I was surprised at the crowd reaction on the next contingent. 'Comparsa Sa Mandaue' was already in front of us and no one seemed to be enthusiastically cheering. More of everyone just froze and concentrated at watching them. Felt like I was the only person among the spectators that kept moving. Anything wrong? Last year, when Mantawi passed by anywhere, crowds were loudly cheering. What was the silence all about?! I do have a hunch, every Mandaue dude watching was all curious and apprehensive about the group representing their city. 'Comparsa' is a new festival declared just recently by Jonas (yep the mayor) and thus replaced Mantawi in this Pasigarbo. Well, the kids did good but not something to shout about.
Sinanggiyaw Festival of Dumanjug came next. Beautiful festival queen and nice moves from the dancers. There was just a lot of running for the girls I was getting tired for them hehe – pwede ba yun?! I thought maybe the choreographer should have spaced them a bit closer together so that running to back and front of the group won’t be as far. Naawa ako hehe! Ah, some girls (also in costume) together with other crews in black shirts were walking just on the side and busy with some chit-chat. I noticed one judge looking at them, so I told them. Then they waited a bit for their colleagues to move forward before they did so. What were they anyway, reserve? Eh di napagod din sa kakalakad!
Then came the Tostado Festival of Santander. What a big ugly truck for their sound system hehe! At least they attempted to decorate it with flowery designs. Pangit pa rin hehehe! Beautiful festival queen and this whole troop made me salivate for that ‘tostado’. The dancers’ props were like basketfuls of cookies and they all wore the baker’s costume. Yummy tostados! I loved ogling at the performers in this group. Boys and girls alike they painted their faces to make for big dark eyebrows and mustaches! Fun and funny! But their props really made me crave for that dainty crackly cookies! I got busy watching their faces I forgot to shoot at least a short video!
Tagbo Festival. Yeah this is from the town of Poro over at Camotes. Hmm, at least their sound system did not come in a huge truck so even if they just wrapped it with tarpaulins printed with sceneries from their town, it did not catch a lot of attention. Oh they had no festival queen but the dancers did their best. Kids up front were livelier than those at the back end of the group. Looking at the faces at those performers in the back, they seemed to be thinking “what could be those judges thinking” or “why am I here” hehe!
Then came Soli-soli. Yes the Soli-soli Festival of San Francisco also in Camotes. This group elicited a lot of ohs and ahs from my side of the street. As for me all I could say was “OMG”! They came big and really big! The truck that bore their sound system was boxed by plywood painted with farm greeneries, only the windshield was exposed. And on top were real greens. It looked like a patch of rice paddy parading on city streets. It was followed by a big realistic street arc pushed by men on both sides. Real big that they had other men to push away those dangling electrical wires along Mandaue streets. I silently laughed… if they left that thing anywhere, it could pass for a real street welcome arch!
Cheers became louder when the carabo’s came. Not real but realistic props hehe. The fun thing is that young gay boys were riding and gracefully dancing while seated on them carabaos. The mismatch probably made the crowd laugh and cheer. Imagine, ang kabayutan riding carabaos and gracefully swaying their gay hands haaay hehe! Oh, the dancers were really dancing! I liked watching them do their choreographed moves as I couldn’t see a grimacing expression like in the previous groups. Did they have a festival queen? Nope not front but yes at the tail end of their group riding an even more humongous head of a carabao! Jaw-dropping size! I also liked it when the group would shout “soli-soli” while dancing. Good group!
Hinulawan Festival of Toledo City came next. I already expected I’d like how this group would perform on the street. I have seen the Hinulawan itself twice. But whoa! The truck that carries their sound boxes… oh my… it was like a float made to look like a mountain side with a river and there were ‘workers’ up there. That is if you look at that truck up front. On the side it’s a different story, it looks like a mining area (w/ big ad of Carmen Copper Corp) and the lower portion is a mining cave with real miners and a diwata! Whohooo, I liked it! Even the thing that carries their patron saint was intricately crafted. The beautiful festival queen was adjudged best in festival costume two nights ago. Hey apart from the good dancing, I liked it that the dancers literally looked the same. I mean their skin color. And I thought all along they all have gone chocolatey dark practicing under the sun. But when a dancer got close enough for me to scrutinize, omg, they have painted every exposed part of their body with that brown make-up. Good! Ah the downside was too many “lolas” shrieking. Just check the video, one was saying forward forward, make your steps bigger then another shrieks slow down using a megaphone. Ano ba mga mama?! Malipung ang mga atabs ninyo oi!
