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Hello everyone! After the Halloween comes Remembrance Day and now it’s barely 45 days when you get this issue and we will be looking forward to the holidays. As a publisher of this Filipino community paper, there have been growing pains getting into the role when I started in 2008. Now I realized how people come [...]
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Masquerade Ball 2011 – with ANCOP and SFC of Calgary

by: Carlos M. Gascon

Having grown accustomed to seeing the likes of Princess Diana and, most recently, Kate Middleton, people have been dreaming about members of royal families being the quintessence of beauty. They set the standard for fashion, swaggering lavish outfits on every occasion, and seemingly bad hair days or pimple breakout are impossible to happen as they always display an unerring mix of grace and exquisiteness. To prove their point, monarchies of the 15^th century created Masquerade balls and invited royals usually exercise their right to lavishness with elaborate costumes and, the main feature of such shindig, ornate masks.

Although not being a member of a royal dynasty, I was noble enough to be invited to such a grand festivity held at the Scandinavian Centre. Organized by ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor), a charitable organization, the ball aimed to raise funding that will aid poor families, mostly in the Philippines, by building homes and sponsoring education to children. It was definitely going to be a night of extravagance spent on a beautiful and generous purpose and, just by coincidence, I had Italian suits tailor-fitted weeks before the event and it was Halloween season so masks were not hard to come-by.

The event itself was heavily supported by Singles for Christ (SFC) of Calgary, which I have to say are a bunch of enthusiastic and amazing single adults freely sharing Christian love to everyone, and they took care of everything, from ushering to entertainment, for the rest of the night. Their eagerness exemplified through their fierce selling of raffle tickets and, being the consummate gentleman, I was compelled to buy from everyone else as all of them looked very gorgeous in their stunning dresses. In the raffle draw, they were giving out gift cards and vacation packages and they were slowly putting up a model house with every draw, which was very nifty, to represent what the proceeds will mean to the beneficiaries. With luck scant as always, I failed to win anything but did achieve fulfilment in donating to the cause.

I had the impression that artistry for most Filipinos is rudiment, but the dance performance and the subsequent party, lead by the ANCOP Band, exactly blew me out of my perception. A small group from SFC performed Latin and Ballroom dance routines that would measure up against choreography in Dancing with the Stars and majestic movements reminiscent of Flashdance. The festive mood endured for the rest of the night and when it was time for the dance party, it was easy for everyone to stand up and head straight to the open dance floor. Better yet, having just a couple weeks to practice together, the band were almost as good as having both Earth, Wind, & Fire and Lady Gaga right in front of you. They flawlessly performed old dance classics that any disco fan would appreciate and new hits for the newer generation. Everyone were dancing their hearts out and, from the good to the bad, all of us were just letting our feet do the talking. I enjoyed it so much that I almost embarrassed myself by dancing all throughout the party.

At the end of the night, the event raised over $11,000, enough to support a dozen children and build houses to homeless families. It’s not much money in North America, but it’s funny how the Dollar weighs as much as gold when used in an impoverished society. In a world filled with financial worry, the event’s success will enable ANCOP to bring hope to children and happiness to poor families. The Masquerade ball lived up to its grandeur but it was luxury splendidly spent for love.

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Masquerade Ball 2011 – with ANCOP and SFC of Calgary

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