Antique rules elementary; Negros, Iloilo and Aklan clinch in secondary
Proud and beaming. Elementary folk dancers from Antique
posed with their trainer and other officials from Antique after
they bested other dancers in what was dubbed as the
"battle of Sayaw sa Cuyo".
Amidst a sudden shift from a searing hot day to a wet one, the heat in Antique National School Quadrangle never died down.
Etching their names among the best in the region, Antique's pop vocalist and folk dancers took the top places in elementary level while high school students from Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Aklan bagged two 1st prizes each in the secondary level.
High school Negros Occidental declaimers took the best spots in Filipino and English declamations, while Iloilo classical vocalist and folk dancers also took their claims and bagged the 1st places in their categories. The Akleña pop soloist's powerful voice raked the 1st prize while her teammate also claimed the 1st place in impromptu speaking.
Earlier in the elementary level contest, Antique captured two 1st places with pop vocalist, Charybel Cepeda, and Delegate Angel Salazar Jr. Memorial School's folk dancers taking in the limelight. The English declaimer from Iloilo bagged the 1st prize, while the Negrense declaimer claimed the 1st place in Filipino. On the other hand, the soloist from the land of the sweet mangoes picked the best spot in vocal solo classical.
The audience witnessed the "battle of Sayaw sa Cuyo" as elementary folk dancers from five provinces rendered Cuyo island's dance. The dance is a blend of old-Cuyo ethnicity and Spanish-influenced steps with pretty young girls daintily swirling hats to the waltz designed to bring out the freshness and glow of the performers.