US debut of Toronto’s Datu-Hataw at Chicago Kultura fest

Contemporary dance group Datu Hataw will perform in Chicago’s Kultura Festival.

CHICAGO – Toronto’s acclaimed Filipino Canadian contemporary dance company Hataw and modern Filipino tribal music crew Datu will make their debut performance in the United States on the Kultura Festival stage, Sunday Oct. 2, at Emporium Logan Square, 2363 N Milwaukee Avenue.

“Some of our biggest influences, from Kanye West all the way back to Frankie Knuckles come from Chicago, so it is fitting that we bring our Toronto-Filipino sound to the home of these legends,” said Romeo Candido of Datu.

“With Filipino culture on the cusp of its tipping point, we believe this intercity collaboration is part of a bigger modern Filipino movement that is quickly picking up momentum and believers,” he added.

Hataw Artistic Director Jodinand Villaflores Aguillon added, “Equipped with new media like Facebook and the internet, our generation has so much more access — not just to information, but to each other. Being part of an event like this is a physical manifestation of that interconnectedness that we share across the diaspora.”

“We are thrilled to bring Datu and Hataw to the United States,” says Filipino Kitchen co-founder, Natalia Roxas. “Their performances spark the heart and the imagination on what a modern, decolonized Filipino can be, artistically.”

The performance is at 4 p.m. at Kultura Festival on October 2. Datu and Hataw are also giving a 20-minute special sneak peek performance at The Field Museum on October 1, at 2 p.m., on the Museum Marae.

The Field Museum houses over 10,000 Philippine artifacts in storage, the likes of which were collected over 100 years ago. These objects have found a (re)newed meaning through the community partnership and co-curation efforts. Their monthly thematic workshops invites the community at-large, curators and experts to understand the meanings behind the cultural treasures.

Kultura Festival will be filled with music, as Filipino American DJs set to perform include Itzi Nallah (11:30-12:30); DJ Kristin Sanchez (12:30-1:30); Joey Figueroa (1:30-2:30); Czboogie (2:30-3:30); RTST and Ron (3:30 to 5). All music lineup schedules are subject to change. More information about each musician at https://filipino.kitchen/kultura-festival-2016-music.