BAYANIHAN PERFORMS AT HYOGO HOUSE in Osaka-Kobe
to Celebrate 109^th Anniversary of Declaration of Philippine Independence  

27 June 2007 — Consul General Maria Lourdes V. Ramiro Lopez of the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe, Japan reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company’s rousing rendition of Filipino folk dances and kundiman melodies captivated the audience during the reception hosted by the Consulate to celebrate the 109^th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence at the 105-year-old Hyogo House in Kobe City on 12 June 2007.  

Consul General Lopez received accolades from Japanese government officials, leaders of the business community in western Japan , members of the Kansai Consular Corps, academicians and presidents of civic and cultural organizations for the successful gathering, which showcased the best of Philippine music, dance and cuisine, at the majestic hall of the French Renaissance-style government house.  

“We wanted all guests to experience the richness of our cultural heritage, so that they may understand the matrix from which our values, motivations and aspirations as a people emerge,” Consul General Lopez said, adding “tonight, our Japanese guests saw what a true Filipino artist can do to uplift the spectator to a higher level.”  

In his remarks as guest of honor, Presidential Adviser for Foreign Affairs and former Philippine ambassador to Japan Alfonso T. Yuchengco informed the audience that the Bayanihan Dance Company, which is the Philippine national folk dance company by virtue of Republic Act No. 8626, bested 55 other dance groups from 34 countries to win the Primer Premi Mundial at the World Dance Competition in Palma de Mallorca , Spain last April.  

Ambassador Yuchengco is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bayanihan Folk Arts Foundation, and his support made it possible for the Bayanihan to stage their first-ever performance in western Japan.  

He expressed hopes that for deeper and broader bilateral relations between Japan and the Philippines through enhanced cooperation, human interaction and cultural exchange.  

Governor Toshizo Ido of Hyogo Prefecture and Ambassador Kishichiro Amae of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke on behalf of the Japanese government, and offered assurances of their continued cooperation and support for the Philippines and its citizens in Western Japan . They were joined in offering a toast to Philippine-Japanese relations by the mayors of Nishinomiya and Ashiya, two important cities in Hyogo Prefecture .  

The speakers also acknowledged the presence of former Senator Helena Z. Benitez, founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Bayanihan Dance Company, who made a special trip to Kobe to see the company’s first performance in Kobe .  

The evening’s special performance unfolded with a Bagobo ceremonial dance and took the audience to a journey through Philippine history through music and dance. The Singkil, Bayanihan’s signature dance number choreographed by the late National Artist for Dance Lucrecia R. Urtula, enthralled the spectators and held their rapt attention as the elaborate costumes and syncopated rhythms of Muslim Mindanao gave way to the pastoral appeal of Maglalatik and Sa Kabukiran. The audience held its breath as the artists nimbly performed Bangko, a precarious dance on top of a pyramid of benches. Tinikling, the most popular of all Philippine dances, provided a dynamic finish to the evening’s repertoire and had the audience clapping long after the last notes of the group’s finale, the Japanese song Sakura, had faded.  

The executive chef of Kobe’s Hotel Okura outdid himself and mastered typically Filipino dishes such as adobong manok, bistek tagalog, lechon kawali, escabecheng tangingue, and mangga’t sago. The world-famous San Miguel Beer was greatly appreciated by many Japanese guests, as were the various Filipino ice cream flavors ube, mangga, langka-kasoy and halo-halo from Nagoya ’s Buds Corporation.  Filipino guests, which included the leaders of Filipino organizations, professors and scholars of big universities, JICA participants and religious sisters and priests, waxed nostalgic and acquainted foreign guests on the nuances of each flavor.  

When the evening drew to a close, not a single guest went home without a souvenir bag of Philippine mango and tamarind candies, buko and mango juices, and detailed information on the country’s best tourist destinations.  END

/jay

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