A packed Fairgrounds experienced this Saturday one of the most endearing events of the Arrecife Carnival with the celebration of the 10th Children's Murga Contest, organized by the Department of Festivals headed by the deputy mayor of the city, Echedey Eugenio. The competition had Noveleros as the winner and showed the excellent state of the murga quarry with the also brilliant performance of Los Chau-Chau, Titiñecos and Los Intoxicaditos.
With its fantasy Cóatl, guardian of the history of Noveleros, designed by the murga itself and made by Las Chinas, and its songs Stories from my community and A song based on comments, Noveleros won first prize in the categories Performance, Lyrics and Music and Fantasy, Design and Costume. In addition, the murga presided over by Juani Luzardo and directed by Kiara Cáceres, obtained the Presentation award
Los Chau-Chau, with their fantasy Memories of an Aristocat, designed by José Carmelo Cabrera and made by Oswaldo Machín, and their songs I Make This Song and The Trip of My Life? won, under the direction of Adriana Fernández, second prize in the two aforementioned categories. Furthermore, the murga presided over by Pedro David Hernández received the distinctive award Buche from the jury.
Third prize and honorable mention
The third prize in both categories went to Titiñecos who sported the fantasy ‘Exploring the Arrecifeño Carnival, these little Titiñecos arrived’ designed by Yaiza Lemes and Yenesey Villalba and made by Toño Aparicio. Under the musical direction of Yurayma Cejas, the murga presided over by Luis Miguel Tavío performed ‘Las Modas’ and ‘Los Donantes’
Los Intoxicaditos, presided over by Cristina Santana and directed by Carla de León, obtained the jury's honorable mentions in both ‘Interpretation, Lyrics and Music’ and ‘Fantasy, Design and Costume’, with their fantasy ‘Scarecrows of a forgotten Carnival’ -designed by Francis García and made by Yoana Zuleta and the murgas themselves- and their songs ‘To disconnect your problems, the toxitechnician connects in Carnival’ and ‘Today you score’.
Performances
Hosted on stage by Paola Delgado with the support of Leandro Martín, who gathered the impressions of the featured murgas in the backstage at the conclusion of each performance, the gala featured performances by the MT Dance School and the Jaleox group and the presence of both the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, and the first deputy mayor and councilor for Fiestas, Echedey Eugenio, who together with other members of the municipal Corporation were in charge of the award ceremony.
The illusion, talent, and creativity shown on stage by these four children's murgas not only enthralled the nearly 2,000 people who gathered at the Fairgrounds with their humor, criticism, and fantasy, but also evidenced that the future of murgas in the Arrecife Carnival, now at the level it deserves for the third most important city in the Canary Islands, is guaranteed
