VIDEO: UH dance celebrates 50 years of Filipino heritage, identity

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Link to highlight video of performances: https://go.hawaii.edu/mWo

A new production is shining a light on the lives and journeys of Filipinos in Hawaiʻi. "Dancing in the Diaspora," directed by J. Lorenzo Perillo, blends movement, music and history into a fast-moving tribute to identity and community. Performances run through November 23, on the Kennedy Theatre Mainstage at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Perillo serves as co-director of the Center for Philippine Studies (CPS) and is also an associate professor in theatre and dance. He created the show in honor of CPS's 50th anniversary.

"'Dancing in the Diaspora' delves into the interconnected lives of Filipinos maneuvering the waters of belonging and exclusion in Hawai'i and beyond," said Perillo.

Stories through dance

The performance moves between hip-hop, street dance, contemporary, Filipino Indigenous styles and 'ori Tahiti (Tahitian dance). Live kulintang (traditional Filipino gong instrument) and Tahitian music set the tone. The dances explore home, identity and the journey of carrying culture across the ocean.

Ticket prices range from $9 to $25 for the in-person production at Kennedy Theatre. The production features international and local collaborators such as Mary Chris (Mycs) Villoso, Von Ace Asilo, Angela Sebastian, Ron and Lydia Querian (House of Gongs), Manarii and Nalini Gauthier (Tahiti Mana) and designer and cultural advocate Iris Viacrusis.

"If you dig beneath the deep layers of colonization, you find the ways the people of the Pacific are connected through language, food, stories and beliefs," said Nalini Gauthier. "Dance has been a steady vessel carrying me through this journey of rediscovery and empowerment."

Perillo expressed that the staging is deeply connected to Hawai'i's social and cultural landscape.

"Filipinos make up one-fourth of Hawai'i's population, yet there is a clear lack of Filipino representation in education. Representation matters. It's critical in strengthening students' self-worth, identities and success."

For more on the production, visit the department's website.