The “Contempalaban: Lockdown Edition” has awarded young contemporary dancer Daphne Tamondong as the grand champion.
The month-long online competition challenged performers to showcase their creativity, resourcefulness, and skills through a series of improvised challenges.
For her winning act, Tamondong, a resident artist with Hiraya Contemporary Dance Company and a member of Kinection, had to portray a “person who swallowed an atomic bomb.” She explored and maximized her interpretation as she moved to the beats of Lemon World by Australian alternative psychedelic rock band Ocean Valley.
The month-long online competition also aims to provide a platform for artists of all ages and all genres and wishes to bring and promote the art form in the digital landscape. It also underwent a series of qualifying rounds that required the dancers to improvise using the music and props designated by officials.
The challenge was hosted by the award-winning Saint Benilde Romaní§on Dance Company (SBRDC)-Contemporary, the resident dance team of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Contempalaban: Lockdown Edition was judged by a roster of experts, including Erl Sorilla, Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance Workshop resident dancer, teacher and choreographer and long-time Ballet Philippines dancer; Zyda Baaya, former Ballet Philippines company scholar, dance mentor, Daloy Dance Company senior member and SBRDC alumna; and Jom Vidal, dance instructor and former SBRDC company manager.
Watch the final performances on the official Facebook page of SBRDC at https://www.facebook.com/romancondanceco.benilde.
