ABW Dec 2017

Sinulog participants
parade in colorful
costumes
the festival has been promoted as a tourist
attraction, with a contest featuring contingents
from various parts of the country. The Sinulog
Contest is usually held in the Cebu City Sports
Complex. The Sinulog
Festival competition
is divided into three
categories namely the
Street Dancing Category,
Free Interpretation and
Sinulog base categories.
The free interpretation
category has the most
number of participating
contingents coming from
outside Cebu. The dance steps are fast and
the storyline and theme varies from folkloric,
mythical and historical lines. The Sinulog-based
category centers more on the Sinulog ritual dance
The Sinulog celebration
lasts for nine days,
culminating on the final
day with the Sinulog
Grand Parade.
worship and the choreography is more “formal”
the dance steps depicts the prayer dance which
is the true identity of the Sinulog ritual dance.
The Sinulog-based participants wear Filipiniana
and Hispanic inspired costumes. The Grand
Champion of the Free Interpretation, Street
Dancing, and Sinulog base categories wins one
million pesos respectively. The Sinanduloy Dance
Troupe of Tangub City, Misamis Occidental is a
consistent winner in the Sinulog-based category.
Carcar City of Cebu also proved their mastery of
the Sinulog dance and they always end within
the top 5 places in the Sinulog Competition. The
famous Lumad Basakanon dance contingent of
Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City has won several
Free Interpretation titles in Sinulog and made
history when they were elevated to the Aliwan
Fiesta Hall of Fame for winning the national street
dancing championship during Aliwan Fiesta
2006, 2007, 2008 and 2014. Sinulog Festival
showcases the most number of participants and
the best choreographic exhibition of any festival
in the Philippines. The Sinulog celebration lasts
for nine days, culminating on the final day
with the Sinulog Grand Parade. The day before
the parade, the religious Fluvial Procession
sponsored by the Archdiocese of Cebu is held
at dawn with a statue of the Santo Niño carried
on a beautifully decorated boat which sails
from Mandaue City to Cebu City, decked with
hundreds of flowers and candles. The procession
ends at the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino de
Cebu where a re-enactment of the baptism to
the Christian faith of Cebu is performed. In the
afternoon, a more solemn procession takes place
along with the major streets of Cebu City, which
Sinulog performers
battle for the best
in street dancing
CEBU
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