Folk Dance Regional Champion 2019

On Saturday, September 28, 2019, the Eastbridge Dance Troupe won the Folk Dance category of the NAPSPHIL (National Alliance of Private Schools in the Philippines) competition, held at the NDN Hotel in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The troupe represented the Province of Rizal against the champions of Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon.

A note on the name: in 2019 this NAPSPHIL level was announced as the regional competition. The organizers later began calling it the national competition, as the association's name says, and in one later year actively invited schools from outside CALABARZON. That is why our folk dance record lists this title as our NAPSPHIL championship.

Parents traveled with the delegation and checked in the day before, so the children could rest before competing. Three of the dancers were children of Eastbridge teachers, and one parent had cheered from the stands through two of their children: a son who has since graduated, and a daughter then in Grade 5.

More than a trophy

Folk dance asks a lot of children: hours of practice, careful attention to the dance's history, and the discipline to move as one. In 2019 our dancers gave all of that, prayed together, and left the result in God's hands. Win or lose, that is the kind of character we hope every Eastbridger carries.

Our heartfelt thanks to our dance coaches, Coach Paul Sagrado and Teacher Glenda Espero, who have trained the troupe since it began (Teacher Glenda also led and documented the trip), and to every parent who traveled with the team. To God be the glory!