NOW on its 21st year, the Bayanihan Dance Company’s “Teaching and Touching Lives” program has gone full swing as it extended dance workshops for 14 days around Vientienne in Laos, Yangon and Naypwidaw in Myanmar, as well as in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Hosted by the Philippine embassies in these three countries, led by Ambassadors Belinda M. Ante, Eduardo E. Kapunan Jr. and Christopher B. Montero and in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the 15-member team of the Bayanihan, the national folk dance troupe of the Philippines, conducted workshops at the Laos National Arts, in one of Yangon’s performing arts schools and its Royal University for Fine Arts (Rufa), as well as the beautiful Philippine Embassy Hall in Phnom Penh.
The warm reception in each institution included an exchange of culture and traditions, as well as a positive outlook for future collaborations. The commonalities and unseen potentials discovered left both faculty and officials of the schools yearning for future exchanges and collaborations.
The vice rector at Rufa in Phnom Penh revealed how touched and happy she felt with the presence of the Bayanihan and the knowledge its members shared. With the slogan, “Learning while having fun,” it’s really the best way to inspire and touch young lives: sharing culture and deeply enriching each other’s relationships while appreciating each one’s distinct cultural differences.
As this was also a celebration of the Philippines’s 120th anniversary of independence, the Bayanihan performed during the diplomatic and government receptions. The Philippine embassies’ officers and staff did not miss a beat as they guided the dance company in a counter-cultural immersion, which the performing artists thoroughly enjoyed.
In Myanmar the Bayanihan performed with Young JV and the lush dancers, which gave a chance for rap and folk music to blend well on-stage.
The warmth of home, the theater experiences, the instant rapport with the local students and faculty, the new discoveries in its pursuit of creative excellence, as well as the efficiency and organization of the Philippine embassies’ team members more than made this Asean swing truly unforgettable.
The Bayanihan wishes to express special thanks to Consul General Myca Fischer, Vice Consuls JC Morales, Iris Carranzo, Stephanie Cruz, Jan Gomez, Cultural Officer Anna Lee Lamigo, as well as the entire team of embassy personnel and translators.
Indeed, Bayanihan’s 62 years of artistic life continues to be sustained and fulfilled through “teaching and touching lives through dance.”