Pound the Kulintang! Kadayawan Festival’s Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan

Nikki Minaj said, “Pound the alarm!” Dabawenyos say, “Pound the gong and kulintang!” Kadayawan Saturdays mean one thing—revelry at the streets of downtown Davao City. Different contingents from all over Eastern, Southern, and Central Mindanao bask in the sun and strut their dance moves to the beat of the drums, kulintang, and agung as Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan begins mid-morning. The heart of Davao City throbs vibrantly in colors and the beat of street party.

It was the first time I witnessed Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan, or simply translated as “Street Dancing.” Instead of just listening to the throbbing drums just like in Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang, or the high-pitched bugle of Sinulog, or the Latin beats of MassKara, Kadayawan’s Indak-Indak possesses Mindanao musicality—the kulintang, the agung, the kudyapi, laced with drums and sometimes trumpets, give it a distinct Mindanao flavor.

The street dancing contingents focus on the ten Lumad and Muslim tribes that made up Davao City’s cultural tapestry, with emphasis on spirituality, folklore, bounty of the land, and everyday living. Their colorful costumes that echo the vibrant Mindanaoan culture has made this festival a unique showcase to the world. It shows that in Mindanao, living in unity amidst diversity is possible.

In Kadayawan Indak-Indak, it is divided into two categories—one is open category, another term for “out-of-town” contingents; and the other is Davao City-based category.

This year, the route started at Ateneo de Davao-Marco Polo-Aldevinco area. Then they proceed to Claveria for the second judging area at Apo View Hotel in Legazpi Street, then finally, the showdown at San Pedro Street in front of Rizal Park. The first two judging stations gave two minutes, while the main performance was at San Pedro Street.

Aside from artistas and concerts, the Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan is one of the largest crowd-drawers in Kadayawan Festival. Tourists, both local and foreign, flock the durian-scented downtown streets of Davao and witness this revelry.

For the open category, looks like fortunes have turned ove. The body-benders of Bambad National High School from Isulan in Sultan Kudarat Province bagged the championship, while the second place went to Notre Dame of Santo Nino of South Cotabato-both of them depicting the Maguindanaoan Muslim tradition in Cotabato region.

For the Davao category, the Catalunan Grande’s Jesus Soriano National High School won the championship. The second place went to Santa Ana High. Both were fast, colourful and vibrant.

The Indak-Indak didn’t disappoint me, even if I got sunburned. It was really fun! The kind of stress that you would want. It was really nice seeing the vibrant costumes, the fun, and the revelry that reflected the unique diversity of Davao City and the rest of Mindanao. In Mindanao, it is indeed possible that different peoples can jive in one vibe—for peace, progress, and respect.