Calgary, 30 November 2023 – For one whole day on 25 November 2023, the Dr. Jose Rizal Hall of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary served as the venue of the Philippine folk dance workshop attended by 37 members of the Filipino community, some representing various dance organizations in Calgary, Edmonton, Airdrie, Cochrane, Lethbridge, and Canmore.

 

A collaboration of the PCG, the Manila-based Philippine Folk Dance Society (PFDS) and the Calgary-based Philippine Cultural Center Foundation (PCCF), the dance workshop participants learned about the history, significance, and techniques behind Philippine traditional dances.

 

Ms. Maria Chelo Galay, a certified teacher in Alberta and a lifetime member of PFDS since 1992, served as the main facilitator of the dance workshop, with Ms. Jo Ann Sanchez, her former colleague from the Philippine Normal University-Mindanao, acting as her co-facilitator.

Ms. Galay holds a Doctorate Degree in Education, with dance as her field of research study from the Philippines. Her dance research was published in SAYAW Book and she received a Dance Researcher Award from the PFDS.

 

The workshop culminated in the participants’ performance of the following dances - Manang Biday (Ilocos), Polka sa Nayon (Batangas), Jota de Medellin (Cebu), and Tigongong Matig Langob (Agusan). 

 

Consul General Zaldy Patron said, “We are pleased to be a part of this dance workshop that taught and trained our community members on the fundamentals of Philippine folk dances.”

 

“I hope the participants will be encouraged to perform and showcase the rich and varied traditional dances of the Philippines in the many events of the Filipino community in Alberta,” he added.

 

Another highlight of the event was the formation of PFDS-Alberta Chapter and the election of its first set of officers. First established in Manila, the PFDS is a non-profit organization founded in 1949 by the late Mrs. Francisca Reyes Aquino, the first National Artist for Dance.

 

Through workshops, performances, and educational programs, PFDS-Alberta Chapter hopes to serve as a hub for learning about Philippine folk dances.