The lovely Andrea Paola Novoa was crowned as the new Queen of Bambuco, after beating out 19 other contestants in the national beauty pageant Sunday.
Novoa delighted the crowd with a traditional dance number set to the classic song, “Sanjuanero.” Contestants are judged not only on their looks but also on their ability to move to the popular bambuco folk song. Bambuco is a Colombian music genre similar to the European waltz.
A delighted Novoa declared that she is “committed to the tradition and culture of [the department of] Huila” which is known for bambuco and feels vindicated for her months of hard work.
Not everyone agreed with the jury’s unanimous decision, with some regional observers branding the decision a “theft” due to Novoa’s inexperience with dancing bambuco compared to some of the other contestants.
