AMAZING ANAELISA!!!!

by Roberto Manzana

 
    SeveralBoquete residents commented that this one small girl has succeeded in uniting and inspiring the community in a way that hasn’t happened in a very long time.
    Those words came close to describing the energy that flowed thru the crowd of over 6,000 that gathered in the parque centro in Boquete for the viewing of the final round of “Conta Conmingo” on Wednesday, April 9^th.

The office of the Mayor and many supporting volunteers did an incredible job of setting the scene with chairs, stage, balloons, sponsor banners, traffic control, refreshments, and three jumbo screens provided by TVN Canal 2.

The cool mountain night air and occasional light rain did not deter the crowd, many bused in from as faraway as Costa Rica that started arriving to get good seats as early as 7:00pm for the 8:30 starting time. Many people waved custom made banners as well as Chiriqui flags and Anaelisa bandannas, t-shirts, and signs in support of the Boqueteño girl in the final round of this national singing competition.

According to LaPrensa over 600,000 people watched the final gala, the highest percentage ever to watch a “reality” show in Panama.

Of the nine original contestants, Wednesday’s final was between three hopefuls, Elizabeth Grimaldo from Colon, Alisson Staff from Dolega, and Anaelisa Miranda from Boquete.

Not only was regional pride riding on the contestants, but also the prize package was very impressive. All nine original contestants have 1-year performance contracts and various other prizes for competing.

The show was a 2-½ hour extravaganza with live remote broadcasts from the hometown of each competitor giving each gathered town a chance to show their pride and support on the national broadcast from Panama City. The cheers in Boquete were deafening when the remote cameras were switched on and Boqueteños appeared on the big screens.

Banners and flags waved, children danced, mothers and fathers stood and screamed at the top of their lungs to show support for their girl Anaelisa.

Each contestant sang three rounds as judges at the show in Panama City gave comment on their performances in the style of “America Idol”, only this was Central American Idol, it was bigger, louder, and prouder by far.

During this last gala only the audience phone votes counted, first to determine the first and second place runner ups, then to determine the overall winner.

Following each round the contestants and their parents were interviewed, then the camera went to the live remotes from each hometown. The interviews were tense but very professional as each girl had received expert coaching during the competitions and in spite of their young ages, came off as professionals.

The crowd in the Parque Centro milled about but no one left during the entire broadcast, they were there to support Anaelisa to the very end. The energy was electric even in the cool night drizzle.

Tension built as the votes were tallied after the last performance and round of interviews and remote broadcasts when Boqueteños rallied one last time with deafening cheers. Hopes ran high, how could she loose with so much heartfelt support? She couldn’t.

The votes showed Anaelisa with 53.41%, Elizabeth with 36.46%, and Alisson with 10.13 %.!! Boqueteños went wild, fireworks lit up the town, people danced and cheered and hugged and cried as did the girl who united their spirits on giant TV screens. It was one of the biggest celebrations this little mountain town has ever seen.

Prizes were many as Analisa’s wish to meet pop singer David Bisbal was granted by sponsor Ricardo Perez. She will attend his show in Venezuela in May.

She received a Toyota Corolla and was seated in it live on TV.

A check for $5,000 was awarded by show producers TVN and an HSBC savings account of $500.00 has been established.

A scholarship from IFARHU will cover her school expense from now until her graduation from high school.

She will receive further professional voice lessons.

A laptop computer and printer have been provided by El Machetazo, she’ll go to Disneyworld. A 15-foot swimming pool with accessories will be provided by Novey. She’ll receive a Tommy Hilfiger wardrobe and a TV from Pascual, a bike, a year of free pizza from Pizza Hut and various gift baskets.

Other sponsors that supported this project were-Cable & Wireless, Johnson & Johnson, and Colgate.

Thanks for help with this report to- Susi, Juanita, Any, Karen, Ana Cecilia, Octavio, Erin, and especially Kitzie.