Filipino shadow play performers win ‘Asia’s Got Talent’
May 14, 2015, 8:48 PM
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Filipino shadow play performer El Gamma Penumbra won the grand prize of the first season of “Asia’s Got Talent,” the pan-Asian talent search in Singapore.
The Filipino group’s final number Thursday night paid tribute to Mother Nature with the song “Colors of the Wind.” They beat their closest rival, the Mongolian ethnic band Khugsugtun.
Filipino classical singer Gerphil Flores was the first to be eliminated from the top three finalists. A tearful Flores was hugged on stage by judge David Foster, who earlier in the contest praised her and promised that “the world is gonna know you.”
Herminio Coloma, a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino III, congratulated El Gamma Penumbra, saying they symbolize “the innate talent and skill of the Filipino which, on many occasions, have been proven in various fields.”
The hashtag AsiasGotTalentGrandFinals trended on Twitter around Asia, with Filipinos expressing pride in the winners.
The grand prize is $100,000 and a chance to perform at the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore.
Other contestants during the season included Filipino dance crew Junior New System, 10-year-old Filipino singer Gwyneth Dorado, Thai rock group Talento, Chinese acrobats Gao Lin and Liu Xin, tap dance group Dance Thrilogy, and Japanese dance troupe Triqstar.
___
Online:
http://www.axn-asia.com/programs/asias-got-talent
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
