THE Dagupan Bangus Festival 2008, drums beat stronger and the chants and whoops went wilder last Saturday as the ‘Festivals of the North’, a street dancing competition among festival champions in Dagupan and other towns and cities of Pangasinan and the Ilocos region, rolled out in the city’s main avenues.

Adjudged top winners were the Pandan Festival street dancers of Mapandan for the Dry category and the Pindangan Festival performers of Ago, La Union for the Wet category.

Contest organizers had to scramble to resolve the issue of the winning team after only five were able to perform at the city plaza for their full-length choreographed dance before the rains fell.

The still-to-perform contingents refused to go home to return for their respective performance the next day, Sunday. They went on to perform despite the rain, thus the impromptu category for “Wet” winners was decided upon.

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, Bangus Festival chairman, decided to double the original prize money of P150,000 to accommodate the “Wet” winner.

The street-dancing began at 3 p.m. along the principal streets of the city, ending at the city plaza for focal presentation by all festival street dancing champions.

Fourteen groups of the best street dancers in the Ilocos thrilled spectators who lined up on both sides of the road and watched from windows of buildings as early as 12 noon to watch the street dancers go dancing by.

Among the street dancing champions that participated in Saturday’s big event for the ‘Festivals of the North’ are Laoag City’s Pamulinawen Festival, San Fernando City’s Pindagan Festival in La Union, Bauang’s, ‘We Love Bauang Festival’ in La Union, and Agoo’s Dinengdeng Festival, also in La Union.

The champion local dance performers are the Corn Festival champion in Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan; Galikayo Festival in Manaoag, Kalansay, Payak Manok Festival in Umingan, Pandan Festival in Mapandan, Bangus Festival in Dagupan, Talong Festival in Villasis, Mango, Bamboo Festival in San Carlos City, Goat Festival in Balungao, Binasuan Festival in Bayambang, Mangga Festival in Infanta, Goat Festival at Rajal National High School in Balungao and Sugpo and Malaga Festival in Binmaley.

Fernandez said members of the board of judges came from Manila, including representatives of the sponsors, to erase any possible suspicion of favoritism, in the selection of winners..

Fernandez said the street-dancing invitational could become a permanent fixture of future bangus festivals in Dagupan City”.