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Seven-time Sinulog champion performers from Tangub City in Mindanao are back.
The Sinandulog cultural dance troupe will compete in the grand parade on Sunday. But the public can see the festival costumes worn from their first victory in 2000 now on display at SM City's Northwing.
To the surprise of the Mindanao visitors, people have come up to the display with more than admiration for the Filipiniana dresses and Muslim-inspired costumes.
“We wanted to make a display of our winning costumes to reminisce the years we won in the Sinulog but some people want to buy them,” said Baby Balatero-Paller, Tangub tourism officer.
One male Caucasian paid an initial P5, 000 for a silver Filipiniana costume with blue accents worn by the Tangub City lead dancer. He'll return after the exhibit closes on Jan. 19 to pay a balance of P4,000.
A Korean also asked about a Filipiniana dress with a ruffled skirt but the dance troupe hasn't decided yet. They have to consult Tangub City Mayor Jennifer Wee Tan, who will be back in Cebu to cheer on the team. She was here to open the exhibit last Jan. 16.
Tangub City has won a total of seven championship trophies since the out-of-town contingent first joined the Sinulog in 1994.
Trophies for winning the Free Interpretation category were won in 2000 and 2001. They ruled the Sinulog Based category in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
They also picked up awards for Best in Costume awards in 2002 and 2003. They were Best in Street Dancing in 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
A variety of costumes are on display.
There's a cream dress with back lining which Tangub dancers wore when they won their first championship trophy in 2000 under the choreography of Jojin Pascual. They had sequin-studded black costumes and a maroon outfit with gold patterns. Woven Yakan cloth trimmed the cuffs and sleeves.
Dancers wrapped their heads with native scarves or sablay as a headdress.
Tangub dancers don't “repeat” costumes they've worn in other performances. The clothes are kept in a wardrobe area of their Sinanduloy Cultural Center and samples are put on display in a local museum. The rest of the pieces are loaned to other festival organizers in Mindanao.
Paller said they join the Sinulog to honor the Sto. Niño. Promoting the city is a second reason. Exposure in the Sinulog of Cebu City has increased tourist visits to Tangub City, making Misamis Occidental province number two in tourist arrivals in 2007 with half of the visitors logged in Tangub City.
