Dancing day in and day out in South Cotabato’s T’nalak fest

Koronadal City — It was a day filled with wild ecstasy. No, the party drug ecstasy did not power tens of thousands of people here on Wednesday last week. It was the festive atmosphere where dancers donned tribal costumes and showcased their electric moves in the main streets.

Photos by the author

The street dancing which started early in the morning lasted for at least three hours but did not end at the major roads of this city. The dancers convened at the sprawling South Cotabato Sports Complex for a showdown.

Welcome to the Madal Be’lan and Kadsagayan A Lalan street dancing and showdown competition, a yearly activity that’s the highlight of South Cotabato’s foundation anniversary.

The dancing competition is part of the T’nalak Festival that is now on its eighth year. The festival marks the 41^st foundation anniversary of the province on July 18. An estimated crowd of more than 20,000 people, mostly local tourists, braved the heat and filled the sports complex.

Thousands more had to contend themselves with the tribal music outside the complex as security officers prevented them from entering the facility since it had reached its maximum capacity.

Inside, the crowd cheered the dancers on as they moved to the lively beat of gongs, bamboo organs, kulintang and other indigenous musical instruments.

Contingents with anywhere from 80 to 150 members vied for the chance to win cash prizes amounting to P100,000. The three categories were for Madal Be’lan (for B’laan and T’boli tribes), Kadsagayan A Lalan (for Maguindanao) and Kasadyahan sa Kapatagan (for lowlanders).

A total of 12 groups from various localities in South Cotabato participated in the competition but no group went home heavy-hearted since organizers allotted at least P20,000 for the non-winners plus P5,000 more for food expenses.

As the night wore on, thousands of people massed along the strip of Alunan Avenue like an army of ants.

Aromatic smells of grilled chicken, fish and pork meat filled the air as makeshift food stalls sprouted like mushrooms. Giant sound systems and lighting systems were set up along Alunan Avenue for the street dancing.

At 10 p.m., the crowd watched as the provincial government’s fireworks display lit up the skies.

Background

The T’nalak Festival started in 1998 when former President Ramos declared abaca weaver Bey Lang Dulay, a T’boli native from Lake Sebu, a "Living Treasure on T’nalak Weaving."

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance Fuentes said that the T’nalak cloth typified the people of South Cotabato. The strong white abaca fibers represented their honest intentions while the rich black and deep reddish-brown strands stood for bravery, commitment and love.

The black strands are supposed to stand for the struggles of the pioneers who developed their strong characters and perseverance.

"We always try to make sure that our celebrations will be unique," Ms. Fuentes said. — Romer S. Sarmiento


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Dancing day in and day out in South Cotabato’s T’nalak fest