MANILA,
Philippines - “Until now we can’t believe that we would go this far, that
we are here, performing in front of all of you. We are so happy and honored to
win. Our journey in Asia’s
Got Talent (AGT) is the highlight of our career,” El Gamma
Penumbra shared during the results night.
The
group, which arrived in Manila yesterday, added that they would be taking a
short vacation before resuming their commitments, “Winning Asia’s
Got Talent comes
with a big responsibility but we will definitely continue our advocacy of
spreading love, peace and care for mother nature through our performances not
just in Asia but the whole world.”
Aside
from taking a well-deserved break, El Gamma Penumbra is also looking forward to
their homecoming in Tanauan, Batangas to personally thank their local
government for the support that they have given.
They will
also spend some time with the institution for the elderly, which is the
beneficiary of their winnings. Apart from this, the group also promised to
donate 10 percent of their winnings to the earthquake victims in Nepal, a cause
with AGT also
supports.
El Gamma
Penumbra’s win was slightly marred with controversy during the television
broadcast when results were leaked through social media accounts but AXN Asia
was grateful that their loyal televiewers continued tuning in the show despite
widespread spoilers online.
“We
trusted that our audience would respect our request for no spoilers on social
media prior to the official telecast on AXN. Unfortunately, certain members of
the audience could not contain their excitement. Nothing can take away our
celebration of such talented individuals and teams giving all that they have to
become the very best of Asia. We congratulate El Gamma Penumbra for being a
deserving winner for their incredible efforts and amazing talent,” AXN Asia
said in a statement.
Hailing
from Batangas, the 13-man shadow play dance troupe received not
only standing ovations both from the judges and the audience, but also two
golden buzzers (one given during the auditions and another in the semis) — a
feat they shared with fellow AGTfinalist Gao Lin and
Lui Xin from China.
For their
audition piece, the group danced to Imagine Dragons’ hit song, On Top of the World and
expressed love. It was a performance that judge David Foster described as
magical. “One of the beautiful things about sitting on this chair is I get
to see things that I would never see in my life. I have no idea how you did it,
how it works but I know that it was absolutely magical. Thank you for the
beautiful experience,” he said.
Advancing
to the semis, El Gamma Penumbra danced to Jewish reggae singer
Matishyahu’s One Day and
paid tribute to The Fallen 44. Their performance, which also touched on the
subject of peace, brought judge Anggun to tears. She said, “I’m moved with what
I saw, it was really emotional and I’m sure you made Filipinos proud. That
was flawless.”
With the
challenge to up their game for the grand finals, El Gamma Penumbra chose
another meaningful piece that resonated not only in Asia but the rest of the
world.
“We have
different cultures and to touch their hearts, we need to think of concepts
that are universal, so that everyone will understand,” the group explained
after the performance night of AGT grand finals.
Dancing
to Disney’s Pocahontas theme
song, Colors of the
Wind, the
group delved into the importance of taking care of Mother Nature. It was a
simple yet moving performance that catapulted them to go all the way from Top 6
to Top 2, which they shared with throat musicians Khusugtun from Mongolia.
“What
really makes me fall in love with your performance is the fact that the
possibilities of your messages are endless. Our job as entertainers is to
entertain people, but if we can raise awareness on subjects that really matter,
that makes our job more noble,” Anggun said.
Foster
added, “Your message is so clear everytime you are on stage. So beautifully
profound — the world could use more people like you.”
“We, as
artists, have a responsibility because when we say something, people will
actually listen and you guys are a great example of that, so thank you guys for
your message,” Van Ness Wu said in agreement with his fellow judges.
All the
judges believed that both El Gamma Penumbra and Khusugtun represented the
rich culture of Asia and the level of talent the region has. “Both of you
represent your countries so well. You definitely proved that Asia Got Talent,”
they said.
“El Gamma
Penumbra’s ability to combine strong emotion with meaningful messages overcomes
the barriers of language. We congratulate them and thank all the acts that
have delighted and entertained us, awed and inspired us,” added Paul O’Hanlon,
managing director of FreemantleMedia Asia.
Meanwhile,
another Filipino act, classical singer Gerphil Flores ranked third and received
a promising assurance from Foster: “You are my golden buzzer, you are still my
golden buzzer.” Flores, in tears, gratefully reached out to all her supporters.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, so thank you so much!” she
said.
The
remaining two Filipino acts in the AGT finals, hip-hop dance group Junior New
System and 10-year-old singer Gywneth Dorado, placed Top 6 and Top 9,
respectively.
More than
a thousand acts auditioned for Season 1 of AGT and from 20 countries, only six
(China, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore) vied for the
coveted AGT title, the $100,000 cash prize,
$10,000 worth of Jetstar flights and the opportunity to perform at Marina Bay
Sands.
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