The National Commission for Culture and the Arts held the Philippine International Dance Workshop and Festival, or its Dance Xchange, in Isabela province, bringing together contingents from Brazil, England, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
There were more than 20 dance companies from host Philippines, coming from Isabela in the North and Sulu in the South.
Workshops and lecture were held at the Iligan City Community center, followed by rousing concerts at the Queen Isabela Park, overlooking the monument of the Spanish queen for whom the province is named. There were also outreach performances in Canauan City and the towns of Roxas and Echague.
National costumes, complemented by fashion accessories, were dazzling and the production numbers ranged from graceful and lyrical to bravura, requiring great skill and dexterity on the part of the performers.
There were dances depicting agricultural practices, war, courtship, weddings and conflict, martial arts, thanksgiving, rituals, sadness and joy, and a celebration, of life and love.
The focus was on folk and classical dances as the groups showcased the culture and traditions of their respective countries, handed down from generation to generation. But there was also room for examination, hip-hop and contemporary dances.
The tinikling is not a monopoly of the Filipinos and the hip-swaying hula dancers were not from Hawaii but from Negros Oriental. The Indian dances were subtle, better appreciated by watching the movements of the hands and the facial expressions on the big screens.
The lively dancers from Turkey were a big hit with the students in Roxas, and the girls screamed when a handsome young performer swept onto the stage and began to dance with flair.
The fired-up teenage male members of the Sampaloc, Manila-Based Junior New System, World Champions in long Beach, California, electrified the audience with their frenzied energy, gymnastics and acrobatics (in stiletto high heels at that), somersaulting and sailing through the air, and landing on both feet.
The dance extravaganza was a showcase of explosive talent in the art form among the (mostly) youth, not just of the Philippines but of the other participating countries as well. —CONTRIBUTED