For the second year in a row, I watched a couple of International Dance Day shows at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. This year, I saw the Folk Dance gala night on Thursday and the street dance gala night on Friday. (I would have also wanted to watch the ballet performance on Saturday night but I had a conflict.)
I really love the Folk Dance gala. For me, there is something deeply evocative and soul-stirring whenever I see Filipino folk dances, especially when they are performed well. I enjoyed this year's show immensely as I did last year's. This time, I tried to get a program before the show started so I could better appreciate the dances being performed. However, there seemed to have been some printing issue and we were told that the programs would only be available during the intermission. So the moment we got to the intermission, I headed out and checked if the programs were there and indeed they were. I of course got a copy.
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| Curtain call of all the performers of the Folk Dance Gala |
All of the dances were great! The show featured 11 performances from 10 groups (one group performed twice). Check out this next video for the highlights from the Folk Dance Gala:
One of my favorite performances was from Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild. According to the program, "this dance is inspired by the culture of the Subanon people, portraying the journey from planting to a bountiful harvest." The finale of their performance was a spectacular dance that was like tinikling but on a more massive scale. There were multiple sets of dancers jumping skillfully between multiple sets of bamboo poles being clapped together, and these multiple sets of dancers and bamboo-clappers were moving across the stage and changing formations throughout the dance. My description doesn't do this performance any justice and I wish I could find a video of it. It was absolutely sensational dazzling to witness!
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| Musicians and Philippine instruments at the Folk Dance Gala |
Another favorite of mine was the Philippine Normal University Kislap Sining Dance Troupe who performed a Muslim suite dance entitled "Bangsawan" which means nobility. This performance finished with singkil, which I always love seeing because of its drama, its power, and its impact. But the Pang-Apir, or graceful fan movements, was also extremely memorable. This dance had women in brightly colored outfits and vibrant fans dancing with very elegant and undulating movements. It was breathtaking to watch.
The next evening, I made my way to the Samsung Performing Arts Theater again, this time to watch the Street Dance Gala Night.
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| Curtain call of all the performers of the Street Dance Gala |
You can check out the highlights here:
There were a total of 9 groups that performed that evening. Unfortunately, there was no program. However, I did note down the name of every crew. They were, in order of performance: Vpeepz, Upeepz, Eleven 11, Armada, Mixed Nuts, UNRVLD, Femme MNL, Manoeuvres Ignite, and V3. The vibe of the street dance gala is different from the folk dance gala. For instance, cheering and applause during a dance is normal if not encouraged (in most other dances, applause is usually reserved after the performance). Once again, the dances were all fantastic. I loved the song selection that Mixed Nuts used in their number. My favorite performance may actually have been the first one from VPeepz, which had a chef/cooking theme. I loved everything about it! Apparently, this was the same routine they performed at the World of Dance Philippines 2026, for which they won first place. So I guess it makes sense that I loved it because the World of Dance Philippines judges did too. Here is a video of that performance:
I'm really happy that I got to see a couple of gala nights from International Dance Day this year. Hopefully, this becomes an annual thing for me now.
Bonus: Tanaw-Laya Exhibit
While at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, I passed by an exhibit called Tanaw-Laya, the 2nd National Persons Deprived of Liberty Art Exhibition. All the pieces on display were created by persons deprived of liberty or PDL. (This phrase was coined to avoid the negative stigma attached to terms like prisoners or inmates and to ensure that their human dignity is kept intact.)
This exhibit was made possible by many sponsors and groups, including The Bagong Buhay Group of Artists or BAGA. This collective was founded by former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and they use arts, such as painting and other crafts, and public exhibitions to help in the rehabilitation of PDLs.
I spent some time admiring the art here. I felt that every piece had a strong point of view. It made me wonder if the people who made them had created art before becoming PDLs or if they found their artist self through this journey of restorative justice. Either way, the paintings on exhibit were amazing.
Hopefully, art can be life-changing and truly rehabilitative for these PDLs.
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