COURTESY OF KAYAMANAN NG LAHI Kayamanan Ng Lahi, a California-based Filipino dance troupe, will be among the performers at tomorrow's Filipino Fiesta, part of the Mabuhay Festival.

Celebrating
Filipino heritage

The fiesta spotlights folklore,
food and customs

» Bamboo dance spectacle

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By Nancy Arcayna
narcayna@starbulletin.com

Marching bands, colorful floats and street performers parade down the street at 9 a.m. tomorrow kicking off the 10th annual Filipino Fiesta.

Filipino pride abounds this year with the opening of the FilCom Center in Waipahu. The center symbolizes the contributions of Filipinos in America, from the plantation days to modern-day accomplishments in business, arts, politics and education. "It's such an achievement to have our own community center," said Candice Fajardo, one of the fiesta's organizers.

Bryan Andaya, fiesta chairman added, "It shows what a community can accomplish when they unify."

Filipinos tend to be cliquish, Andaya said. Ilocanos hang around with Ilocanos, the Tagalogs stick with the Tagalogs, the result of regional pride instilled from childhood. Now that they are in the United States, Andaya said, we need to bring them all together.

The Filipino Fiesta is geared toward achieving unity and preserving customs, folk tales, costumes and culinary skills. Last year's event drew 20,000 attendees, a record number, according to Andaya.

A highlight this year is a series of villages that showcase various regions -- Ilocos, Cordillera, Tagalog, Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao -- in the Philippines.

Each exhibit will feature displays of artifacts and products from a particular region. Statistics, history and geographical information will be provided for each village.

"This year, we also want to showcase some of the local Filipino talent," said Andaya. "We need a balance between the locals and the entertainers from the Philippines."

The idea is to have something for everyone.

"Lots of tourists and people from other backgrounds, who have never been exposed to Filipino culture, will attend. We want to ease them into the culture," said Fajardo.

Booths manned by local Filipino vendors will also provide a good opportunity to network, Fajardo said.

"It's a reawakening for the Filipino community," Andaya said. "They are starting to be noticed in the community and even in films, now more than ever."

Filipino Fiesta When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow Where: Kapiolani Park Admission: Free Call: 680-0451 Note: Fiesta parade begins at 9 a.m. on Ala Moana, proceeding down Kalakaua Avenue and ending at Kapiolani Park, where the fiesta takes place.

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Bamboo dance spectacle

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Star-Bulletin staff

On Sunday at Daiei in Waipahu, Filipinos will gather to try to set a "tinikling" dance record for the Guinness Book of World Records. Show up between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for free entertainment, and find out just how many performers can dance simultaneously between a pair of constantly moving 50-foot bamboo poles.

Tinikling, the traditional Filipino dance, might be compared to jump rope, with the bamboo poles substituted for a swinging rope.

The Philippine national dance is an exercise of coordination, endurance, agility and grace as dancers step in and out of the bamboo sticks. Dancers represent birds that walk between grass, run through branches or dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Tinikling translates as "bamboo dance."

During the dance, the sticks are repeatedly opened and closed by two performers. The other dancers hop over the poles, adjusting to speed changes with a variety of steps, twists and turns.

A great number of performers dance simultaneously on a single pair of 50-foot bamboo sticks. Call the FilCom Center at 680-0451 for more information.

Going for a record Where: Daiei Waipahu When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday Admission: Free Call: 680-0451

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