05/05/2026
: SCHEMA Feature
๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐
๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐: ๐
๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐
Organized by the Saint Louis University Center for Culture and the Arts (SLU-CCA), the 2026 Arts Festival began its four-day run from April 27 to 30 last Monday, opening a space where artistic expression flourished on stage, and stories were told not just through words but through various forms of performance and creativity.
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ: ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น
This yearโs Dance Festival theme โTimeless Stories, Fearless Narrativeโ highlights the richness and diversity of Filipino culture, exhibited through carefully crafted choreography. Each performance burst with passion and creativity to portray identity, tradition and emotion through the rhythm and precision of each step. Despite hailing from different schools in the university, all the performers shared one common goal and that is to connect and move audiences.
The event kicked off at 1:30 PM with the Ballroom Pair category at the Bishop Carlito Cenzon D.D. Sports Center, setting the tone for more electrifying performances ahead. Later at 3:00 PM at the JVD CCA Theatre, dynamic performances continued to captivate the audience with diverse interpretations of the festivalโs theme.
As the curtains drew to a close, the School of Accountancy, Management, Computing, and Information Studies (SAMCIS) stood out among the competition with strong podium finishes across key categories. The school emerged as the champion in the Street Dance Category, delivering a performance marked by energy, precision, and creativity that clearly resonated with the judges.
Capping off the event, the Technocommercians also secured the third spot in Dance en Quattro, demonstrating versatility and coordination on stage.
For SAMCISโ Dance Troupe President Kalik Merciales, leaving with not one but two victories in the first day marked more than just a win as it signified a long-awaited breakthrough after years of being seen as underdogs.
โSuper relaxed na ako ngayon. Because after three years na laging underdog ang SAMCIS, gusto kong patunayan sa lahat ng nagduda sa amin na mali sila. Ngayon napakita ko rin sa kanila, during my presidency, na may kaya rin kami,โ he shared.
He also expressed gratitude to those who supported the team throughout their journey, particularly their Rated Production Guild (RPG) president, Trixie Mae Limboc, his vice president Juanah Mae De Vera, and his friends who stood by him despite the demands of leadership.
More than a competition, the opening day of the Arts Festival served as a reminder of the power of movement as a universal language, one that transcends disciplines and resonates deeply with its audience. Through dance, performers showed how the human body alone can carry meaning and a story.
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ: ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น
At the JVD CCA Theater during the Drama Festival 2026, applause filled the venue as the SAMCIS One-Act Play team experienced an unexpected breakthrough.
The SAMCIS team received the following awards:
- ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ
- ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ
- ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ (๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ)
During an interview, the group revealed that they only expected minor awards, so winning second place came as a shock. โSaโkin is more on sa pagkapanalo this year, hindi namin in-expect at all,โ shared Deane Raimund Ladia, the Director/Scriptwriter of SAMCIS One Act Play entitled, โDura Lex Sed Lex.โ
He also shared that their performance aimed to make the audience reflect on the struggle between personal principles and the strict application of the law, drawing from the idea of โdura lex sed lexโโthe law may be harsh, but it is still the law.
SAMCISโ performance was praised for its seamless flow and engaging storytelling, keeping the audience captivated throughout. Judges also commended the productionโs technical excellence, as well as the discipline and teamwork shown by the stageheads and crew.
For Princess Lella L. Dacanay, the Head of Production and Stage Manager, their recognition was meaningful after a previous year with no awards. She described the result as โworth all their effort.โ
The team also saw this achievement as a fresh start for theater in the school. According to Ladia, SAMCIS theater was still developing, and this production became a foundation for future performers. New members with little experience trained hard and gradually became a unified group.
For this team, the curtain did not fall on a single performance. Instead, it rose on the future of theater arts within SAMCIS filled with infinite possibility.
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ: ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น
A vibrant showcase of musicality, discipline, and performance excellence was witnessed by the Louisian community as participants took the stage across solo and choral categories in Music Fest 2026.
From powerful vocal solos to dynamic ensemble performances, students delivered remarkable artistry and stage presence throughout the competition. The event brought together talents from the Basic Education School (BEdS) and undergraduate and graduate programs, highlighting a wide range of categories from instrumental performances and vocal solos to pop acapella, all-male choir, and mixed choir.
Magni Soni of SAMCIS proudly emerged as a standout force, securing top honors in the vocal arena. Kim Kristin Julia E. Zara claimed the championship title in the Vocal Solo Female Category, while Ricky Marc Ramos earned 1st Runner-Up in the Vocal Solo Male Category.
Music Fest 2026 continues to highlight the diverse talents within the Louisian community, reinforcing the universityโs commitment to the arts as a platform for expression, growth, and excellence.
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ: ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ช๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
There is a special kind of pressure that comes not before a competition, but after one. It is the pressure of having already won, then being asked to prove that the win meant something.
That was the weight the champions from the SAMCIS team carried into the Festival of Champions, the closing event of the 2026 SLU Arts Festival. Having claimed first place in the Street Dance and Vocal Solo (Female Category) in the prior days, they returned to the stage not as underdogs, but as winners who still had something to proveโ to the crowd, to the other schools, and most of all, to themselves.
On the floor during the last day, the Technocommercians performed one more time, not for a title, but for something harder to name. For the satisfaction of doing it again and doing it right. For the teammates beside them. For everyone who had ever doubted them and everyone who never did.
The crowd in the venue made sure they felt the pressure. The energy was loudโthe kind that fills a room and doesn't let you forget where you are or what you're doing. When the SAMCIS dancers took the floor, they met this energy head-on.
"Winning the actual event felt unreal since SAMCIS hasn't won in so long. Yesterday was more pressuring in a sense. This was our time to prove not only to them but to ourselves that we deserved to win,โ said Jorge Terre, dancer from the SAMCIS troupe.
Truly, the hard-earned pride shared among a group who carried each other through rehearsals, pressure, and years of being overlooked was perhaps the truest trophy of Arts Fest 2026.
One that no announcement could give, and no one else could take away.
The festival has ended. But what SAMCIS proved on that stage will take a little longer to fade.
Article by Sheryn Cagulada, Sofia Chrismaine Rose Buton, Shasta Ged-ang, and Anjelo Esperazante
Photos by Van Revson Domingo and Kurt Andre Liban
