing since 2016 in breaking and won her first championship in the skills qualifier in Laoag City, B-girl champion in 2017, Queen of Pinas champion and B-girl champion in 7 smoke both in 2018, B-girl champion in the national open breaking championships and part of the 2019 SEA Games national team.
