Filipino Night showcases ‘lesser-known Asian culture’
Ted Somerville |
IDS
IU students and members of the Filipino Student Association Elise Magno and Vincent Vergara perform the Singkil dance Saturday night in the Wilkie Auditorium as part of Filipino Night 2008.
By
Elvia Malagon |
IDS
POSTED AT
12:00 AM ON Mar. 3, 2008
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The Filipino Student Association livened up the Willkie Auditorium Friday night with traditional Filipino dances and martial-arts performances.
The second-annual Filipino Night began with the US and Phillipine National Anthems.
The two hosts, IU students Jeff Capati and Jon Ramos, introduced each act and gave a little bit of history behind the performances.
The first act included four male IU students who danced and made rhythms with coconut bras.
The second performance was a choreographed hip-hop dance by 10 students. The hosts said although the performance may have appeared non-traditional in Filipino culture, hip-hop is very popular in the Phillipines.
IU student Courtney Amelia sang two traditional Filipino songs, one about a mother and child, the other about being in love.
The crowd then watched a rare traditional rhythm and bamboo performance.
Five IU students then performed a traditional dance called Binasua, which consists of each woman dancing while balancing small glasses filled halfway with rice wine on her head and each hand.
“We’ve been practicing since the beginning of February,” freshman Trisha Kathlyn Castor said before the event. “We practice almost everyday in the evening (from) seven to ten o’clock.”
The next act included three staged martial-arts fights by the IU Filipino Martial Arts Club. The fights involved techniques with the fighters’ hands and the use of small sticks.
“(The martial-arts performance is) something new that we are adding to IU exposure,” said Filipino Student Association Vice President Paul Ramos. “Not a lot of people think of martial arts when they think of the Philippines.”
The night ended with the performance of “Singkil,” a dance Capati said is based around the legend of “Darangan,” in which a princess is saved by a prince during an earthquake.
Jerry Wilkins, a volunteer at the Leo R. Dowling International Center, said he attended the event because of his growing interest in Asian cultures.
“(I came) to learn a little more about their culture,” Wilkins said. “I’ve never met (any Filipinos) in the International Center and hopefully I (will get) to meet some.”
IU employee Justin Glass agreed with Wilkins about the importance of getting to know more cultures.
“I think its good to learn the roots of people around you,” Glass said.
After the performances, traditional Filipino food, which included rice and chicken, was served, Magno said.
Capati said he thought the night included a lot of variety and hoped the audience was able to enjoy at least one thing.
“Hopefully this will get some recognition for the Philippines, one of the lesser-known Asian cultures,” Capati said.