PH Featured in Oman’s Folk Music Festival
MUSCAT, 08 February 2023 – The Sultanate of Oman held its 3rd Annual Folk Music Festival on 26 and 28 January 2023 with cultural groups from Oman, Brazil, Romania, and the Philippines performing in the two-day festival. Despite the inclement weather conditions in Muscat over the weekend, hundreds of people flocked to celebrate this spectacular festival in a stunning outdoor setting of the Maidan Al Bahri of the Royal Opera House of Musical Arts.
Represented by the world-renowned and multi-awarded performing artists, Bayanihan, the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines, this is a first for the Philippines to perform at the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM).
The ROHM is the premier arts and culture organization in the Sultanate and actively showcases rich and diverse artistic creations from Oman, the Middle East, and the world. The ROHM also puts cultural diplomacy into practice by reinvigorating global and multi-disciplinary collaborations and exchanges.
Prior to the Festival, Philippine Ambassador to Oman Imelda M. Panolong, through the Sentro Rizal Muscat of the Philippine Embassy in Oman, hosted a dance workshop and a Cultural Show, entitled “Bayanihan in Oman” on 24 January 2023. The workshop’s aim was to share the group’s passion for the art, and their expertise in Philippine culture through dance and music, as well as to enhance the skills of dancers, choreographers, and interested individuals who participated in the workshop. At the Cultural Show, the Bayanihan undoubtedly wowed the audience, consisting of members of the Diplomatic Corps, local and Filipino communities, and 2nd- and 3rd-generation Filipino youth, as they performed exquisite dances, with joyful expressions and a deep sense of national pride.
“Although “bayanihan” is not exclusively Filipino, we still take great pride in it. It transcends all borders. It reminds us of what we are capable of when we work together to achieve a common aspiration”, Ambassador Panolong noted in her welcome remarks during the event.
The participation of Bayanihan in the Festival was made possible through the generous support of the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the ROHM in collaboration with the Sentro Rizal Muscat and the kind assistance of the International Folklore Development Association. END
A first for the Philippines! Bayanihan, the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines, performing at the Folk Music Festival 2023 held on 26 and 28 January 2023 at the Royal Opera House Muscat, before hundreds of global audiences. (Muscat PE photo)
Philippine Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Her Excellency Imelda M. Panolong, together with her spouse, Mr. Jamel U. Panolong, and officials of the Philippine Embassy welcoming the guests from the Diplomatic Corps at the Cultural Show, “Bayanihan in Oman”, held on 24 January 2024 at Sheraton Oman Hotel, among them, H.E. and Mme. Jota Yamamoto of Japan, H.E. and Mme. Shaiful Anuar Mohammad of Malaysia, CDA, a.i., Milton de Figueirido Coutinho Filho of Brazil, and CDA Raymond Chow of Singapore. (Muscat PE photo)
The Philippine School’s KORO PSiano singing the National Anthems of Oman and the Philippines at the opening of the Cultural Show, “Bayanihan in Oman'', held on January 24, 2023, at Sheraton Oman Hotel. (Muscat PE photo)
Ambassador Imelda M. Panolong delivering her Welcome Remarks at the crowd-filled ballroom of the Sheraton Oman Hotel for the much awaited performance of Bayanihan, the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines, at the Philippine Embassy and Sentro Rizal Muscat’s Cultural Show entitled, “Bayanihan in Oman”, held on January 24, 2023. (Muscat PE photo)
Future Bayanihan dancers? INDAK PSiano of the Philippine School in Oman’s opening act performance - “Subli”. INDAK dancers, a mixture of Filipino and other nationalities students, enthusiastically attended the dance workshop by Bayanihan dancers a few hours before the Cultural Show, to enhance their skills in dancing. (Muscat PE photo)
Ambassador Imelda M. Panolong and Second Secretary and Consul Jacqueline Joan S. Arquiza (fifth and fourth from right) with Bayanihan, the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines, at the finale of the Cultural Show, “Bayanihan in Oman”, hosted by the Sentro Rizal Muscat of the Philippine Embassy in Oman held on January 24, 2023 at Sheraton Oman Hotel. (Muscat PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.muscatpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinOman/.