F = ma: Prop Carrying and the Physics of the Festival Crew

Why Male Teachers Push the Risers and Female Teachers Carry the Props

After every Cry of Jelicuon performance, the venue must be cleared quickly for the next school's presentation. Male teachers are assigned to push the heavy risers (bamboo hut structures on wheels), while female teachers hand-carry smaller props. This division of labor is, unknowingly, a practical application of Newton's Second Law: F = ma.

Newton's Second Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force applied and inversely proportional to the object's mass. A 40 kg riser and a 1 kg prop respond very differently to the same push force — the lighter prop accelerates far more quickly.

This also explains why performers need to apply more force to carry heavier props during their dance. A performer wielding a heavy bolo replica needs stronger arm muscles than one carrying a lightweight banner — the same desired acceleration requires proportionally more force for greater mass.

Fight Scene Contrast: Heavier Props, Greater Force Required

During the war reenactment, male performers execute strong, aggressive movements while carrying heavier props like wooden rifles and bolo swords. The additional mass from these props compels each performer to exert greater muscular force just to achieve the same acceleration as a performer without props. Female performers, by contrast, typically carry lighter props — baskets, lamps, and agricultural replicas — which require far less force for the same sweeping gestures. This contrast within a single performance illustrates Newton's Second Law in a vivid way: the choreography is physically identical in timing, but the force demands on each performer are determined entirely by the mass they carry.