The Philippines celebrates today “Araw ng Sayaw” (Day of Dance) in consonance with the celebration of UNESCO’s International Dance Day 2008. During this day, dance is celebrated as an art form that seeks to bring together people of all cultures in peace and friendship. It also commemorates the anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), the creator of modern ballet. In line with this, UNESCO International Theatre Institute (ITI), the International Dance Council and the World Dance Alliance circulate a message from a well-known dance personality throughout the world.
The National Center for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has organized the National Dance Congress and Araw Ng Sayaw with the theme “Festivals: Celebrating the Filipino Bayanihan”. The congress will be participated in by dance educators, choreographers of the local government units, tourism officers and festivals organizers. Its three objectives are to define the significance of festivals and street dancing in community development; to define the contribution of street dance to the development of dance in the Philippines; and, to craft guidelines to redirect festivals towards a culture-based celebration. The lead organization since 1998 is the National Committee on Dance headed by Filipino ballet-enthusiast and trainer, Shirley Halili-Cruz, under the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in partnership with Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod, Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and the City of Bacolod. A three-day Dance Congress in Colegio de San Agustin de Bacolod Gym ends today with the Araw Ng Sayaw Concert in Panaad Park in Bacolod City.
If there is one thing that I would like to give importance during this day are our very own traditional folk dances. Many elementary schools used to teach the various folk dances like the Pandanggo sa Ilaw, Itik-Itik, Tinikling, Maglalatik or the Singkil. Since the 1920s, when ballet and modern dancing were first introduced in the Philippines by foreign dance groups, our Philippine folk dances had been under threat. In recent years, in fact, the teaching of folk dances has seemingly been replaced with other more popular activities such as ballroom dancing, cheerleading or tree planting.
Every town in the country has its own traditional folk dance, which usually portrays the local community’s cultural roots. Collectively, these folk dances contribute to the country’s reputation in the world of traditional arts. Sadly, many modern art practitioners would rather portray western and European dances. Our culture is not preserved this way and our youth can easily lose sight of their precious heritage. On the other hand, I would like to acknowledge the great contribution of folkdance groups such as the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company which continue to propagate Philippine culture and to spread goodwill in many cities abroad through our folk dances.
The festivals we now celebrate like the Sinulog Festival, Ati-Atihan and Moriones to name the more popular ones, begun as celebrations of how local communities came to be. We cannot be a nation if we do not have communities. Hence, I always say that the fiesta is our highest community expression.
In our haste to blend with the rest of the world in global trade and community, we lose sight of our culture and history. We cannot be successful as a nation if we lose our identity. May the pure knowledge that make up our past as a nation be not forgotten, for therein lies our greatness as a country in a world that has become a global village.
