Fil-Am folkdance combination wins Panagtagbo Festival

CEBU, Philippines -  With a combination of the basic steps of the Panagtagbo, Philippine Folkdance and American folkdance, this year’s first winner of the Panagtagbo Festival showdown in Mandaue City is Cluster 4.

The winning performers also showcased in their dance the best of Mandaue, with its famed delicacies, industries and landmarks.

Cluster 4 is composed of barangays Opao, Cambaro, Alang-alang and Umapad.

Cluster 4 featured American costumes in their dance, according to Jun Figueroa, their choreographer who also choreographed Mandaue’s contingent in the 2012 “Pasigarbo Festival.”

The Panagtagbo Festival was first launched last year. The concept of the competition features on the meeting of the Holy Family composed of the holy images of the Sr. Sto. Niño, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Mandaue City’s St. Joseph.

Seven contingents joined this year’s festival with the 27 barangays in the city being clustered into six groups with the Kaabag Ladies, an NGO, joining as cluster no.7.

The second prize winner for the showdown competition was won by Cluster 3 composed of barangays Bakilid, Banilad, Casuntingan, Cabangcalan and Maguikay while the third prize was won by cluster 2 composed of barangays Centro, Guizo and Looc.

Cluster 3 won “Best in Street Dancing” while the “Best in Andas’’ (or the presentation of the holy family) was won by cluster 1 which was composed only of barangay Paknaan. Their choreographer, Jefferson Gitgano also won as “Best Choreographer”.

Gitgano is also the choreographer of the winning contingents in the Haladaya festival in Daanbantayan in 2008 and 2009.  This year’s champion for the dance showdown brought home with them P100,000; P50,000 for second prize and P25,000 for the third prize.

While the “Best in Street Dancing” brought home a cash prize of P10,000; “Best in Andas” P5,000 and “Best Choreographer” P5,000.

Mayor Jonas Cortes expressed his happiness and thanked the organizers of the first Panagtagbo Festival in the city for its success and revealed plans to make it bigger next year.  (FREEMAN)