We cannot deny that Panagbenga is a much awaited festival. Yearly, people from all around the country and the world visit the city of Baguio for this festival. Part of the festival’s appeal is the costumes worn by the performers and participants.
From the street dance performers to the people on the floats, Panagbenga performers have one obvious thing in common. It is the use of colors to creatively showcase the festive aura of the whole city. The participants also often combine their creativity with the native attires to help showcase the Cordilleran pride.
Other than that, the performers also base their designs on flowers. They often use sunflowers to decorate their costumes and props. The use of flowers makes the costume relevant to the festival itself. Panagbenga is a flower festival after all.
Two of the main elements of the Panagbenga festival are its music and dance. These two elements usually bring life and additional entertainment to the Festival aside from the colorful flowers used. The music, composed by Saint Louis University’s former Dean and band master, Professor Macario Fronda, is used annually by the participants. It is used in different variations corresponding to their dances showcased in the parade. The music is usually played by the band or the drum and lyre group of the participating organizations.
The dances showcased in the Panagbenga festival are very diverse. It is mostly comprised of Cordillera inspired dances from neighboring towns in Northern Luzon. The Bendian dance, an Ibaloi dance of celebration, is the dance usually presented during the parade among many others. This dance’s circular movements speak of unity and harmony among the members of the tribe, and during the parade, it unites the dancers, band members and the crowd together.
In the end, Panagbenga would be lifeless and boring without the dances and music adding color to the festival alongside the flowers and colourful costumes of the dancers.
