PHOTO FROM KAYAMANAN NG LAHI "Jota Cagayana" is a dance that originated in the Isabela province of the northern Philippines. The dance is Spanish in style, but the costumes are of American influence, reflecting styles of the early 20th century.

Hula helps Joel Jacinto build a base
for exploring Filipino culture

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By Nancy Arcayna
narcayna@starbulletin.com

Joel Jacinto learned the hula long before he sought out his own roots as a Filipino American, born and raised in San Francisco, whose parents came from the Philippines.

Although his halau, led by a woman from Kauai, was based in California, most of its members were of Filipino descent. The lessons eventually led to jobs entertaining on board Captain Beans Sunset Cruise in Kona and the Alii Kai in Honolulu, marking the beginning of his travels to and from Hawaii.

"It was like a dream come true," said Jacinto, who began performing at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and other venues with Pearl of the Orient, a local Philippine dance troupe.

Between dancing with the halau and Pearl of the Orient, he felt he had the best of both worlds. "I even had an opportunity to participate in the Merrie Monarch in 1988," he said.

Today, Jacinto's life revolves around his heritage. In 1990 he formed Kayamanan Ng Lahi. The group's mission is to develop a national Philippine identity among Filipino Americans.

PHOTO FROM KAYAMANAN NG LAHI Members of Kayamana Ng Lahi present a dance called "Dinuyya," from the people of Ifugao, the builders of the gigantic rice terraces of Banaue (considered the eighth wonder of the world). The dances imitate birds, which in the Philippines are a symbol of power, strength and authority.

"We are not just a dance company, we are a folk arts organization. Our mission is to preserve, present and promote the Philippine culture primarily through dance and music," he explained.

Members of Kayamanan Ng Lahi will perform tomorrow during the opening of the FilCom Center, marking its first time back since 1992. "We want to base our return on sharing and paying respects to the tremendous efforts that have been demonstrated by the Filipino community in Hawaii," Jacinto said. "The community center has been a dream for so long."

Group members have conducted fund-raisers for the past six months to pay their way to Hawaii. "That's how strongly we feel about supporting the event. We are honored to be a part of the experience."

Organizing cultural dance groups is a community service, he said. "You have to do it because you want to serve. You can't do it to make money."

WHILE GROWING UP, Jacinto paid little attention to cultural arts. "In high school and college, you are looking to belong. One of the innate traits of our Filipino culture is that we are group-ists, not individualists."

That changed when he enrolled at UCLA. "I wanted to meet other Filipinos to find friends, a social network."

PHOTO FROM KAYAMANAN NG LAHI "Sagayan" is performed to welcome guests and ward off evil spirits. It originated with the Maguindanao tribe of South Mindanao, with costumes of Southeast Asian influence.

Then, "in September 1981, my whole life was written," he said. While attending his first Filipino student group meeting, he found a wife, a calling and an appreciation of his heritage.

"I learned that I was a part of a larger Filipino experience in Los Angeles, giving me a community identity.

"Dance is an important tool not only for entertainment, but also for community and identity building," he said. "We are using our culture as commodity. We are negotiating our place in America," he said.

"A mix of the cultural, folk and traditional with the contemporary -- that's what the FilCom is all about. It's based on traditional Filipino culture because that's what binds us all together. But it's also about Hawaii today and multicultural America.

"I've taken the experiences I've had in halaus and applied those to the Philippine dance. In hula we studied the Hawaiian language, the basis for understanding hula. That experience has really helped me to build a foundation for the Filipino dance."

Of the varied performances, he said, "There are many different languages and regions in the Philippines, but there are also commonalities. We mix and match dances from different areas to create a different picture of culture."

He hopes that derogatory stereotypes of Filipinos, whether among different regional groups in the Philippines or outside the country, can be eliminated or evolve through dance and education.

Kayamanan Ng Lahi is known for attention to detail in costumes, accessories and musical instruments. "We try to be culturally appropriate with costumes. We try to get fabrics and costumes directly from the Philippines. Or we research and base reproductions on the appropriate models," Jacinto said.

The troupe hopes the bright costumes and polished movements, together with live music, will entice the audience into learning more about the Philippines.

"The return of our investment is the impact on our members, the audiences that we interact with and the greater multicultural American fabric.

"By the end of a performance, they don't just say 'hana hou,' but they learn something."

Kayamanan Ng Lahi Performs: 7 p.m. tomorrow and 6 p.m. Thursday at the FilCom Center; and Saturday at the Filipino Fiesta, Kapiolani Park (details below) Call: 680-0451 Filipino Fiesta When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday Place: Kapiolani Park Admission: Free Call: 680-0451 Parade: Begins at 9 a.m., proceeding down Kalakaua Avenue from Ala Moana Boulevard to Kapiolani Park Mabuhay Festival These events take place at the new FilCom Center, which opens tomorrow at 94-428 Mokuola St. in Waipahu: >> Pasinaya Inaugural Ball and Banquet: 7 p.m. tomorrow, $35 >> Philippines-Hawaii Import/Export Trade Expo: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, free >> Philippine Cultural Dance Festival: Showcasing regional dances, 6 p.m. Thursday, $3 advance, $5 at the door >> Filipino-American International Ballroom Championship: Competitors from Pacific-Asia rim and mainland, 6 p.m. Friday, $35. Call: 680-0451

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