The long-running flagship program of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts – National Committee on Dance titled, ‘Sayaw Pinoy’ this year at the St. Scholastica Academy in San Fernando, Pampanga and the Guiguinto Municipal Athletic and Cultural Center in Guiguinto, Bulacan on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025.
Sayaw Pinoy is a touring dance concert comprised of various performers showcasing different genres of dance ranging from folk to hiphop. Headed by NCCA-NCD head Dr. Lordinio Vergara, the program aims to increase awareness and appreciation towards various Filipino dance forms.
Two venues were chosen to headline this year’s Sayaw Pinoy, namely St. Scholastica’s Academy in San Fernando, Pampanga and the Guiguinto Municipal Athletic and Cultural Center in Guiguinto, Bulacan. Local and staple dance groups graced the venues’ stages as they performed their stellar pieces for their audiences.
Sayaw, St. Scholastica!
At the St. Cecilia’s Court of the St. Scholastica’s Academy in San Fernando, Pampanga, students, teachers, parents, staff, and more sat down to witness the iconic NCCA-NCD dance concert. The event coincided with the academy’s 100th year foundation day, which made it the perfect opportunity for attendees to get the Sayaw Pinoy experience.
Attending the event were the academy’s Benedictine sisters, alumni board officers, Parent-Teacher Association officers, representatives of the San Fernando City LGU, and Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) executive director Doris Fernandez-Ferrer who gave her warm welcome message.
NCCA-NCD members Gener Caringal, Rhandy Guevara, Peter De Vera were also present, including Mr. Anthony Cruz, workshop facilitator and former NCD member.
No Standing, Only Dancing
Opening the dance concert was Sindaw Philippines, a cultural group with a goal to promote art and culture through re-staging various Philippine folk dances under the artistic direction of Mr. Rhandy Guevara. The group has represented the country in different cultural festivals, travel fairs, and international travel markets to boost the promotion of the tourism and cultural industry.
Their performance of Singkil, a Maranao folk dance is a show of great skill and precision as dancers use bamboo poles, similar to Tinikling in the routine. Dancers wore traditional Maranao attire used in Singkil, with intricate patterns, vibrant colors, and realistic props adorn the Sindaw Philippines performers.
Next to perform is last year’s Sayaw Pinoy Dance Competition third placer for the Folk Dance Category, Indak Guiguintenyo. As the official youth dance troupe of Guiguinto, Bulacan, Indak Guiguintenyo continues to preserve and showcase the rich cultural heritage of the country through dance.
The group celebrated its 6th founding anniversary and has won back-to-back-to-back championships in the Halamanan Festival in Guiguinto and are hall of famers in the Singkaban Festival. Performing Jota Quirino and Inagta, the dance troupe gave a lively and comedic performance, delighting the younger audiences of the dance concert.
The University of the East – Manila also performed their highly moving pieces not once, but twice! Under the artistic direction of Mr. Gener Caringal, the UE Silanganan Dance Troupe rendered visually engaging performances for the university’s various programs with other UE cultural groups.
A contemporary performance depicting life as farmers is performed by the group and, coming back to wow the audiences in a follow up performance to ‘Nais Ko’ are the troupe’s male dancers. Both performances showed excellent ballet skills by young performers with a passion for their craft.
The Sinukwan Kapampangan Performing Arts group, founded by Mr. Peter De Vera in 1992, stands as the pride of Pampanga. With San Fernando as the venue, the group emerged in the wake of the cataclysmic Mt. Pinatubo eruption, driven by a mission to preserve Kapampangan culture. Through meticulously researched and widely celebrated performances, both locally and internationally, they continue to showcase the richness of their heritage.
Following the Sinukwan Kapampangan performance is the Philippine Ballet Theater. Founded in 1987, PBT has established itself as the pre-eminent classical ballet company in the country and is currently the resident ballet company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Their performance wowed the entire venue with their ballet stunts and intense onstage chemistry. Children cheered for the pair as they performed to the classic OPM song, ‘Kailangan Kita’ sung by Gary V.
Adding a modern edge to the lineup of performers, the BulSu HyperDynamics Dance Troupe brought swagger to the stage, proving why they were crowned champions of the Sayaw Pinoy 2024 National Dance Competition – Hip-Hop Category. Under the artistic direction of Mr. Lloyd Coronell, the official hip-hop dance troupe of Bulacan State University commanded the stage with passion, precision, and power. Aside from Sayaw Pinoy, the dance troupe also competed in the regional competition of the Culture and the Arts Association of State Universities and Colleges (CAASUC). As they performed a piece to ‘Karakaraka’ by Vice Ganda, the dance troupe continues to push the boundaries of creativity and performance, ensuring that their audiences will remember their names wherever they go.
Last to perform but definitely not the least is the homegrown performing group of Malabon City, the Tanghalang Bagong Sibol Theater and Dance Company. Under the artistic direction of Mr. Anthony Cruz, the performing company has proved itself to be a prime group for exceptional performances and training of young artists in the city.
With a chilling performance entitled ‘Deboto’, the Tanghalang Bagong Sibol Theater and Dance Company showed a very creative and delightfully thrilling reimagination of the Filipino devotion of the Black Nazarene.
Indak, Guiguintenyo!
The latter part of Sayaw Pinoy was held at the Guiguinto Municipal Athletic and Cultural Center and featured new and local performers, adding to the roster of the touring groups for the program’s opening. The NCCA, in partnership with the Local Government Unit of Guiguinto, Bulacan, brought the dance concert to Guiguintenyos both young and old.
Guiguinto Vice Mayor Banjo S. Estrella gave an opening message for the program as he welcomed the guests to their humble town in Bulacan.
The new performers are as follows:
- Guintong Lahi Dance Troupe from Guiguinto National Vocational High School Main
- Malis Folkloris Dance Troupe from Guiguinto National Vocational High School Annex
- Tuktukan Elementary School Dance Troupe from Tuktukan, Guiguinto, Bulacan
- Guiguinto Central School from Poblacion, Guiguinto, Bulacan
- BulSU Entablado from Bulacan State University
- Liping Tagalog Folkloric Group from Bulacan Agriculture State College
- Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Troupe from Bulacan State University
All performers shared their routines to various Philippine folk dances and showed both excellence and mastery to their craft.
After the performances, Guiguinto Mayor, Attorney Agatha Paula Cruz, shared kind words with the audience and performers. As a performer herself, Attorney Cruz emphasized the importance of programs like Sayaw Pinoy in enriching the town’s cultural scene.
To close the program, NCCA-NCD Head Dr. Lordinio Vergara delivered his message for the opening of Sayaw Pinoy 2025, expressing his gratitude to the NCCA-NCD secretariat, attendees, and performers.
The opening of Sayaw Pinoy 2025 concluded with a unity dance as the program’s culminating activity. Sayaw Pinoy is set to tour more locations throughout February in celebration of National Arts Month 2025.
For details on this press release, contact Mr. Rene S. Napeñas, Head, Public Affairs and Information Office, through pais@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.
