The dance & then some

CEBU, Philippines - The bar was raised as the Philippine Folk Dance Society (PFDS) Cebu Province Chapter conducted its third successful echo dance workshop for the PFDS calendar year (a virtual calendar cycle that kicks off right after the PFDS National Workshop in May last year), at the BFAR Regional Fisheries Training Center in Carmen, Cebu on January 3-5 this year. It was timely for the town's local festival, Sinulog sa Carmen, held on the fourth Sunday of January.

The Cebu Province Chapter first had its workshop in the town of Compostela last June and then proceeded to Dumanjug in August. It is the local Society's very aim to reach out to the different municipalities of the province and share folk dances taught by PFDS-National, and make certain applications to the festival of the towns visited. This way, the Society would help enable the towns to devise better ways of presenting their respective festivals.

Festivals have always been at the forefront of and a major attraction for local tourism. The coming of the PFDS Cebu Province Chapter to the municipalities augments and stimulates the conceptualization of better formulas for festival technology.

 PFDS Cebu Province Chapter is composed of officers and members hailing from different towns and cities of Cebu. This writer heads the organization as president, with Rodrigo Apos of Consolacion National High School (Night) as vice-president. Rose Jane Arreza of UC-Main High School Dept. is secretary; Diosdado Generalao (Cebu Technological University Carmen Campus), treasurer; Rolito Imperial (CTU Moalboal), auditor; Jun Leonides Niala (Asian College of Technology), business manager-north, and Liza Cabrestente (Cebu Normal University), business manager-South. Moira Racaza (Cansojong Elementary School) and Maria Chela Canton (San Roque Elementary School) are members of the Board of Directors.

The Cebu PFDS chapter was created in May 2011, during the induction of PFDS local chapter officers in Bago City, Negros Oriental. It had its first Regional Echo Folk Dance Workshop that same year in Consolacion, Cebu. Aside from conducting dance workshops, the members act as resource persons in events sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, as dance researchers at PFDS national dance workshops, as presenters and dance demonstrators, as dance trainers, festival directors, consultants, choreographers, musical composers, and stage play directors.

 Interested parties wanting to have a local workshop in dance or related events may inquire with the business managers at these numbers: 09229508191 or 09163328238; or through Facebook accounts: PFDS - Cebu Province Chapter (Official) and PFDS - Cebu Province Chapter Board of Directors. (FREEMAN)