International Dance Day Festival

International Dance Day was founded in 1982 by the Dance Committe of the International Dance Institute and is celebrated every year on April 29. In honor of this celebration, a week-long festival was held at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati from April 23 to 27. I was able to take my mom to see two shows - the Folk and Traditional Dances and the Ballet Gala. Both were absolutely fantastic!

The Folk and Traditional Dances show was held on Apr 24. Performers included a mix of professional dance troupes and school dance groups. What I absolutely loved about this show was that it introduced me to many dances that I was previously unfamiliar with. These include: (1) Panulo sa Baybayon, a Visayan dance that is meant to resemble fishing at night using petroleum lamps, (2) Kabpelemba Limbay, a dance from Maguindanao inspired by the tradition of "Lemba" or the sacred act of identifying and honoring decorative heirlooms and symbolic objects, and (3) dances from Yakan people, an indigenous Muslim group from Mindanao. Learning about these dances and seeing them performed was truly breathtaking and made me feel even more connected to being a Filipino.

All performers of the Folk and Traditional Dances show together on stage for curtain call

The CEU Folk Dance Troupe performed dances from Kalinga. Ragraksakan had women balance baskets on their heads. Salip was a courtship dance that imitates the movement of a rooster and a hen. And finally, the Kalinga Banga dance had women balanced muliple pots of different sizes on their heads while they danced and moved around the stage. It was absolutely impressive to see the women do this. The first group of women who performed the banga dance had about 5 pots on their heads but to close out this segment, the last two women had about 11 pots on their heads and none of them fell! Were these real pots (that would have been extremely heavy!) or were they lighter versions that were maybe attached to each other and to the heads of the women in a way that would prevent them from toppling over? I don't know. But it was really mesmerizing and thrilling to watch as you hoped the pots wouldn't fall to the ground.

We've gotten used to seeing the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe perform during the UAAP Cheerdance competition so it was wonderful to see them peform folk dances (especially since according apparently, they were originally formed as a cultural group). Their sayaw sa bangko featured what I think was three levels of benches and their amazing acrobatics drew gasps and well-deserved applause from the crowd.

I am also really happy to finally get to see the Bayanihan Dance Company again. Our National Folk Dance Company opened the show with a very captivating and electrifying display of movement and athleticism. I saw them perform live a few times when I was much younger but I hadn't seen them perform in a long time and it is always a pleasure and a privilege to see them.

I really loved the Folk and Traditional Dances show, not just for the dances but for everything else that came with it: the costumes, the props, the colors, the instrumentation, the music, and the deeper understanding and appreciation of Philippine culture. It was just such an amazing show to watch!

A couple of days later, on April 26, we headed back to Samsung Theater to watch the Ballet Gala. This show featured dances from different ballets. My mom recognized that Fei Fei Ye and Ryo Fukuda from Hong Kong Ballet performed the pas de deux from Giselle, which we got to see last year (they also performed another pas de deux, from The Butterfly Lovers). Ballet Manila performed the adagio from Swan Lake (and we also got to see and have a photo taken with their principal ballerina and artistic director, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde). Vince Pelegrin and Sooha Park from the American Ballet Theatre performed two pas de deuxs, from Birthday Variations and Le Corsaire. We also got to enjoy excerpts from local ballets, performed by Philippine Ballet Theater and Ballet Philippines. The show ended with an explosive and exhilirating dance called "C'est la cie" from Alice Reyes Dance Philippines. (Alice Reyes is a National Artist for dance.) That finale was so good that I left the show wanting to see it again and maybe more performances from Alice Reyes Dance Philippines.

All performers of the Ballet Gala show together on stage for curtain call

I also want to share how amazing and accommodating the staff was. During the Folk and Traditional Dances show, each segment began with a voice-over that shared information about the dances that would be performed. I realized that my mom and I weren't able to get a program that explained the dances. The lady sitting next us had one so when we stepped out of the theater after the show, I asked the event staff for a program but they said that they already ran out. I felt a bit dejected because I really wanted to have more information about the dances we had just witnessed. On Saturday, I arrived a few hours before the show and I headed to staff again to ask if they might still have an extra program from the Folk and Traditional Dances show. They said that they didn't. I asked them if there was someone I could contact to ask for the information about the dances performed during that show. I told them that I really wanted to learn more about what I had seen. The lady then told me that she would print it out for me and that I can come back after some time to get my copy. When I came back before the start of the Ballet Gala and after having dinner with my mom, the woman I talked to handed me two copies of the program. So cool!! I thanked her and the rest of the staff very profusely. Because of that program, I was able to write much more detailed information in this blog post. Thank you once again to the organizers and the staff for your generosity!

