NEW winners emerged in this year’s Sinulog grand parade.
After losing for five years, Lumad Basakanon of Barangay Basak San Nicolas is in the spotlight again after winning in the free interpretation (FI) category, beating 20 other dancing contingents.
Basakanon last won in the FI category in 2008 yet.
On the other hand, Kulturang Placereño of Placer, Masbate was able to claim again the top spot in the Sinulog-based (SB) category, after they defeated yesterday 14 other contingents.
Placer was the champion in the SB category in 2012, but was defeated last year by Tribu Sinanduloy of Tangub City.
In a press conference they called last night, Nestor Jardin who is the chairperson of the board of judges in the FI category, said Basakanon wowed them with their
simplicity. Basakanon’s presentation yesterday is about “nature versus nature.”
“I guess it’s a statement that we appreciate effective focus on choreography for the dancers rather than props. The trend in many street dance festivals are dancing props taking away the focus on the dancers. In the case of Lumad, their props became secondary, but complimentary to their choreography, which is the essence of street dance,” he said.
Message
Jardin said this serves as a message to the choreographers of the contingents not to focus on their props for their dance routines.
Also, Jardin who is the former chief of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, said that Basakanon have “beautiful production design” in terms of color palette, costume and props among others.
While they noticed some mistakes on Basakanon’s routine, Jardin said it is not enough to displace them from the top spot.
Aside from winning the grand prize, Basakanon also won the best in costume award.
As for the SB category, Josefina Guillen, who is the chairperson of the board of judges, said Placer earned their nod because there was a clear build-up on their theme.
The group’s presentation, which used the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño as a backdrop, highlighted the devotee’s devotion to Señor Sto. Niño.
Tangub
“They highlighted faith and veneration to the Sto. Niño. Aside from that, they are also better in terms of production design. Their dancers are also very well disciplined. They have high energy, well-coordinated and synchronized. They also have a smooth transition from the start until the end,” she said.
On the presentation of Tangub, who is the defending champion, Guillen said they were not that satisfied with their dance routine. They, however, acknowledged the effort the contingent have put in this year’s competition.
Tangub’s presentation showcases the strength of the Filipinos despite the move of other countries to invade the Philippines.
Although Tangub did not earn the grand prize, it was able to get the best in costume and best in musicality award.
In yesterday’s competition, Tangub came in second after Placer in the SB category.
Other winners are Tuburan National High School (3rd place), Carcar City (4th place), and Talisay City Central School (5th place).
For the FI category, other winners are Tribu Himag-ulaw of Placer, Masbate (2nd place), Abellana National High School (3rd place), Plaridel, Misamis Occidental (4th place) and Barangay Talamban (5th place).
The best in musicality for the FI category was given to Lanao del Norte.
The grand prize winner in this years competition earns P1 million. The the second place winner, on the other hand, will earn P500,000, P300,000 for the third place, P200,000 for the fourth place and P100,000 for the fifth place winner.
Those who earned the best in musicality and best in costume award will get P100,000.
The winners of yesterday’s competition will have a repeat performance today at 1 p.m. at the Cebu City Sports Center.