A woman unsuccessfully attempts to balance a candleholder on her head while practicing a traditional Filipino dance, so she pops a Mentos and gets the idea to tie the candleholder onto her head.

This commercial parody set the tone of the evening as the culture of the Philippines was celebrated at the 10th annual Barrio Fiesta on Saturday night, sponsored by the Penn State Filipino Association.

About 250 family members and friends of the Penn State Filipino community gathered in HUB Alumni Hall to watch dances interspersed with comedic skits depicting the life of a Filipino college student at Penn State.

The event was designed to emulate traditional gatherings to honor patron saints of towns across the Philippines.

"Even though I was born there, I consider myself a Filipino-American, and this helps me get in touch with my Filipino background," Rodrigo Salazar (junior-art and new media), one of the co-cultural directors, said.

Before the dance, a potluck dinner, featuring traditional Filipino dishes, was held at State College Area High School. The dinner raised $300 for the victims of the recent mudslide in the Philippines.

The main event featured many dances that tested the dancers' balance and coordination.

In a dance called the Vinta, two women in gleaming costumes danced high above the stage, each balancing on a pair of narrow beams held on the shoulders of two men below.

Eduardo Calizon, a junior in business from George Mason University who was visiting a friend, said he especially enjoyed the Maglalatik, a dance in which 12 men wore coconuts to represent striking points on the body.

"Seeing bare-chested men is always entertaining," Calizon said.

Many dancers spoke of the importance their families place on keeping the Filipino culture alive.

"It's something we know our parents are proud of, and that's huge for the Filipino culture," said

Ana San Luis (senior-computer engineering), who danced in the event.

Carmelita Valerio drove all the way from Maryland to watch her son in the performance. She was born in the Philippines and danced in similar events when she was in elementary school.

"I came just to remind me of the cultures of our country, because I seldom see this anymore," Valerio said.

The last dance of the event was a medley of various Filipino dances set to modern music to blend American and Filipino cultures.

Fred Aguillo, who moved to America in 1988, has brought his family to every Barrio Fiesta at Penn State since 1995. This year, two of his sons participated in the event.

Aguillo said he had mixed feelings about watching his children embrace certain aspects of American culture.

"Kids change here, but we, as parents, cannot do anything," Aguillo said with a laugh. "We learn to accept it."

Bridger Elliott (senior-supply chain and information systems) danced in the event even though he isn't of Filipino descent.

He said events such as the Barrio Fiesta serve an important role in exposing the community to different cultural experiences.

"Penn State isn't just a bunch of plain white people," Elliot said. "We have a bunch of different traditions."