It's not often that I partake in extreme culture activities. I'd like to pretend that I do, but I don't really think that eating frozen Indian food and watching "Sister Wives" is legit enough to constitute a cultural experience. But Thursday night I was lucky enough to witness the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company perform at the Englert, and I was able to immerse myself in culture.
Cheesy enough for you? Just wait. It's about to get real.
What I got to experience on Thursday were rich colors, beautiful music, and enthralling dancers. The Company took the audience through its rich history--beginning with classic folk dances of the Philippines, moving through pieces representing specific cities and towns, to works capturing hundreds of years of Spanish colonization. Watching the different movements unfold onstage was really interesting, and it was especially so because I didn't know anything about Filipino history. Maybe it's just me, but I had no idea the Spanish spent 400 years colonizing in the Philippines. I'm sure my lack of knowledge is largely impart due to my naivety, but I'll admit that. Watching the fusion of Spanish and Filipino dances erupt in front of my eyes was so fascinating. I really learned something.
The things that really struck me about the dances weren't necessarily the steps. It was watching the dancers do the steps. Each and every one clearly loved what they were doing and it radiated from their faces. For me, that's what makes a dance performance worth watching. In the end, it's all about the passion behind the movement.
Ah, but I can't forget the music. One of the coolest things about the Bayanihan company was that the music was played live by musicians sitting right on stage behind the dancers. So cool, right? You don't see that often. Really it just reiterated the point that the group was all about spreading culture, and some serious, catchy folk music accompanying the dances is part of that.
Oh, and the costumes. There were so many costume changes I could hardly keep track! I have to give some serious credits to the costume designer, because I think that part just made the performance. The costumes were vibrant and bubbly, and represented the traditional garb of the different cities and towns and parts of history the Company was portraying at the time. For example, during the Spanish colonization section, the women donned more flamenco-style dresses and carried castanets, while during the Filipino folk dance section they wore more traditional outfits.
Overall, I was really impressed and really glad I went. This is going to sound bad but I usually stray away from going to events that don't initially spark my interest (I know I know I know that's a horrible attitude), but the Bayanihan dancers really reminded me that I have to stop doing that. I need to break away from what I know I like because I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy experiencing new things.
—Rachael
