Three-peat: COEd extends winning streak with third straight folk dance victory

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, October 11 — The Mentors from the College of Education (COEd) proudly claimed their third straight victory in the Folk Dance Competition, securing the title for three consecutive years during the second day of the Intramurals at the University Gymnasium.

In an interview with Bagwis, Kia Khyte Flores, the focal person and one of the dancers of COEd, revealed that they were ecstatic upon discovering they had won again despite having faced a multitude of challenges.

© John Ross Sambanan

“Happy kaayo mi kay pressure jud sa amoa kay gikan 2022 kay champion mi sa folk dance and then karon pressure mi kay daghan man gud ug challenges nga naabot sa among team,” she said. Flores explained that most of COEd’s previous folk dancers had graduated, leaving them no choice but to start from scratch.“Nanglisod mi sa pag manage sa among time but bisag naglisod mi, namanage gihapon namo na makapractice mi sa mga free time namo and I think isa sa sa mga nagpadaog sa amoa is discipline as a team,” she said.

According to Flores, aside from their discipline as a team, they also went back to the basics of folk dance, including the interpretation of literature and staging.“Daghan kaayo mig gitry na mga choreo. Nakaabot mig 23 ka choreo kay para lang ma-try kung unsa ang bagsik. Kung pangit siya ginaiba dayon namo, kung naay manglisod isa sa amoa, ginaiba dayon namo,” she explained.

Flores also expressed her gratitude to her college teammates and Bachelor of Physical Education faculty member, Reymart Canja, who taught a subject regarding lowland folk dances. “Didto jud mi nakatuon paano mag interpret ug literature and mag choreograph and everything,” she explained. The folk dancer emphasized how acknowledging the hardships faced by each member of their team contributed to the overall success of their performance.

When asked if they hired a choreographer or taught themselves, Flores clarified that “walay main na nagtudlo kay nagtabanganay mig interpret ani, kada isa sa amoa kay nagacontribute jud sa choreography.”She also said that during every practice, members of the team would take turns in checking the performance for errors and polishing them afterwards.

The Folk Dance Competition concluded with the Legends from Senior High School (SHS) taking the first-runner up spot, followed by the Reapers from the College of Agriculture (COA) as the second runner-up.