Photographed by Sarah Chong
*Names in this article have been changed to protect minors’ identities.
Beneath the scorching heat of the Iloilo sun, four students, a student guide and their pathfinder were struggling to find a nice spot to watch the Kasadyahan Street Dancing that was to begin in an hour. Whilst walking down the streets of Iloilo’s Chinatown, team Thunderball had an encounter with the boy who was to play the child Jesus, in the flesh.
This little boy was getting made up by a professional make-up artist at the back of his parents’ car when our team happened to walk by. Judging by the fuss that was being made by the people around him, we decided he’d be a good subject to interview. Being Malaysian, we always think people who a fuss is being made of are important, and almost always we are never wrong.
After making small talk with him, Kushmin asked what role he was playing in the Dinagyang festival. The nine-year old promptly replied that he was playing the role of Santo Niño, which is baby or child Jesus. As if on cue, his father came in with the rest of his costume, completing his look. He told us that his aunt had sewn his costume for him, and that this was his first time joining in the parade. After taking a picture and saying “God bless you," team Thunderball trudged on.
We established a position as close to the 3rd judging area as possible and bumped into a familiar face. A girl that Joyce had interviewed in North Baluarte had set up a small stall with her mother near the area where we were standing. Her mother was even nice enough to offer me a small stool to sit on. The police guarding the streets were very adamant in disallowing Sarah, Kushmin and Joyce on the street to capture anything on video or take any pictures. We had to make do with snap shots from the side for a while
Leave it up to Joyce with her sweet smile to negotiate her way onto the street where she could finally take some decent shots of the different dances. The different high schools performed dances from different tribes with props and costumes which varied according to the amount of sponsorship they received. It is customary before every performance that they announce the sponsors first, which are then paraded around on banners. Some groups had large props such as a massive basket, a large prawn, and even a large wild boar. There are also painted backdrops on wheels and many vibrant costumes and headdresses that are used. The most impressive part of this whole festival in my opinion however is their sound system. Many speakers that are tied to the top of a jeepney, operated by a generator that is propped up merely by two 10-litre water containers, will project the sound of the live musicians throughout the whole of Chinatown. As the group parades around the road, so will this “sound system”. The ingenuity of it all is simply impressive.
After a bit of street food and some shopping, team Thunderball met up with team Skyfall and called it a day. Everyone seemed to go home slightly sweatier than they were before, but all were definitely also much happier after an incredibly exciting day.
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