Cebu Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan 2012 Winners

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After yesterday’s Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan got the momentum for the Sinulog 2012 fever started, the energy was fueled even further by the staging of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan earlier!

The Sinulog sa Kabataan is one of the highlights of the Sinulog Festival every year. It is held annually one weekend before the Sinulog Grand Parade. It serves as an “elimination round” for the elementary and secondary students of the province (Lalawigan) and the city (Dakbayan) as the winners of both competitions will automatically be elevated to be part of the Sinulog Grand Parade to go up against other local and out-of-town contingents.

The activity started at exactly 1 in the afternoon with street dancing by the participants from the Plaza Independencia, in downtown Cebu City, to the Cebu City Sports Center (Abellana), where the showdown was held from 2pm onwards. 7 contingents battled it out for the elementary division while there were 10 for the secondary division.

Anyway, here are the winners of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan 2012!

ELEMENTARY:

Best in Musicality: Labangon Bliss Elementary School

5th: Mambaling Elementary School

4th: City Central School (TRIVIA: they were 5th place last year)

3rd and Best in Costume: Zapatera Elementary School

2nd: Punta Princesa Elementary School

1st: Bulacao Community School

It was refreshing to see a “Sinulog-based” performance win the crown in the elementary division this year. Most of the winners in the previous years had “Free Interpretation” performances. The Sinulog-based category entails a lot more discipline within the dancers as there are strict guidelines by the Sinulog Foundation to be followed, such as, the two steps forward-one step backward movement, among others, and it’s just very heartwarming to see young children, most of them at 9-12 years old, already very controlled and graceful in the execution of the movements. The only group that did not go home with any award in the elementary division is Carreta Elementary School.

SECONDARY:

5th: Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School

4th: Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School (TRIVIA: last year, they were 2nd place)

3rd: Barrio Luz National High School

2nd and Best in Musicality: Apas National High School

The performances of the Top 4 were very solid this year. I was able to predict the Top 4 but I thought that any one of them could grab the crown. The competition was really very tight, especially between the Top 2. There was a lot of pressure for Abellana as they won for the past two consecutive years and they needed this for a grandslam win. Abellana National School had themed-presentations for the past two years. In 2010, they portrayed Bulacan’s traditional subli folk dance. Last year, they portrayed the Pastores, which is about the Nativity. This year, they presented a very unique theme, a mass wedding, in line with the theme of this year’s religious fiesta celebration, “Sto. Niño: Refuge of the Filipino Christian Family”. The concept was very apt as families indeed begin from the union of a couple. Their costumes were very elegant as well. The girls had intricate white bridal gowns while the boys were in barongs. To add to those elements, the dancers moved very gracefully and you could tell that they knew what they were doing. Their performance was well applauded. A few groups later, it was Apas National High School’s turn on the stage. They had a huge backdrop that depicted the historical attractions of Cebu. They wore Filipiniana costumes but the biggest come-on of their performance was how their dance built momentum starting with a graceful drama quickly transforming into a heart-pumping fast-paced bouncing, stepping, waving and swaying! They got roaring cheers from the crowd which made me think that they had a very high chance of snatching the crown from Abellana.

1st: Abellana National School

Ultimately, Abellana National School emerged as the winner! I personally do not know anyone in the group but I have been a fan since 2009. Where did it all begin? Sinulog Festival Queen Photoshoot 2009. My camera simply loves their lead dancer, Rotahmae Joy Verano. She has always shined in my photos and I was glad that she’s back this year because for some reason, she only played a supporting role last year.

Here’s a video of their repeat performance immediately before the awarding ceremonies earlier:

The other groups that participated in the secondary division are Talamban Night High School, Gothong National High School, Lahug Night High School, Pardo Night High School and Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School.

Prizes for the Sinulog sa Kabataan were increased this year! The winners of the special awards (Best in Costume and Best in Musicality), each received P20,000. The Champion in both divisions received P300,000; P150,000 for the 2nd placer, P100,000 for the 3rd placer, P75,000 for the 4th placer and P50,000 for the 5th placer.

I’ve observed that there has been a shift of interest in this year’s Sinulog sa Kabataan (both Lalawigan and Dakbayan) as the competition in the secondary division was more interesting than the elementary division. This could be attributed to the absence of most of last year’s winners in the elementary division, so definitely, there was less challenge and pressure to the participating contingents this year but Overall, the performances delivered this year have really leveled-up, compared to last year’s Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan!

It’s one week to go guys before the Sinulog Grand Parade 2012!!

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One Comment

1. 

   Cebu Sinulog

   January 15, 2012 at 7:51 pm

   Viva Pit Señor! Proud to be a Cebuano! ^_^

   Reply