How many times should a lightning strike in the same place? Once is enough and twice is not often. Thrice is impossible and the fourth time would be miracle. But that what had happened when Villa-Doneza Central Elementary School won for the fourth consecutive times in the Inter-School Folk Dance Competition.
The event was held during the 65th anniversary of Bansalan, a first-class municipality of Davao del Sur.
Eleven schools participated in the elementary division while seven schools tried to outdo each other in high school category.
Villa-Doneza Central Elementary School took the grand prize in the elementary division. Declared second place was Marber Elementary School while New Clarin Elementary School settled for the third place.
Other participating schools were GRS School of Bansalan, Bansalan Central Elementary School, Marber Elementary School, Brighter Beginning Learning Center, Vicente Duterte Elementary School, St. Mary’s College of Bansalan, Dolo Elementary School, and Buenavista Elementary School.
There was only one contest piece: Cariñosa (which literally means “affectionate woman”), an old and most popular courtship dance of the Visayas Islands. The version the participating schools adapted was the one from San Joaquin, Iloilo.
The female wears “patadyong” and “camisa” or “kimono” with soft “pañuelo.” As for male, he wears barong Tagalog or “camisa de Chino” and any color of trousers. The hand props include comb, power puff and handkerchief.
In the high school category, the winners were: Nazareth High School, first place (the same distinction it won last year); Marber National High School, second place; and St. Mary’s College of Bansalan, third place.
The other schools which participated in the competition were: Pedro Arches National High School, St. Therese School of Bansalan, New Clarin National High School, and Mabuhay National High School.
Again, there was only once contest piece: La Jota Moncadeña, a folk dance named after the town of Moncada in Tarlac. The literature said: “During the Spanish regime, La Jota dancers were the most popular dances performed in any social gatherings by the Spanish Senoritas and Caballeros. The Filipinos saw them danced and imitated them. This dance is the interpretation and adaptation by the old people of Moncada. It is a combination of Spanish and Ilocano dance steps and music. The use of bamboo castanets makes the dance lively, gay and delightful.”
The female dancer wears Maria Clara style or in typical Ilocano costume. The male dancer wears barong Tagalog and black trousers or in typical Ilocano costume.
The judges of the folk dance competition, both elementary and high school, were Dr. Reynaldo Pascua, Dr. Hazel O. Aparece, Dr. Alma M. Belarmino, Dr. Nhor-Emra P. Silongan, and Roderick R. Villan.
How did the judges come up with the winners? Well, they were given criteria to follow. These were: performance (which included skill and mastery, stage projection, and showmanship), 50%; authentic interpretation, 30%; and authenticity of costume, music, and equipment, 20%.
Research conducted by the author showed that the term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes: dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditionally based music; dances not generally designed for public performance or the stage, though may be later arranged and set for stage performances; and execution dominated by an inherited tradition rather than innovation (though folk traditions change over time)
