Following an evening of dancing, singing, and pageantry, Gavin Caparas (12) was crowned this year’s Mr. Bayanihan, Feb. 28. Hosted by the Bayanihan club to celebrate Filipino culture, the event is a male pageant, where contestants showcase their talents and interact with the audience.
Created to display the skills of the boys in Bayanihan club in the same way traditional female pageants do, this unconventional show allows the club members to bring aspects of Filipino culture and history to the school through their unique talents.
“Historically speaking, the Bayanihan Filipino Culture Club was a very female-dominant club so they developed Mr. Bayanihan to showcase the talents of the few boys in the club. I think the significance of having a male pageant vs. a female pageant is pretty gender-stereotype breaking. When people think of a pageant, their mind usually wanders towards beauty or other established pageants such as Miss America or Miss Universe. It gives the boys in our community the opportunity to show off their talents and share with their community what they have to offer. In all, I think it’s a way to boost their confidence and encourage their individual skills.”
Since the start of the school year, co-presidents Romrich Esparagoza (12) and Kelan Javien (12) have been planning the event, deciding what dances and activities the club will include. As it was their first year of organizing Mr. Bayanihan, Esparagoza and Javien faced some difficulties during preparation. According to Esparagoza, their club was originally going to collaborate with Mt. Carmel’s Bayanihan club, but ultimately decided to keep the show solely a Westview event due to scheduling conflicts.
Beginning in October, Bayanihan club started practicing their ballroom and tinikling dances in the theater a few days per month. The five contestants participating in the show, Gaberiel Spruill (12), Bez Clark (9), Ben Abrena (11), Esparagoza, and Caparas, spent long hours in the theater perfecting their singing and dancing, their chosen talents for the show.
The event started with the American and Philippine national anthems. Soon after, each of the five contestants were introduced to the audience with their escorts walking along their side. Accompanying the contestants throughout Mr. Bayanihan, the escorts were an important part of the show.
“The escorts of Mr. Bayanihan were close friends of the contestants, supporting them throughout the event,” Javien said. “They participated in many events. Additionally, contestants shared a ballroom dance with their partner to showcase not only bonding but also the contestant’s skills. The escort portion of the event added to the atmosphere of the event while also highlighting important beliefs in Filipino culture, specifically the idea of community and helping each other out.”
Their introductions transitioned into their talent showcases, where Caparas sang “Locked Out of Heaven,” by Bruno Mars.
“[Initially for my] talent I was stumped on what to do, but I landed on doing a song with two of my friends,” Caparas said. “I decided on doing Bruno Mars because [people in] Bayanihan club really like Bruno Mars.”
Part of the pageant included interactive games and Q&A with the audience to demonstrate the contestants’ stage presence and ability to engage with the audience. The show also included tinikling, a traditional Philippine folk dance, which includes two people beating bamboo poles on the ground while dancers step between them. This dance celebrates Filipino culture and identity and offers the audience a glimpse of Filipino history. A ballroom dance was also performed by the contestants and their escorts.
“One of the main appeals of the event was the tinikling dance,” Esparagoza said. “We wanted to showcase our Filipino culture through different expressions, dance being one of them. Our dance coordinators are responsible for the amazing choreography that was put together for Mr. Bayanihan. I’m very proud of each and every one of them.”
From being a part of this event, Caparas said he was able to form greater connections with his fellow members through their preparation and work together.
“I gained a lot more insight on the peers in my club and their work ethics, and I have also learned a lot more about my culture and myself,” Caparas said. “I learned more about my passion for others around me during the show, I learned that I love seeing others, who deserve it, succeed, and that’s what really made it special to me, watching the smiles on people’s faces as everything came together. I learned more about my culture with the dances being taught in the show, and just learned from this show overall.”
Javien said he was pleased that they put on an exciting show for the spectators.
“I feel that it surpassed a lot of our expectations that we had,” Javien said. “We all put in a lot of work, but it was also really stressful with all the changes and everything throughout the entire year, so we were worried there would be problems. It was really rewarding to see how well it went.”
As seniors, Esparagoza and Javien said they hope to see the club and Mr. Bayanihan continue to grow after they graduate. Just as they built off last year’s show, they hope future presidents will use this year’s show to learn and improve.
“This year was a lot more organized and put together compared to last year,” Javien said. “A lot of us on the team are seniors, so I’m hoping that whoever takes over after us can use what they learned from us, both our successes and failures, and make the club better than it ever was. I hope that they will use this year’s Mr. B as a template to improve moving forward.”
Javien said the members’ and contestants’ dedication throughout the year brought a rewarding show for the club and audience alike.
“I can never stress how proud I am of everyone,” Javien said. “I’m aware this club isn’t all they have going on in their lives; some of them have sports, and others have academics, yet they found a way to make time to show everyone how dedicated they are to sharing the Filipino culture and their talents with our school and those that joined us that night.”