TACLOBAN CITY – The Samar Provincial Tourism Office has announced the 10 finalists for the upcoming Kuratsa Dance Competition on September 12 at the Samar Convention Center.
The finalists are Kultura D’ Balaug, Phoenix Hoopers, and Piktaw Manarayaw of Catbalogan City; NWSSU Kinetic Dance Company and CACO Iskolar of Calbayog City;Tribu Kat-bari of San Sebastian;Binhi-Dou of Gandara; Basey NHS SPA Sparks of Basey; Bonggas Casandiganon of Paranas; and SMNHS Synergy of Sta. Margarita.
The groups were chosen from online submissions after the provincial tourism office launched the contest to raise public awareness and appreciation for the traditional Kuratsa dance.
The initiative follows a viral video of Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan performing the Kuratsa during the Hermano Mayor’s Night of the Catbalogan City Fiesta, where she was showered with money in line with the traditional “gala.”
Winners of the competition will receive cash prizes: P30,000 for the champion, P20,000 for the first runner-up, and P10,000 for the second runner-up. Non-winning groups will each receive P5,000 as consolation.
The Kuratsa, a beloved folk dance of Eastern Visayas, is often performed at weddings, fiestas, and other special occasions. Mimicking the courtship movements of a rooster and a hen, the dance also serves as a means of community fundraising through the offering of money to the dancers.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
