A few weeks ago, my 6 year old host sister invited me to watch her sing at her school. Of course, I enthusiastically said yes, with the impression it was a school concert! However, after talking with her mom about the event, I learned it was not a concert but an annual school beauty pageant that features performances by each grade. This year the pageant celebrated the 16th anniversary of the the private Evangelical school.
A quick snapshot I took of the stage before the festivities began!
When I arrived with my host mom to the beauty pageant that night, I was mesmerized by the quality and quantity of decorations in the gymnasium. It was also packed with around 1,000 family members and a lot of excitement!
The beauty pageant had three candidates, one representing each age bracket. One of the contestants was four, one was seven, and one was ten. I was shocked at how poised and rehearsed the contestants were in spite of their young age, especially the four year old.
The program started with the Guatemalan pledge of allegiance and song, everyone saluting and singing along. Then, the contestants together performed an Evangelical dance, followed by their individual artistic talent demonstrations, speeches, and interview questions. The youngest candidate performed ballet, the middle-aged candidate roller-skated, and the oldest candidate hip-hop danced. The night was also interspersed with creative skits and songs by each grade. My host sister sang an Evangelical song along with her classmates.
In relation to the interviews, each of the three candidates received a different interview question, one was about how Nebaj can be more environmentally friendly, another about kids obeying their parents, and another about the importance of education.
All in all, my favorite part of the event was getting to see my host sister perform! It was awesome getting to attend her event with the rest of the family.