From my Company to Yours

Filipino folk dancing is more prominent here in the US more than you might think. Before joining my dance company, I never knew that there were these dance companies located here in San Francisco. Like many of the youth here in the States, I was not even aware of these amazing opportunities to join such a dance company.

While these dance companies may perform the same dances, no two are the same. The directors have different techniques and dancing styles. One company may dance a "Maria Clara" dance for example, and another might dance the same thing, however, the precision will be totally different from each other.

Some popular dance companies located in the Bay Area would include, my dance company, American Center of Philippine Arts, Parangal Dance Company, Barangay Dance Company, LIKHA Pilipino Folk Ensemble, and Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company. Each and every single company brings something new and different each time they are on stage.

AMERICAN CENTER OF PHILIPPINE ARTS

Located in 3 different branches, Oakland, Brentwood and Alameda, American Center ofPhilippine Arts, (ACPA) provides a unique educational and developmental platform for multidisciplinary Philippine arts through innovative, hands-on classes, collaborations, networking opportunities, and showcasing events. We strive to nurture both traditional and progressive Philippine arts to strengthen our community and ethnic identity. 

PARANGAL

Parangal DanceCompany is a Filipino Folk Dance Group base in the San Francisco Bay Area that "Aspires to Inspire". Parangal Dance Company’s mission is to give tribute to Philippine heritage by preserving and promoting ethnic attire, music, and dance through research, workshops, and performances. They aim to serve as a bridge,inspiring and connecting Filipino Americans to their roots to give them a sense of pride and identity, while educating diverse communities to foster awareness and appreciation of Philippine culture. I was first exposed to the Parangal dance company the first year of highschool. We had a Fil-Am dinner at school, and 2 members from the dance company came to perform a couple dances for us. I think i remember them doing Binasuan and a Maria Clara dance. While they were dancing, I remember looking at the woman dancing and seeing how much grace she had, and that man dancing had so much strength and demeanor. All though they performed in a small space on the floor right in front of us, they used the space quite well because their movements fill the whole entire room. And then probably a year later, my dance company had the chance to perform with them as our opening in our big show in Antioch. Seeing the little kids dance with these adults side by side was truely breath taking, because you could see the difference in our styles of dancing. 

BARANGAY

BarangayDance Company is a San Francisco-based Filipino Folk dance organization whose mission is to preserve the rich Filipino cultural heritage through the arts of Philippine folk dancing and music. Through presenting, outreach and research of Philippine folk dance and music, Barangay endeavors to promote awareness, understanding and appreciation of the Filipino culture within the communities it serves. This dance company is composed of young adults whos passion for Philippine dance is very evident in the way they perform. They are actually trying to recruit me to dance with them haha. They said that after I finish off working with my current dance company, they would love for me to join them. I actually performed with them before for a Gala dinner for Philippine Independence day 2 years ago at the City Hall here in Downtown SF. We performed Singkil, and it was pretty cool dancing with them. I was a bit nervous because, first of all, Singkil is a very big performance, and I was worried that I wasnt as good as these older dancers. But as I got comfortable with them, the director said I dance just as well as the others. I still keep in contact with alot of the dancers, and alot of them came around to help with last years PCN here at State. It was nice to be able to see those familiar faces again. 

HIYAS

Created in March of 2003, the Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company was formed by dance enthusiasts that enjoy the beauty of Filipino folk dance. Following the statement of Philippine national artist and folk dance research pioneer Francisca Reyes-Aquino, Let folk dances be as they are – of the folk. they believe that we can not sacrifice heritage for progress, Hiyas strives to present Filipino folk dance in its most traditional form in an era where authentic steps and movements are modernized or forgotten. The word hiyas (pronounced hee-yahs) means jewel or gem referring to how its members truly treasure Philippine folk arts and culture. Hiyas is proudly a part of the Filipino Youth Coalition, a non-profit organization geared toward cultural awareness among Filipino youth in the South Bay. I actually never got to perform with this dance company, however, my pledge sister is a member of this dance group, and Ive seen her perform with such grace and profession.  Its really cool being able to see their different dancing techniques. 

As you can see, all though they are different, these companies basically have the same mission, which is to preserve these cultural dances and share them with today's society.

If you could, which dance company would you join? Or if not, what type of company would you consider joining, whether it be cultural, ballet, or hip hop?