Next groups coming...
Sinanggiyaw Festival of Dumanjug came next. Beautiful festival queen and nice moves from the dancers. There was just a lot of running for the girls I was getting tired for them hehe – pwede ba yun?! I thought maybe the choreographer should have spaced them a bit closer together so that running to back and front of the group won’t be as far. Naawa ako hehe! Ah, some girls (also in costume) together with other crews in black shirts were walking just on the side and busy with some chit-chat. I noticed one judge looking at them, so I told them. Then they waited a bit for their colleagues to move forward before they did so. What were they anyway, reserve? Eh di napagod din sa kakalakad!
Then came the Tostado Festival of Santander. What a big ugly truck for their sound system hehe! At least they attempted to decorate it with flowery designs. Pangit pa rin hehehe! Beautiful festival queen and this whole troop made me salivate for that ‘tostado’. The dancers’ props were like basketfuls of cookies and they all wore the baker’s costume. Yummy tostados! I loved ogling at the performers in this group. Boys and girls alike they painted their faces to make for big dark eyebrows and mustaches! Fun and funny! But their props really made me crave for that dainty crackly cookies! I got busy watching their faces I forgot to shoot at least a short video!
Tagbo Festival. Yeah this is from the town of Poro over at Camotes. Hmm, at least their sound system did not come in a huge truck so even if they just wrapped it with tarpaulins printed with sceneries from their town, it did not catch a lot of attention. Oh they had no festival queen but the dancers did their best. Kids up front were livelier than those at the back end of the group. Looking at the faces at those performers in the back, they seemed to be thinking “what could be those judges thinking” or “why am I here” hehe!
Then came Soli-soli. Yes the Soli-soli Festival of San Francisco also in Camotes. This group elicited a lot of ohs and ahs from my side of the street. As for me all I could say was “OMG”! They came big and really big! The truck that bore their sound system was boxed by plywood painted with farm greeneries, only the windshield was exposed. And on top were real greens. It looked like a patch of rice paddy parading on city streets. It was followed by a big realistic street arc pushed by men on both sides. Real big that they had other men to push away those dangling electrical wires along Mandaue streets. I silently laughed… if they left that thing anywhere, it could pass for a real street welcome arch!
Cheers became louder when the carabo’s came. Not real but realistic props hehe. The fun thing is that young gay boys were riding and gracefully dancing while seated on them carabaos. The mismatch probably made the crowd laugh and cheer. Imagine, ang kabayutan riding carabaos and gracefully swaying their gay hands haaay hehe! Oh, the dancers were really dancing! I liked watching them do their choreographed moves as I couldn’t see a grimacing expression like in the previous groups. Did they have a festival queen? Nope not front but yes at the tail end of their group riding an even more humongous head of a carabao! Jaw-dropping size! I also liked it when the group would shout “soli-soli” while dancing. Good group!
Hinulawan Festival of Toledo City came next. I already expected I’d like how this group would perform on the street. I have seen the Hinulawan itself twice. But whoa! The truck that carries their sound boxes… oh my… it was like a float made to look like a mountain side with a river and there were ‘workers’ up there. That is if you look at that truck up front. On the side it’s a different story, it looks like a mining area (w/ big ad of Carmen Copper Corp) and the lower portion is a mining cave with real miners and a diwata! Whohooo, I liked it! Even the thing that carries their patron saint was intricately crafted. The beautiful festival queen was adjudged best in festival costume two nights ago. Hey apart from the good dancing, I liked it that the dancers literally looked the same. I mean their skin color. And I thought all along they all have gone chocolatey dark practicing under the sun. But when a dancer got close enough for me to scrutinize, omg, they have painted every exposed part of their body with that brown make-up. Good! Ah the downside was too many “lolas” shrieking. Just check the video, one was saying forward forward, make your steps bigger then another shrieks slow down using a megaphone. Ano ba mga mama?! Malipung ang mga atabs ninyo oi!
Next groups coming...
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