- ROGER D. BELTRAN
The vibrant and spectacular routine of the Kadalag-an Festival performers of Victorias City bagged the championship trophy in the Best of Festival Dances competition at the Panaad Park and Stadium April 18.
The contest was part of the ongoing Panaad sa Negros Festival celebration which made a grand comeback after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victorias City’s Kadalag-an took home P100,000 in cash prize after it bested 23 other competing groups from different cities and municipalities of the province.
The Tinabu-ay Festival of Murcia, a champion in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019, was named first runner-up and won P75,000 in cash prize.
The Kansilay Festival of Silay City was second runner-up, and received P50,000 in cash prize; San Carlos City’s Pinta Flores Festival, third runner-up with P30,000; and Ilog’s Kisi-Kisi Festival, fourth runner-up, winning P20,000 in cash.
The Best Festival Video Introduction special award went to the City of San Carlos, for an additional P20,000 in cash prize.
The organizers said the festival dance entries depict the unique character of each of the local government unit’s festival in a colorful and jubilant presentation.
Each participating town or city had 30 to 50 performers taking the Panaad stage, for a maximum of five minutes’ presentation.
Participants were judged according to choreography, or relevance to the theme, clarity of ideas presented, and composition, 30 percent; performance, or mastery, unity and precision, skills and technique, discipline, and dynamics, 30 percent; theme/concept, which depicts the unique character of the festival, 25 percent; and production design, including costume, hand props, and visual impact, 15 percent.
Other competing groups were La Castellana’s Bailes de Luces, Candoni’s Pabalhas ta Tablas, Talisay City’s Minuluan Festival, Don Salvador Benedicto’s Kali-Kalihan, Moises Padilla’s Magayon Hinuptanan, Hinoba-an’s Pagbana-ag, Kabankalan City’s Sinulog, Himamaylan’s Himayaan, Sipalay’s Burangoy Kite Festival;
Sagay City’s Sinigayan, Cadiz City’s Dinagsa, La Carlota City’s Pasalamat, Manapla’s Manang Pula, Bago City’s Babaylan, Escalante’s Manlambus, Isabela’s Panubli-on, Valladolid’s Pasundayag, Pulupandan’s Salapan, and Cauayan’s Lubay-Lubay Festival.
Bacolod City’s MassKara Festival dancers performed as a non-competing group.
The festival dance showdown is one of the main events of the annual Panaad sa Negros Festival.
The 27th edition of the “festival of all festivals” in Negros Occidental is themed “The Promise Renewed”, and is ongoing until April 23. | Capitol PIO photos
