8 Sandugo contingents to 

Depict Bohol historic eras

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 12 (PIA)—It is a free-for-all year as the eight Sandugo Streetdancing and ritual performance competitors for this year get equal chances of winning with the grand slam champions now out of the competition.

Loon’s Napo Contingent is now out for winning three consecutive festival championships.

Attempting to snatch the Sandugo Street dancing and Festival dance 2019 Championship trophy and the grand prize of P300,000.00 as they try to woo the judges this July 27 are LGU Baclayon, Anda Katipunan High School, Catigbian national High School, Tubigon Mater Dei College, St. Anthony Academy Carmen, LGU Catigbian with Hagbuaya High School, LGU Dimiao with Dimiao National High School and Holy Name University.

And to up the ante a bit, this year’s Sandugo season will see not just that period of Legazpi and Sikatuna’s blood compact, but also explore on the pre Spanish until the modern Bohol, strung together by the kuradang.

These eight dancing contingents have come to respond to the call to highlight local cultural icons in the staging processes like, dance, design, music, especially in the Street Dancing Competition, but in the Theater Competition, according to Sandugo creative and artistic director Lutgardo Labad.

Sandugo organizers hope this year’s Sandugo twist will renew and strengthen Boholano pride of place and dignity through a competitive portrayal of significant events in Boholano History.

While other Sandugo streetdancing and rituals in the past tackled the creative artistry while exploring the history of oldest recorded treaty of friendship, this year’s Sandugo highlights brotherhood, solidarity and valor, stewardship, respect for human life and dignity, justice and inclusiveness, resilience, creativity—all Boholano virtues that show in various stages of Boholano history, Labad pointed out.

On this, the main capping event of the months-long celebration builds into Halad-Bohol: Bangga sa Bol-anong Kuradang ug Kinaiyang Sayaw that brings out the Boholano creative genius and artistry in the festival competition and sustain the utilization of a more Boholano brand of aesthetics in the celebration of the historical Sandugo festivities.

Earlier, Sandugo Foundation’s Street dancing Committee Chair Carmen Gatal called all interested groups to submit their filled-up application forms, detailing their directors, designers, choreographers, composers, musical directors, and artistic staff to make sure they are Boholanos as certified by Local Chief Executives or Head of Institutions.

Each group also sent their artistic leaders: writer and director, choreographer, costume designer, props and sets, lighting director and main performers to the SANDUGO arts and heritage clinic last month.

This year, the street dancing organizing committee decided that each contingent must not exceed 70 performers and another 30 for props handlers, instrumentalists and musicians.

Again, this year, each contingent would be led by a Kuradang King and Queen who will dancing their kuradang versions in the street.

And because this year adopts Bohol History as the provenance for Sandugo sa kalinaw ug panaghiusa, dancers may be costumed as cultural icons in their historical eras and will dance using the newly commissioned Sandugo Kuradang-based music mixes.

And to ensure inclusive participation, each contingent should use different age levels and sectors from the community it is representing.

The cultural showcase also features creative interpretation and embellishing of the local traditional kimono nad patadyong (baro at saya).

And when the festival rituals then used only one historic era: that is the beginning of the Spanish occupation, this year, organizers promise a different fare.

Participating contingents drew historical periods to depict: Prehistoric- Bohol of the Anda culture, Pre-Hispanic Bohol of the Dapitan Kingdom, Bohol at Spanish Contact on the Blood Compact period, Tamblot Revolt, Slave Raids in Bohol, Jesuit Period of Bohol (1600-1768), Dagohoy Revolt, Recollect Period (late 1700s till 1898), Gobierno de Canton, American Occupation, Japanese Occupation and the post-war Bohol. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

MAKE WAY FOR THE KURADANG. Choosing a way to drive the local streetdancing towards a truly authentic Visayan dance, Bohol Sandugo uses the variations of the kuradang as the basic dance routine, one that distinguishes the festival from the generally common sinulog dance steps that has invaded street dancing parades across Visayas and Mindanao. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol file foto)