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SAN JOSE, California—To celebrate its 33 years of culture, arts and kinship, the Kaisahan Dance Troupe, is staging a commemorative show, “Pasasalamat” (Thanksgiving), on April 12 at The Point in San Jose beginning at 3 p.m.
The event will feature the students of founder Helen Moreno, from Evergreen Elementary School, Hoover Community Center and Holly Oak Elementary School. Haranistas de Manila will also be performing with the troupe.
Kaisahan Dance Troop is funded by grants from Silicon Valley Creates, California Arts Council and the City of San Jose.
Florence Pena, a board member for 14 years, and Co-Chairman of the Executive Committee, said, “Being a part of Kaisahan has always been a joy and pleasure. It has allowed me the chance to give back to the community. Volunteer work is my hobby and passion, which is motivated by my love for children, culture, and religion.”
Kaisahan was Moreno’s brainchild. She wanted to raise support for Filipino culture and to conserve traditional Filipino dances. At the same time, she wanted to choreograph her own original dance steps to set her students apart from other dance groups.
Also a board member for 14 years, Board Director Rhuddee Vitug said, “My responsibility is to make sure that the Filipino culture and traditions are followed thoroughly by the actual interpretation of the folk dances in every single aspect.”
Kaisahan dance troupe works every day to ensure that community members’ lives are enriched with Filipinos’ ancestral culture. It encourages the youth to participate.
“Youths Kaisahan Dance Company, due to it’s glamour, prestige, and dance interpretations of each dance style,” Vitug explains. “Also the costumes are all colorful and definitely all original. It reflects how the people of the Philippines wore their clothes during the earlier years and Kaisahan was able to preserve and present all of it during each of their performances.”
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In addition to practicing and learning the steps to dances that originate from varying provinces such as “Barrio Fiesta,” “Tinikling,” “Sayaw sa Bangko,” “Igorot,” “Singkil” and “Muslim Dance,” students are also taught the history of the dances.
Student dancer Tiffany Alcantra said, “It’s very important to pass on to our children and newer generations because many of today’s youth are unable to speak or understand the language. The beat and rhythm of the songs will be with me forever and it’s something important that I won’t forget. Kaisahan is something I want to share with my children and one day dance and perform on stage with them to pass on our Filipino culture.”
To learn more about Kaisahan or purchase tickets for their upcoming events, please visit https://www.kaisahan.org or call 408-298-3787.