Cebuano dance athletes glitter in US dancesport

CEBU, Philippines - Two Cebuano dance athletes exceeded expectations as they bagged a gold and bronze medal in the Philadelphia Dancesports Championship at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia, USA.

The tandem of Anselmo Estillore and Jessa Me Briones worked well to rule the adult pre-championship latin category before taking the bronze medal in the adult amateur open championships.

In the pre-championships, the final heat saw the tandem of Estillore and Briones gaining the no.1 rankings in all three dances involved--chachacha, rumba and samba.

It was in the rumba though that Estillore and Briones gained the most points with all seven judges ranking them as No.1.

Fellow Cebuanos Hanna Deluvio and Christopher Albert Corro also placed third in the latin category.

This is not the first time that both Estillore and Briones competed in the U.S. The two have been to the U.S. and raked medals in the past few years together with other Cebuano bets from the Dancesport-Team Cebu City.

Estillore was with Mae Lozada before while Briones who was still a teenager that time paired with Samson Orlanes.

In their return to the U.S, Estillore and Briones found their tandem blending well together enroute to winning the Philadelphia action.

Last Tuesday, Cebuanos also claimed several honors in two separate events on the same competition.

Deluvio and Christopher Corro emerged as champion in the standard pre-championship amateur open plus a bronze in the latin pre-championship amateur open.

Lozada with Dennis Sy also won two bronzes in the Fred Astaire Cross Country Dance Championships in Atlanta, Georgia over the weekend.  (FREEMAN)