Fiesta celebrates Filipino culture

The overhead lights dimmed down to darkness and the stage curtain wiggled itself apart, slowly revealing five women and 10 candles.

A candle in a little glass jar balanced on each of their heads and an identical one gently rested in each of their palms. In the subtle glow of the flames, these five women danced with smooth grace and, somehow, didn't let the candles fall.

More than 350 people witnessed this feat Saturday night in the ballroom of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. The occasion was Barrio Fiesta, sponsored by the Penn State Filipino Association.

"Back home, the significance of having a barrio fiesta is to celebrate the patron saint of each barrio," said Mark Navarro, president of the association. "But tonight we're celebrating Filipino culture and heritage with the University and State College community."

The audience was immersed in Filipino culture, for the event featured Filipino food, music, acting and dancing. The event was so well-attended that the feeling of the Philippines was even more authentic -- the auditorium was extremely hot and humid. Audience members lined the walls because no seats remained in the packed room.

Filipino and Filipino-American heritage were represented in the event, titled "Generations of Pride," which mixed past and present culture. Performers danced to traditional Filipino music as well as modern music such as that of Puff Daddy and Janet Jackson.

In addition to the candles in the glass jars, performers also impressed the crowd with a dance called the tinikling, which involved stepping between long bamboo poles that were controlled by one person at each end. Filipino student Tessa Gatmaitan (junior-psychology) said the dance always excites people because it's fast and energetic.

"The tinikling was fun to watch," said Alkia Lynch (junior-life science). "It was like double-Dutch jump rope with bamboo rods instead of ropes."

Other performances included a play depicting a Filipino-American's first trip to the Philippines and a dramatic demonstration of kali, a stick-fighting martial art that audience member Amy Wong (sophomore-advertising) compared to an artistic version of Mortal Kombat.

For the most part, the atmosphere of the event was light and jovial. The performers spiced up their acts with spontaneous personal flavor, and the crowd responded with shouts and laughter. The whole program was intended to be fun and entertaining, said Cindy del Rosario (junior-journalism), performance committee chair.

"It's a fiesta," she said. "It's not aimed to be political activism. It's just to show people who we are and that we're proud of it."

United by Filipino pride, the Filipino Association is a tightly knit group, said Amanda Mozo (junior-human development and family studies).

"We consider ourselves more than just an organization," she said. "We're family."