ILOILO City – On May 2 a “unity song and dance” event with a target of 10,000 participants will be staged in Pototan, Iloilo.
To be spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), it will attempt to set a new world record in the number of participants.
The current record holder is England; it was able to gather 5,000 singing and dancing participants in a single space, according to Shirley Halili-Cruz who heads the National Dance Committee.
The “unity song and dance” will be executed in an open field. It is one of several activities of the upcoming 9th Dance Xchange: The Philippine International Dance Workshop and Festival from April 29 to May 2.
NCCA is organizing the festival in partnership with the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. (IDFI), Iloilo City Government, Iloilo Provincial Government, Municipality of Pototan, and University of San Agustin.
NCCA deputy executive director Marichu G. Tellano said this attempt for a world record in unity dance is “an advocacy for unity, trying to maximize the power of rites, particularly of dance, to enable change, to affect the feelings, and change mindsets.”
THE DANCE XCHANGE
For years, Dance Xchange has been a venue to celebrate dance, a platform for dance discourse and exchange of ideas, an opportunity for networkings and broadening community access to the arts.
It was conceptualized as a Philippine celebration of the International Dance Day and in accordance with Presidential Proclamation No. 154 declaring the last week of April as “National Dance Week”.
This event has been held in Negros Oriental, in Capiz, the National Capital Region, Cebu, Puerto Princesa City and Isabela.
“For Iloilo we will be featuring programs and activities not yet done in the other dance exchanges,” said Tellano.
With the theme, “Connecting Cultures for Peace and Unity through Dance,” the Dance Xchange aims to:
* enhance knowledge and skills of dancers, dance teachers and choreographers on dances of different countries as a creative expression of their culture
* strengthen network among dance groups from different countries
* showcase the unique dances of each country to enhance cultural understanding
* provide a platform for discussion and sharing on the global trends on dance
* harness the potential of the Philippines and of the Province of Iloilo to be a cultural destination for dance in Asia
The Dance Xchange this year will be participated in by 15 foreign dance groups from New Zealand, Nepal, Japan, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, South Korea, China and special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau as well 28 dance groups from the different parts of the Philippines representing various dance genres – traditional and indigenous, ballet, contemporary, modern jazz, and hip-hop.
The Dance Xchange will have activities such as international dance workshop, events management seminar, outreach workshops and performances for local dancers from the different cities and municipalities, festival of dance performances, international dance costumes exhibit, food, dance and wellness fair, Dance Xchange Unity Run, and cultural tours.
One of the highlights is the International Conference on Dance Research from April 30 to May 1. Among the topics to be discussed are the cultural foundations of dance, dance education and documentation, dance performance and production, and dance’s role in society./PN
