Latina Middle East 2016 winners announced

Argentinian takes home the Latina Middle East 2016 crown at the Gala final at Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights

Latina Middle East 2016, the region’s first Latina pageant announced its winners at a glittering gala final on 4th February at Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights. Following 5 rounds that included dance, floral outfits, beachwear, evening gowns and the final Q&A, the judges chose Andrea Laura Legueizamon (Argentina) as this year’s winner. The first runner-up and second runner-up titles went to Diana Mancilla (Colombia) and Victoria de la Garza (Mexico) respectively.

Argentinian Andrea Laura is a professional dancer who has won several accolades during her career including Best Belly Dancer from CIAD CID UNESCO (2006, Argentina) and appreciation award from the Lebanese Embassy in Argentina for her work in promoting Arab and Argentinian culture. She is frequently commissioned by dance academies and institutes around the world to conduct workshops and classes for Tango, Latin, Bollywood and Belly Dance. In addition to dance, Andrea is currently pursing a degree in law from Universidad Siglo 21.

The judging panel for Latina Middle East 2016 included Canadian-born International fashion photographer Martin Prihoda who is known for his dramatic portraiture of Bollywood A-listers and his work with top glossies like GQ, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Other members of the jury include Koussei Kurbaj, Image consultant and Mr Dubai 2013/2014; Model and Second runner-up of Queen of USSR 2015 Maria Zhelesnova; International model Yuliya Bezolyuk; Presenter and media professional Lima Farran and Soraya Bacai, socialite, entrepreneur and owner of Vii.

The first phase of Latina Middle East 2016, which began in September 2015, received close to 50 entries from Latin Americans and Spaniards residing in 7 countries including UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt. The 9 candidates who participated in the gala final were selected by a jury of photographers and missosologists empanelled with Latina Middle East following 3 rounds of elimination.

Latina Middle East 2016 was an evening of Latin American art, gastronomy, a selection of Spanish, Latino Rock and Mexican music by 20/20 Band, and a variety of dance forms from folk to tango presented by BNF.

The organizers of the pageant, LS Productions and Batuta Events, are thrilled with the response to their first edition and have already started preparing for Latina Middle East 2017: “Latina Middle East 2016 has had phenomenal response from the Latin American community based in the region. The most rewarding experience for us has been the transformation of our Latina finalists. Intensive training with our experts and public interactions during road shows have given them exposure and the opportunity to hone their skills. We feel proud to see our Latina beauties go out into the world as confident and empowered women. They are all winners in their own right. This makes us committed to bring a bigger and better version next year,” concluded Lorena Serrano, Director, LS Productions.

Final Results:

Title Winner:  Andrea Laura Legueizamon (Argentina)

First Runner Up: Diana Mancilla (Colombia)

Second Runner Up: Victoria de la Garza (Mexico)

Rest of Top 5:  Nawal Padilla (Mexico), Karelia Lujan (Peru)

Latina Congeniality Award: Victoria de la Garza (Mexico)

Latina Photogenic Award: Diana Mancilla (Colombia)

Latina Best Friend: Andrea Laura Legueizamon (Argentina)

Latina Executive:  Victoria de la Garza (Mexico)

Event Partners: Dubai Life TV & Millionaire Minds

Supported by:

Fashion: Schakespear, Moda Waheed, Designer Club, Liquido, Vii Fashion

Beauty & Make up: Beauty Connections, Sister Mood, Textures, Pierina Guerra