JoJaJu was crowned the champion of this year’s Bacolaodiat Festival lantern dance competition and took home P100,000 in cash prize and a trophy, during the awarding ceremony at the SMile Strip of SM City Bacolod Feb. 22.
The group was also Best in Costume, the same special award it bagged in last year’s festival contest when it won as first runner-up, and earned an additional P20,000 and another trophy.
The Luminaries and Carlos Hilado Memorial State University-Alijis Campus, meanwhile, each received P30,000 in consolation prizes, with the former also winning the Best in Lantern award, along with P20,000 and a trophy, the Bacolaodiat Festival organizer said.
The awarding ceremony was led by Councilor Em Ang, who represented Mayor Greg Gasataya; Bacolaodiat Festival officials, namely, chairperson John Stephen Sy, secretary Michelle Chua, treasurer Caryn Keng Seng, and board members Karla Sayat and Odette Ong-Gomez; and SM City Bacolod assistant mall manager Raggie Ledona.
The three contingents were evaluated based on two performances—daytime and nighttime editions—held Feb. 21 at the Bacolod Government Center grounds, with Negrense cultural leaders Rudy Reveche, Rene Hinojales, and Maricon Heria as judges.
The lantern dance is the centerpiece of Bacolaodiat, a portmanteau of “Bacolod” and the Fookien word “Lao Diat,” meaning happy celebration.
The performances blended traditional Chinese folk elements with contemporary Filipino choreography, featuring symbolic movements like the dragon wave, lantern glide, prosperity spin, blossom burst, and tai chi, in celebration of the Year of the Fire Horse. ||
