13 September 2013 -The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company, a UK-based Filipino dance troupe, dazzled their Austrian audience with their exhilarating dance routines at the Philippine Cultural Night held at the WeltMuseum Wien, Hofburg Palace complex in Vienna on September 05.
The Philippine Cultural Night was organized by the Philippine Embassy in Vienna in cooperation with the WeltMuseum Wien (World
Museum in Vienna), the Wien Kultur (Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Vienna), and the Zentrum für österreichische und philippinische Kultur und Sprache (Sentro ng kultura at wika ng Austria at Pilipinas). The dance performance of the Lahing Kayumanggi was part of the International Dance Festival in Vienna and the dance exhibition Getanzte Schöpfung Asien zwischen den Welten (Dance creation: Asia between the worlds) is being held held at the WeltMuseum Wien until September 30.
The Philippine Night was attended by the diplomatic community, business community, academe, museum patrons, the Filipino community in Vienna and the mainstream Austrian society. About 35 middle-school students and their teachers from the Austrian Federal State of Burgenland traveled to Vienna to watch the show.
In her message, Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre highlighted the many cultural aspects that bind the Philippines and Austria. Through the years the two countries have multiplied the “people bridges” between them including through trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges, the Ambassador said. She thanked the Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company for raising the profile of the Philippines in Austria through their thespian skills and grace in showcasing the Philippines’ distinct music and dance. The Ambassador also thanked the Leaders of the Filipino community who performed the “Rigodon de Honor” to the delight of the audience. She observed that the Filipino community in Austria appreciated the dance performance with sheer pride and joyful celebration of their motherland’s rich cultural heritage.
Dr. Steven Engelsman, Director of the WeltMuseum Wien, recognized the importance of presenting unique dance movements and techniques, specifically Asian dances like the Philippines, to the Austrian publics.
The dance programme was presented in five (5) dance suites: Pattong (celebration), Suenos de España (Dreams of Spain), Kini Kini (Maranao royal way of walking), Pagdiwata (prayer to the gods) and Buhay sa Bukid (Life in the fields).
The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company, under the creative directorship of Mr. Ronnie Del Barrio, is a recipient of the Philippine Presidential Banaag Award in 2006 in recognition of its unwavering dedication to artistic excellence, its contribution in raising the cultural awareness and ethnic pride of the Filipinos abroad and its support for cultural and humanitarian activities in the Philippines. It is also a winner of the ABS-CBN Geny Lopez, Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards Europe in 2012. END