Programs from the Folk and Traditional Dances and the Ballet Gala

Both shows were about 1 1/2 to 2 hours long and they showcased many incredible artists and very dedicated performers, both local and international. We got the most expensive tickets and they cost under P1400 each which, for me, was such a steal and extremely good value for money given the very high quality and the length of the shows. There were other performances that week as well, such as street dance and contemporary, but I didn't have the energy to watch one show each night for an entire week so my mom and I ended up choosing to see just two. Hopefully, a similar festival for International Dance Day is held next year. I will definitely watch again.

88 Years and Counting

It's always wonderful when family comes together to celebrate momentous occasions. This time, we gathered at Discovery Primea for Uncle Albert's 88th birthday. Uncle Albert is the brother of my late grandfather so technically he's two generations ahead but we still call him uncle.

The party was joyous and full of love. There were many great speeches, including one from my cousin and Uncle Albert's youngest grandchild, Miguel. Miguel's dad has lived in many different countries because of work and as such, Miguel has become multilingual even at his young age. Despite being very young, he spoke very confidently and opened his speech with Spanish greetings and salutations. It was really cool! Another one of my cousins also shared that after a tragic 2024, where Uncle Albert lost his wife Auntie Isabel and his daughter Tita Margie, it was wonderful for our family to gather under significantly better and more festive circumstances.

Another highlight was Uncle Albert taking the mic and mentioning all his guests by name. And I do mean all. He knew everyone's names and how he knew or was related to them. He even knew the names of the husbands and wives of his friends and of all his grand nephews and nieces. This just shows how incredibly sharp his mind is!

There was a lot of entertainment that night too. Throughout the evening, a couple of singers - a man and a woman - performed several songs, including a few duets. They were both incredibly good (and they sounded like they were professionally and even classically trained)!

My relatives and I also had a group number where we sang "In my life" by the Beatles. Later that evening, the female singer performed a Sound of Music medley and she went around the room trying to get people in the audience to sing. I ended up singing a snippet of Edelweiss (thankfully, I still know the lyrics).

Then there was dancing. Lots of it. There were dance instructors at the party and earlier in the evening, they got people to dance with them while a band performed live music. Later that evening, we had zumba-style dancing, with the instructors leading the steps and everyone following them. It was great that practically everyone at the party across all generations joined in!

There was one downside for me though: I wasn't able to take a lot of photos because my phone died quite early. Ugh. Still, I managed to get take a few photos before my phone conked out. Of course, my relatives all took lots of pics and shared them on social media so the event was very well-documented.

Happy 88th birthday Uncle Albert! May you have many more years to come!

Superstar Nora Aunor Passes Away

Superstar Nora Aunor has passed away. Popularly known as Guy or Ate Guy, Nora made about 200 movies, released 50 albums and recorded 200 songs, and became a National Artist in 2022.

REST IN PEACE.

Philippine film icon Nora Aunor has passed away, her son Ian de Leon confirms.

FULL STORY: https://t.co/H3dmlx9nln pic.twitter.com/kEEE3pNQ7e

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) April 16, 2025

I've always been a tremendous fan of her acting. I've seen many of her films, such as Bona, Bulaklak sa City Jail, Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo, Andrea: Paano Ba Maging Isang Ina, and more recently, Thy Womb. Of course, any discussion of Nora's filmography would not be complete without mentioning my all-time favorite Pinoy film and arguably her most popular, Himala. When she performs a role that suits her well, I think she's really the absolute best. She acts with her entire body and there's a truth, a depth, and an intensity in her eyes that to me remains unmatched by anyone.

Tribute to Nora at her star in the Eastwood City Walk of Fame

I won't list down all her awards but you can check out this List of Awards and Nominations that Nora received in her lifetime, including many international awards.

