Leyte dance troupe shows way in int‘l fest
TACLOBAN CITY — A locally-known dance troupe with already more than half a century of legacy to its name was tapped to represent the country in a virtual international folklore festival in Bulgaria which opens shop today.
But unlike in past editions where participating groups perform in open scenes throughout Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia, the Leyte Kalipayan Dance Company will have the whole worldwide web as its stage as it competes against 26 other countries across five continents for the title.
In 2016, Leyte Kalipayan was recognized by the World Dance Organization one of the best dance companies in the world.
Apart from the Philippines, this year’s staging of the festival also drew dance groups from Panama, Serbia, Cuba, Romania, Russia, Ireland, New Zealand, Kenya, Malaysia, Japan, China, Ukraine, Argentina, Rapa Nui (Chile), Kenya, South Africa, Hungary, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Yakutia, India, South Africa, Bolivia, Argentina and Poland.
“The mission of the Festival is to promote the art of dance at the regional and international level, acquainting the Bulgarian audience with the folklore of the visiting countries,” organizers stated in the event’s official Facebook account.
The Vitosha International Folklore Festival was first held in 1996.
It was on its 20th founding anniversary in 2016 when the global cultural event also became a competition between nations.
The Leyte Kalipayan Dance Company will be performing twice in the festival — on the 17th for the contest proper against Romania, Malaysia, and Mexico and the 18th for the closing ceremonies — where they hope to impress the jury netizens who will be casting their votes online.
Established in 1961 by Teresita Pil in Tacloban’s Holy Infanct College, the Leyte Kalipayan Dance expanded its recruitment to high schools and college students from the different colleges and universities in Eastern Visayas.
Among its most notable achievements was being bestowed the GAWAD Awards from Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), one of the very prestigious recognition for artists, for its great contribution to the country on the preservation and promotion of Philippines culture and tradition.
Since its inception, it has performed in 37 countries in the Middle East, South America, United States of America, Europe, and Southeast Asia while also holding the distinction of being the very first dance troupe to ever perform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In 2016, Leyte Kalipayan was recognized by the World Dance Organization as one of the best dance companies in the world.