Sidlak Kasilak hands Napo its 

3rd Sandugo streetdance win 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 30 (PIA)—In whirl and swirl of five minutes, Tribu Napo-anon of Loon depicted over 13 Bohol traditions and zoomed in on their own Birhen sa Kasilak and Sidlakasilak festival of lights to convince the judges to grant them this year’s Sandugo Streetdancing and Bangga sa Kabilin ug Kulturang Bol-anon championship crown; their third consecutive win in the last three years. 

Napo opened up with timed number with a dawn church scene, which opened to introduce the community devotion to the Birhen sa Kasilak, a mass, the prayerful devotion of luhod paingon sa altar which peaks at the fiesta sa Kasilak. 

Then the contingent breaks out for the dances, the community games of tug of war, sack race, palosebo, bunong braso, to pacifying a brawl and then the festival of lights procession ending in the feast, complete with original music and interspaced with brilliant choreography, flawless blocking and use of fitting props. 

And for the third year too, Julie Murcia and Jojo Lugo of Napo Loon contingent claimed their title as King and Queen of Boholano Kuradang, aided by a well-executed role as aging kuradang couple complete with a cane and hints of arthritic movements and an exit via two wheel chairs. 

This year, both also contributed largely to heap on their street dancing contingent the points they would need to defend their street dancing crown, which had students, and the old folks of Sitio Napo, Loon. 

Over all, for winning as grand champions this year, Napo bagged the P300,000 prize, plus another P30,000 for best in street-dancing, P10,000 for Production design and P5,000 for the kuradang pair to bring home at least P345,000 in prizes. 

First runner up this year is Tubigon, which focused on the kuradang even as they tried depicting a loosely sewn storyline for the lambay sa Tubigon, tabo, pista and the devotional prayer, to pagan dancing and kuradang offered to San Isidro Labrador and the procession. 

Tubigon, which employed a wide age range of participants had elementary kids to old students and young professionals in their dancing contingent kept a lively kuradang choreography, went home with the P250,000 prize. 

On the other hand, Dauis, which highlighted on their Panagat Festival came home with the second runner up and a minor award: best in Music. 

Dauis worked on the tales of the virgin of the Assumption, the piratical raids, a wedding traditions and the panagat in a well-choreographed routine to bag a total of P210,000 in prizes. 

This year is the third year that the Sandugo Foundation, now Isang Dugo Foundation decided to swing away from the usual Caribbean themed street dancing festivals which offer no significant hint of local culture, while enriching choreographers, commercial instrumentalists and training support by copying common and often non-indigenous culture rooted dance and music routines. 

While getting many critics for the allegedly less enticing kuradang, the foundation continued with the Kuradang routines as Sandugo theme and took off from the Subli: the Sandugo reenactment recently. 

This year, apart from the Holy Name University Diwanag dancers who did the Subli and was not among the competing contingents, 12 other groups joined the street dancing and Bagga sa Kabilin ug Kultura revelry. 

These were contingents from Balilihan, Baclayon, Bilar, Catigbian, Loboc, Garcia-Hernandez, Jagna, Sikatuna and Sierra Bullones. 

The streetdancing remains to be the most colorful and explosive highlight of the historic blood compact between Spanish captain Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Boholano chieftain Sikatuna in 1565. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

Jose Lugo and Juliet Murcia led Lumad napo-anon to its third consecutive crown as the Sandugo Kuradang Streetdancing champions. Lugo and Murcia played the roles of aging Kuradang dancers, and exited their performances by way of wheel chairs. (rahc/PAI-7/Bohol)