From “Siug” to “Sinulog”
“Moro-moro” is identified as the earliest known form of organized theater in the Philippines – one which was created by Spanish priests.
In 1637, a play that dramatized a Christianized Filipino army’s capture of an Islamic stronghold is said to have been so popular that it inspired more plays on the topic. The play’s popularity, in effect, is said to have drawn the association between battledance performances and the moro-moro concept.
The “sinug” version that’s widely associated with moro-moro is one that’s noted to have been mastered by Estelita “Titang” Diola of the Turang Dance Troupe.
Titang Diola learned the steps from her father – Buenaventura “Turang” Diola. It is said that the father of Turang made a vow to the Santo Niño to train children to dance the “sinug” before the image every feast day as a form of devotion.
That devotion was passed on to Turang, then to Titang after Turang passed on in 1963. It is believed that the version of the dance that they mastered dates to the 1860s.
Titang Diola passed on in January 20, 2013, but through the efforts of her relatives, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and Casa Gorordo Museum, the traditional steps of this version of the “sinug” continues to be performed by the Mabolo Sinug Dance Troupe.
In 1980, David Odilao Jr, who was then the Regional Director of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, organized the first Sinulog parade.
The parade started from the Plaza Independencia, and was participated by seven schools and universities whose physical education teachers spearheaded renditions of a sinulog dance based on inputs from Titang Diola and analysis of the dance steps performed by the “tig sinulog” candle sellers at the Basilica del Santo Niño, which is another version of the dance.
The “tig sinulog” version is widely described as the “most pristine” version of the dance, with no choreography, counting or musical accompaniment.
It is widely associated with the “Sinu’og sa Banawa” version, which was performed by candle sellers in Barangay San Nicolas. During the precolonial times, the area (San Nicolas) was part of the Banawa area, hence its name.
The steps that’re performed during that Sinulog Grand Parade largely evolved from these versions of the dance, which became the templates for the heart of what’s now widely-regarded as the grandest festival of its class in the Philippines – the Sinulog.