If it rains, dancers are ready for a little water

Carreta Elementary School impresses spectators in downtown Cebu City in the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan parade on Sunday. (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)

So what if it rains on the  Sinulog parade this Sunday?

Parade participants have shifted to using “weather-proof” materials for their costumes and props.

They were earlier advised to do away with paper in favor of sturdier material like canvass and leather, said Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc.

Multi-layered skirts with wire frames get heavy when soaked in rainwater.

“We made sure that the costumes and props are weather-proof.  We discouraged the use of underwires during the dance workshops that we conducted because of the risk of  an accident,” Ballesteros  told Cebu Daily News.

WET FORECAST

The weather forecast this weekend is light to moderate rain with 20 kph to 30 kph winds.

Ballesteros said organizers have sent trays of fresh eggs to the Carmelite Monastery in barangay Mabolo since Monday to pray for good weather.

“(But) rain or shine the Sinulog will go on,” he said.

The parade will only be suspended if Cebu is placed under a storm signal, he said.

“We have never canceled the Sinulog.  We already tried doing it in heavy rain and even flooding in the last two years but we still went on,” said Ballesteros.

Workers are on hand to mop the stage when it rains to avoid accidents that have  dancers slipping on the wet surface.

VISITORS ARRIVE

Out of town contingents Sunday’s grand parade started arriving on Sunday.

Two contingents from Masbate province and one from Catbalogan City are staying at the City Central School.

Contingents from Tangub City and the municipalities of Alang Alanga and Abuyog are arriving on Wednesday. Groups from Panglao in Bohol province and Cotabato City will arrive on Thursday and Friday .

In the extreme scenario of a change in venue,  a vacant area in the South Road Properties (SRP) and the Cebu Coliseum are alternative sites, said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Sinulog overall chairman, in an earlier interview.

But Ballesteros said the Cebu Coliseum is too small to accommodate the props and backdrops of perofrmers while the SRP is an open space that could get flooded.

“The sports center is still the safest place to do the Siulog.  If there’s a storm signal, then we have to call off the parade.  Our priority is always the safety of the participants,” he said.