Philippine dance company comes to the Phillips Center

November 9, 2006

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company will perform at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the Phillips Center. A pre-performance discussion with the company will be held at 6:45 p.m.

The Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company is more than a taste of Filipino culture. Richly costumed dancers balance an array of objects on their heads, perch on long bamboo poles carried shoulder-high by others and skillfully navigate a system of moving poles without missing a beat. The name Bayanihan (pronounced bah-yah-nee-han) comes from an ancient Filipino tradition. The root of the word, bayan, refers to a nation, town or community while the whole term, bayanihan, means “working together for a common good.” The term was derived from the Filipino practice of helping neighbors move to a new place. The community would come together and carry the family’s house to its new spot, using bamboo poles to lift the house. Today, bayanihan encompasses many meanings, including the peaceful outcome of a civic or national issue.

The Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company was founded in 1957 by Helena Z Benitez as a “performing arm” of the Philippine Women’s University Bayanihan Folk Arts Center. Its original intent was to find and collect the indigenous art forms of the Philippines with the idea of turning research into performance. The company made its debut at the Brussels Universal Exposition on May 27, 1958, launching its international career as representatives of the Philippines. TV host Ed Sullivan featured the group in his coast-to-coast telecast of “Highlights of the Brussels Fair,” watched by 40 million viewers in the United States. The following year, Sol Hurok, “the king of impresarios,” signed up Bayanihan for the Sol Hurok International Festival, and, later that same year, the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company made its Broadway debut at the Winter Garden Theater.

Tickets are available by calling the Phillips Center Box Office at (352) 392-2787 or (800) 905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida) or by calling Ticketmaster at (904) 353-3309.