Cebuano dance researcher Prof. Caesar Nimor released his study entitled, “Sinug: Cebu’s Dance of Faith”, published in the revived RAFI Monograph on Culture & Heritage on January 16, 2023 at the Kabilin Center.

Prof. Nimor started his research on the Sinug dance since 1986, said in an interview, “Since the 70s, being a member of the Southwestern University Dance Troupe, I started the documentation of folk dances in the hinterlands and in 1986, due to limited number of the documented Folk Dances of Cebu, I concentrated on Cebuano folk dances which includes the sinulog.”

The article explains the origin of the name sinug (truncated from sinulog), the variants (votive and combat versions), their origins, and some of the symbolisms of the props used in the dance.

Nimor, now an associate professor at Matias H. Aznar Memorial College Inc., admitted to the popularity of the Sinulog dance: “There are several articles written about (the) sinulog, but the Monograph (provides) more complete (information) since it also links the dance to other supplication dances of the neighboring islands and Mindanao.”

“The Monograph is a must-have for enthusiasts of Cebuano traditional culture and for new generations to know what sinulog really is,” said Nimor.

The RAFI Monograph on Culture & Heritage is an annual journal published by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Its first issue was published in 2013; the Monograph with the Sinug article marks its return to print.

Copies of the RAFI Monograph on Culture and Heritage are available at the Casa Gorordo Museum Shop. It is also available in the Casa Gorordo Museum booth in SM City Cebu until January 31, 2023.