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Monday, January 15, 2007
Costumes help 2 groups win Sinulog sa Kabataan
By Rene H. Martel
CEBU CITY -- Zapatera Elementary School and Camp Lapu-Lapu National High School (CLHS-Day) bested nine others in their respective categories in Sunday's Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan.
Zapatera became a back-to-back winner, while CLNHS rebounded from last year's fifth place finish.
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The judges said it was a close fight, with Zapatera overpowering Cebu City Central School with its dancers' smooth flow of movements.
CLNHS, on the other hand, topped Abellana National School (ANS) because of its varied props and elegant sets.
Zapatera and CLNHS also received the best in costume awards.
Unlike last Saturday's Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan, which was rained out, the sun shone brightly Sunday.
Rain clouds threatened but later disappeared.
Interruption
Cebu Vice Mayor Michael Rama, though, had to interrupt the contest and ask Tejero Elementary School dancers to don their slippers after they went up the stage barefoot.
He wanted to avoid a repeat of past incidents, when the hot stage seared the dancers' soles.
In the elementary category, Lahug took the third honors; Mabolo, fourth and Tejero, fifth.
Stood out
In the high school category, Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School (NHS) ranked third, followed by Florencio Urot NHS, and fifth-placer Tejero NHS-Night.
Josefina Guillen, chairperson of the board of judges, said although other contingents equaled Zapa-tera in several respects, it stood out "artistically and visually."
"Everything has to (have a) smooth flow from start to finish, and those were highlighted in the production. They have projected it well. The high energy of the dancers was there," she said.
Zapatera dancers were garbed in orange and yellow Filipiniana costumes girdled with flowers, and the female pupils held red parasols with white trimmings.
Combination
"The costume added to the visual flow and impact of the production. The costume is not just on how beautiful the color combination is, but also allows the dancers to perform effectively," Guillen said.
A portion of the presentation showed two cheru-bims crowning a giant image of the Sto. Niño.
Choreographer Manuel Caalim said they used as concept Atimonan, Taya-bas' (now Quezon City) victory dance named polkabal, which is held after its men's triumph over invaders.
Professional
Polkabal is a form of merry-making where the men dance by crossing lines with the ladies.
Guillen said Zapatera, a winner in the past years, has developed a "professional way of staging its production."
CLNHS, on the other hand, overpowered ANS with its props, sets and costumes.
"What made CLNHS win over ANS are the props and sets. The elegance of the costumes also added, and an artistically mature level of performance," Guillen said.
"You can see the discipline of all members. They move as one, the movements were well-coordinated, and they were able to effectively present the concept," she added.
Miracles
Choreographer Venancio Esparaguera admitted their costumes helped them a lot to clinch the top honors.
Using Maria Clara outfits, with the men wearing red see-thru vests, and angels mounted on poles as hand props, CLNHS presented that "miracles do happen."
The contingent also used big, yellow candles as backdrops; white, hand-woven umbrellas; and hola-hoop rings adorned with flowers.
The dancers also used party poppers when they exited in a procession, reminiscent of fiestas, where life-size images of saints on carts are paraded around town.
Zapatera and CLNHS went home with a trophy and P40,000 each. The contest's second placers received P30,000; third, P20,000; fourth, P10,000; and fifth, P5,000. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (January 15, 2007 issue)
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