09.09.08
The 2008 Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture
My computer is bogging down on me, so let’s see how far I can get with this. Last Saturday, I took my boys to the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture. Thought they might enjoy seeing a little bit of their heritage, heheh. Although it was advertised as the largest Filipino Festival in So Cal, I was a bit disappointed with it because I was hoping for a bit more. For one thing, the “dancers” we saw there did Hawaiian and other Polynesian dancing, but no Filipino dancing like the tinikling, which is more from the region I was from. I was told that there was another group that did the dance, but I missed it. Anyway, here’s a video of it in case anyone is interested in seeing this Filipino folk dance. Instead, we got Filipinos doing Polynesian dances. . .
But that’s okay, it was entertaining, anyway, and at least they did have another group of performers who “did” perform traditional Philippine music and dance, but from the southern regions like Mindanao.
There was also demonstrations of Sayao, a type of Filipino martial arts.
And another demo, but this time with a girl vs a boy.
There was also a booth for Filipino Kali, which is aka Filipino stick fighting, a martial art using sticks and also knives and swords. This was what was on display and for sale there.
The owner of this booth is also a Kali instructor and was very kind. He showed me how to hold the sword and even took a pic of Andrew and me.
I didn’t think of it until after I saw the picture that it was a bit goofy to be “smiling” while posing with a sword, ha! But oh well, it’s the only shot I got with one. I seem to have misplaced this guy’s literature, but he is the owner and instructor of a Kali studio in Vermont in LA. Too bad I don’t remember his name. For a glimpse of Kaili in action, here’s a video with Dan Inosanto, a Filipino Kali master who trained under Bruce Lee.
The food lines were too long, so we didn’t bother eating. And before we left we got to see Christine of Happy Slip fame! For those who may not know who she is, she is a very funny gal who makes videos that poke fun of Filipino ways. Satirical comedies, if you will, on Filipino-American culture. I have to admit that when I first saw her videos, I had to laugh as it really hit the nail on the head. For anyone who’s hung around Filipinos long enough, I’m sure they’ll agree once they see her videos. Here’s one of her videos called, “Tanks,” spelled the way Filipinos pronounce “Thanks.”
And that’s about it for now!
Marlakins
