Filipino Night showcases ‘lesser-known Asian culture’

The Filipino Student Association livened up the Willkie Auditorium Friday night with traditional Filipino dances and martial-arts performances. \nThe second-annual Filipino Night began with the US and Phillipine National Anthems. \nThe two hosts, IU students Jeff Capati and Jon Ramos, introduced each act and gave a little bit of history behind the performances.\nThe first act included four male IU students who danced and made rhythms with coconut bras. \nThe 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.\nIU student Courtney Amelia sang two traditional Filipino songs, one about a mother and child, the other about being in love.\nThe crowd then watched a rare traditional rhythm and bamboo performance. \nFive 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. \n“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.”\nThe 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.\n“(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.”\nThe 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. \nJerry Wilkins, a volunteer at the Leo R. Dowling International Center, said he attended the event because of his growing interest in Asian cultures. \n“(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.”\nIU employee Justin Glass agreed with Wilkins about the importance of getting to know more cultures.\n“I think its good to learn the roots of people around you,” Glass said.\nAfter the performances, traditional Filipino food, which included rice and chicken, was served, Magno said. \nCapati said he thought the night included a lot of variety and hoped the audience was able to enjoy at least one thing.\n“Hopefully this will get some recognition for the Philippines, one of the lesser-known Asian cultures,” Capati said.