She is also an amazing singer, with people describing her as having a golden voice. (This may have actually also been the reason that one her albums was called The Golden Voice.) According to this article from The Manila Times, she was an undefeated champion for 14 consecutive weeks in the Tawag ng Tanghalan before becoming the Grand Champion.

I specifically mentioned that I am a fan of her talent because her life off-screen has been full of ups and downs and I may not have always agreed with she's done in her private life. That said, since her passing, I've read several stories about her kindness, generosity, and genuineness from people in the entertainment industry. It is quite nice to finally hear beautifully positive stories about a woman whose imperfections were often splashed on the front pages of tabloids.

Some of her films have been officially uploaded in YouTube. Here are a few that I've found:

Himala - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wogW35yzqyM
Bulaklak sa City Jail - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sxnWL6M4aU
Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EVh5ZhiffI
Bilangin ang mga Bituin sa Langit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc4rnFXpEBc

Nora Aunor will forever be the Superstar of the Philippine entertainment industry. May she rest in peace.

A Golden Wedding Anniversary

Congratulations to Tito Erwin and Tita Maritie on their 50th wedding anniversary! As is customary for Golden wedding celebrations, there was a church ceremony for the renewal of vows which was then followed by a reception over dinner. The church ceremony was held at Mt. Carmel (or more formally, the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel), which is where they were married 50 years ago. Apparently, they were one of the first few couples to be wed at this church so Mt. Carmel isn't just a part of their lives but they are also a part of its history. Cool!

Renewal of vows at Mt. Carmel

The reception was held at Makati Shangri-La but as it was still a few hours away, my mom and I decided to have some coffee at the hotel lobby. I also ordered Black Forest and while it was really expensive, at least it was also really good!

Black Forest at the Lobby Lounge of Shangri-La Makati

The reception was held at the one of the ballrooms of the hotel. There were wonderful speeches, cool games, great music, and delicious food. It was also really good to see and spend some time with some of my relatives again.

Cake and party favors for the guests

Tito Erwin and Tita Maritie love traveling so each table was adorned with a photo from one of their many travels together.

Each table had travel photos of Tita Maritie and Tito Erwin

While waiting for the reception to start, I asked the official photographer if they could take my photo using my phone. He and his team weren't busy yet at that time so he very kindly agreed. It's not very often that I wear a suit so I thought it would be a good chance to have some decent photos taken of me haha.

It's always a blessing to be part of a celebration of love. It's amazing to think that the love of my aunt and uncle has lasted 5 decades (technically more, because they were together as a couple for some time before they got married). Wishing my Tita Maritie and Tito Erwin many more years of wonderful wedded bliss.

Tokyo Banana from Mitsukoshi Fresh

I just ran into a cool deal at Mitsukoshi Fresh: a Buy 1 Take 1 promo on Tokyo Banana!

Buy 1, Take 1 Tokyo Banana at Mitsukoshi Fresh

I recently needed - or well, wanted! - to buy stuff at Landers so I decided to go to their BGC branch. As I normally do, whenever I go there, I try to do as many things in that area as I can, and that includes swinging by Mitsukoshi Mall to eat and buy stuff. (I actually do like this mall, with its cool Japanese-style basement food court.) On this particular trip, after having brunch at Key Coffee, I went to Mistukoshi Fresh, the supermarket at the basement, to see what items they had that I might want to get. It was then that I saw a sign indicating that Tokyo Banana was on sale: Buy 1 Take 1! Awesome!

I first tried Tokyo Banana many years ago when a colleague took a trip to Japan and brought home a box as her pasalubong. I thought it was good, so when I took my family to Japan a couple of years ago, I bought a box of it and my family seemed to enjoy it, especially my older nephew. We ended up getting more boxes to take home with us.

That said, Tokyo Banana in the Philippines is really expensive. As far as I can tell, it's only available at Mitsukoshi Fresh and it costs about twice as much here as it does in Tokyo (or maybe even more). This is probably because the demand here isn't that high and maybe because it requires more careful handling, making it more expensive to import. They were on sale because they are best before May so they were trying to get rid of their stocks. Needless to say, I got a few boxes for me and my family haha.