Dinagyang 2027 tribes get creative freedom, smaller props

ILOILO CITY — Choreographers in the 2027 Dinagyang Tribes Competition will have greater creative freedom as the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) removes prescribed performance themes and reduces the size of mobile risers and large panels.

Robert Alor, Dinagyang tribes coordinator, said competing tribes will only be required to anchor their performances on the festival’s overall theme, “Kasanag ni Señor Santo Niño, padulong sa bwas damlag sang mga Ilonggo.”

Alor said the move is intended to let choreographers develop their own concepts and distinguish their performances from those of other tribes.

“It is very open. As long as it is connected to the theme of the Señor Santo Niño […] Now, we are giving the choreographers a free hand to think of their performance for the festival,” Alor said.

He said the change would encourage choreographers to explore new concepts instead of simply following a prescribed theme.

“We are looking forward to 2027 being something that choreographers can also think about. They are not being given something specific that they should do,” he said.

Dinagyang is held every January in Iloilo City in honor of the Santo Niño. The tribes competition is one of the festival’s main events.

In previous editions, the competition featured specific themes on top of the tribes’ devotion to the Santo Niño and its continuing role in Ilonggo life.

In 2026, for instance, the performances drew inspiration from endangered and endemic Western Visayan animals as symbols of conservation, while retaining Dinagyang’s traditional elements of rhythm, dance, costume, faith, and community pride.

Alor said tribe managers and choreographers had agreed not to limit performances to a particular concept beyond the festival’s overarching theme.

“We should not limit what we want the choreographers to do, but allow them to explore and think,” he said.

Smaller production elements

The IFFI will also reduce the size of mobile risers and large-scale panels used during performances to shift greater attention to dance choreography and lower production costs.

However, the foundation did not give specifics on the guidelines.

Alor said the guidelines on the size and number of these materials had already been discussed and agreed upon by tribe managers and choreographers.

“There are props and risers, but they are now limited. They will no longer be as large, so at least the tribe managers and artistic teams will understand that this is what we will work with, and our focus now is really on the choreography and the dances,” he said.

For instance, Alor said, a tribe that previously used eight or 10 panels may now be limited to six.

Mobile risers will likewise be shorter, although tribes may still use them as part of their performances.

Alor said oversized props and panels could also obstruct the view of spectators at the sides of the performance areas.

He said the reduction was primarily intended to ease the financial burden on the participating tribes.

“It was agreed upon with the tribe managers and choreographers so that at least they will not have to spend too much. That is the number one purpose, so that next time, they can still use them,” he said.

He said some artistic teams were still using risers and panels based on dimensions from previous competitions, which could result in unnecessary expenses if they were required to build numerous large structures every year.

Some tribe managers had also raised concerns about spending on additional materials that were used only once and eventually discarded.

He said some tribes continued to pay off debts even after the festival ended.

“We limit because the goal here is to help one another. We saw the sentiments of the principals that they are spending so much money after every Dinagyang, to the point that they incur debts,” Alor said.