Kababayan, meaning “fellow Filipino” in the native language Tagalog, is an annual multicultural showcase hosted by RUPAC. This event aims to spotlight the vibrance of Filipino culture and its interconnections with the diverse communities here on campus. Along with RUPAC’s own performances, cultural organizations, such as the United Latinos Association (ULA) and Indian dance team Rangeela, represent themselves through a series of ethnic dances and culinary offerings.
Boy Bawang’s Rehearsal
Ronin Ragodo performing “Lemonade” by Jeremy Passion
Aside from hosting Kababayan, RUPAC demonstrates Filipino heritage through a selection of traditional dances, such as tinikling, pagapir, bangko, and many more. Although, as we all know, this club is dedicated to the mixture that our Philippine-American community stands on. So, we’re always adding a little excitement to our shows with modern and traditional entertainment.
Additionally, this artistic presentation also houses the opportunity for individual performers to show us their own means of expression. If you have a passion for music, dance, theatre, or any of the arts, Kababayan is where you’ll find the chance to be center stage.
Our goal is to highlight the understanding of Filipino culture, foster inclusivity, and offer a platform for the exchange of cultural narratives to our diverse student body, faculty, and those we have yet to meet!
Traditional Tinikling
Performances
A traditional Philippine folk dance that involves two sticks being “clicked” together while two people dance between them that was inspired by the tikling bird’s agility in escaping bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Now, this dance represents the resilience, craftiness, and adaptability of the Philippines.
Also known as the “fan dance”, Pagapir is a dance that showcases fans being gracefully swayed to portray the essence of nature’s movement. This dance can be traced back to the Maranao people of Mindanao, who had created this dance to represent the significance of nature to the Maranao people.
Bangko, or “Balancing Bench Dance”, features the art of balance and movement as performers carefully dance around benches. Although intimidating, our performers, even the least daring ones, have successfully displayed the dance in its full complexity. Bangko also roots back to the folk legends in Pangasinan, Philippines.
Boy Bawang, a.k.a Boys Modern, is a recently established dance group that focuses on modern choreography that highlights the contemporary forms of expression and entertainment in Filipino-American culture. If you’re looking for something less formal and more up to date, then come learn what Boy Bawang is about!
Check out our highlights and contact us to get involved!!!