Two groups, both multiawarded, which have been instrumental in popularizing Philippine folk dances among audiences abroad are the London-based Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company and the Philippine Baranggay Folk Dance Troupe. They will stage a 20th anniversary concert on April 25-26 at the Peta Theater Center in New Manila, Quezon City (behind the Quezon City Sports Center).

Lahing Kayumanggi began as a small group of Filipinos in London who were nostalgic about Philippine music and dances. Soon other members of the Filipino community joined them and through the years they performed to acclaim in the United Kingdom, embassy and barrio fiesta events, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and in other European countries.

For four years, Lahing Kayumanggi performed regularly on BBC-TV Generation Game.

The Philippine Barangay Folk Dance Troupe is even older, having been founded in 1946. It has presented Philippine songs, dances and music across Asia, Europe and North America.

The Magkabilaan concert is a tribute to the troupe’s founder and artistic director, the late Paz-Cielo Belmonte, a Gawad CCP awardee for dance in 1990. Concert guests include the Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir, a leading children’s choir, and singer-fashion designer Leo Almodal.

Concert director is Ronnie Del Barrio, who has been with both companies since the 1990s, training the Kayumanggi members and dancing with the Baranggay Troupe as a young man. He remembers once, at one time, he committed a serious mistake while dancing on stage and later some senior dance members threw something at him (“binato ako”).

He did not say if the object landed on his person, but since then his technique improved.

“Every dance is an experience,” Del Barrio declared. “So this is our advocacy, to continue dancing, to continue promoting our culture and traditions here and abroad for many more years to come.”