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Pintaflores was born out of the people's search for a
cultural identity and tradition. This festival combines
two events, the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival and the
Dances of Flowers.
In 1992, after successfully holding two activities, the
Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival and the Dances of Flowers as
highlights of the city fiesta, the idea of blending the
two concepts to come up with a presentation that could
be considered the the City's very own started what today
is one of the most popular street dancing festivals in
the region - the Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos
City.
Pintaflores is coined from the words Pintados, the
concept behind the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival, and the
"flores", the Spanish word for flowers that dominated
the theme of the Dances of Flowers. The Pintaflores
street dancing and ritual competition highlights the
annual Pintaflores festival every November 3-5.
Pintaflores of San Carlos City highlights the feast of
Saint Charles Borromeo, its patron saint. It features
street dancing by "tribes" dressed in colorful
ethnic-inspired costumes, their bodies painted with
flower designs reminiscent of the tattooed Visayans of
pre-Spanish Negros. People who have witnessed this
spectacular revelry will surely attest that the colorful
ethnic-inspired costumes and synchronized steppings keep
the spectators on their feet as they dance with the
contingents to the snappy beat of the drums and music
along the main streets of the city.
The best is yet to come to Pintaflores as a new breed of
dancers has emerged with the launching of Pintaflores
Bata or Pinta Bata in 1996. A street dancing and ritual
competition among elementary school children. Pinta Bata
thrills one with the children's pleasing gracefulness
and versatility that promises a crop of excellent
dancers in the years to come.
After five years and many awards, including the Hall of
Fame awards in streetdancing in the Panaad Sa Negros,
the word Pintaflores, like "Daan Sa Kaunlaran" and
Homelot program, now has become another byword of the
creativity of San Carloseņos. |
