September theme - dp+ photo challenge 10

photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan

"There are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words."

- Doris Humphrey

In the Philippines, it seems like the rainy month of September is a dance month. In Calbayog City, Western Samar, they celebrate the Sarakiki-Hadang Festival from September 1-8. "Sarakiki" in Western Samar dialect means frenzied movements which aims to attract, allure, draw attention or entice while "hadang" means an offering or a sacrifice.

There's also the Sinab'badan Tribal Festival, Sta. Cruz Davao del Sur - a tribal showcasing of indigenous art in a form of music and dances among others celebrated on September 5 to 6.

There are a lot of street dancing festivities, too, to name some are:

- the Banok-Banok Maradjao Karadjao Festival, Bais City, Surigao del Norte - It is another street dancing pageantry celebrated on September 9. It features ethnic Mamanwa dance in a day-long Mardi Gras celebration;

- the Sipong Festival, Bais City, Negros Oriental - It is a lively celebration on September 7 featuring a colorful parade of choreographed street dancing;

- the Sayaw Lahi Festival, Naujan, Mindoro Oriental - It is an entertainment festival that features all Philippine native dances. In Tagalog, "sayaw" means dance and "lahi" means race;

-  the Hinirugyaw Festival of Cabanatuan, Iloilo - It is a 10-day celebration each year every September 1-10 of the Feast of San Nicolas de Tolentino; 

- the Megayon Festival, Zamboanga del Sur - It is a Thanksgiving festival that showcase not only dances but also native songs and food of the Subanens of Zamboanga; and

- the Talakudong Festival, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat - A different twist to street dancing, it is dancing to make people laugh celebrated on September 18. It is a display of neo-ethnic cultural spectacle meant to exhibit the "talakudong" and being danced to the sound of exotic percussion instruments;

So for dp+ photo challenge 10 for the month of September theme, it is "Ethnic Dance" - the most well executed capture of ethnic dance movements technically and aesthetically paying attention to color, detail, composition and how the actual dance movement is frozen in time.

As customary in all dp+ photo challenges, it should not have any major photo manipulation. To know up to what extent acceptable photo manipulation covers, here is the link to our rules and regulations: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/dp-photo-challenge-general-rules-and.html

Criteria are as follows: 
Quality or Technicality - 30%;
Creativity and Originality - 30%;
Theme Adaptation - 20%
Overall Impact - 20%
For details on the criteria definition, please follow this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/02/dp-photo-challenge-dp-pick.html

deadlines:

posting of entries:
from September 1 - September 15, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

voting or liking of entries:
from September 1 - September 16, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

dp+ pick start of judging date:
September 17, 2012

Good luck to all!