Last week, the Aliwan (enjoyment) Fiesta was held successfully in Manila, Philippines.
Aliwan Fiesta is actually a competition of all the fiestas in the country. So it means it is the grandest festival in the Metro, but of course festivals held in their own provinces and districts are still the best.
What caught my attention is the delegation from Cebu bringing their ever famous Sinulog Festival. They are very good in dancing, and wearing their ever colorful costumes is simply spectacular.
Another delegation that competes pretty well in the finals against the Sinulog of Cebu is Iloilo's Dinagyang Festival. The crowd was delighted when they went out and showed the people their groves and moves and their dancing shoes. Yes, the one and only dancing shoes in the festival.
Dinagyang is the only delegation in the competition who wear shoes. All of the other delegations do not wear anything for their feet even if the floor is pretty hot from the heat of the sun. As you should know, each delegation is bringing their best tribal dances and cultural shows that's why most of them are barefooted. In the previous years, Dinagyang do not also wear shoes but this year is different. They want to defy the traditional costume but they said the performance and the spirit of the their traditional dance is still there.
Dinagyang finished last in the costumes category.
Anyway, I think their dancing shoes helped them a lot in dancing because their traditional dance requires a lot of jumping and a lot of lousy foot works, so it is acceptable that they put on their shoes to prevent any injuries for their performers. And to think that dancing shoes are really meant to be use for dancing is something you really cannot deny.
